I’ve been active in blogging for almost a year now, and it’s really amazing!
My very first blog was last 2015, when I came back here in UAE for a job. If you haven’t read “Where It All Begins” then you might get confused if you’ve read “Life As An Overseas Worker” first. But what’s more confusing is this statement hahaha! Anyway, I deleted my first blog because I’m not confident enough and doubting myself if what I’m doing is right and okay.
Fast forward to 2019, I started blogging, still not confident but I don’t doubt on myself anymore. I cannot please everyone, I cannot blog based on what people really expected in a blog but I’m trying. I blog because I want to motivate people, I want to share my experiences and maybe give some light to some people who are experiencing and experienced what I’ve been thru. I might blog something that’s too personal to blog or might post a topic that is really unattractive for some people. My vocabulary is limited.
But I really love blogging, I love conveying my feelings through blogs.
Especially the blogging and writing community. I’m really grateful and thankful for the community. I’ve talked and established a relationship with other bloggers from different countries. I haven’t personally meet anyone from the community yet, but I really care for those people. OMG why am I in tears? hahaha I’m just grateful for having friends like you guys, for treating me nice and for spending time to talk to me. The connection and not being easily judged. I’m overwhelmed from the support I’ve been receiving, from the friendship you are giving, from the trust and most especially for accepting me not just as Yourstrulie but as Liezl. You guys are the best! I cannot express in words how thankful I’am to be a part of this community. I love you guys and from the bottom of my heart:
Salamat
Gracias
Arigatogozaimasu
Kamsahamnida
Shukraan Gazilaan
Dhanyavaad
Grazie
Thank You!
Those are the languages I know in saying Thank you, I don’t want to google it and the list might be long enough we will take a couple of more hours just to read it hahaha!
I really do appreciate you guys.I will always have your back! I will always be here to support you. I will always walk the journey with you.
Yourstrulie now signing off…
Joooooooooke!! Will never happen ofcourse, loving the community and there’s no reason to sign off yet. š
After a short hiatus regarding blog posts (āUntitled 2019ā isnāt really a blog post, I donāt think so!), Iām back!
How would you guys feel if someone were to approach you and ask you to do an interview with them, which would then be posted on their website or written about on their blog site? Exciting isnāt it?!
I was mentioned in one of the Ovasinax teamās tweets, last October (in 2019); they expressed an interest in featuring me on their website, and so, I sent them a direct message to inquire about that tweet. They replied sooner than expected, explained to me about the interview invitation, and told me the reason why they were interested in interviewing me. It was a thrilling moment for me, and I was so touched by their words regarding my blog posts. I was out of words and was feeling strong emotions because someone had acknowledged my blog posts in a positive way. My blog posts define me as a personā¦ thatās why when someone shows an interest in them, it makes me feel like Iām an important and special person, contented and simply overjoyed.
When I received the questions from the Ovasinax team regarding my interview, I was excited to answer them allā¦ the questions didnāt only focus on my blogging, but also on my overall life/existence in this world. Many of their questions were so nostalgia-inducingā¦ they brought me back to old times and memories that I had of times when I was trying my best to become a better version of myself (Iām still in the process of doing that, by the way!). There were also ārapid-fireā questions that made me feel hyped up while answering themā¦ I imagined answering them in person (face-to-face) while having fun but being pressured by time (and thinking that I needed to talk very fastā¦ haha!). Please take a peek at the SPOTLIGHT tab on the officialOvasinax website, and you will get to know more about me there – regarding both my blogging life and my everyday life.
Later, my interview Q&A was posted on the official Ovasinax website and it went live! I still canāt stop reading through that pageā¦ I read it while smiling to myself. I just canāt believe that Iām featured on someone elseās website, not to mention having my own special section on it! I was initially kinda shy about mentioning this interview to my friends and family, but on second thoughts – why wouldnāt I?! So, I told them about it and shared the link on my Social Media accounts, and Iām both proud and thankful for the feature. Itās still surreal that someone did this for meā¦ for āYourstrulieā! We (the Ovasinax team and I) didnāt know each other to begin withā¦ total strangers who are thousand miles apartā¦ yet, my blog posts and my feelings reached them.
Curious about Ovasinax? It is a game that was created/designed based on memories of the creatorsā youthful times, especially focusing on thoughts of young adult pool-partiesā¦ Ovasinax is a tandem sprint race that features a man running or walking as fast as he can in a swimming pool while a woman stands and sits on his shoulders (this is during competition with two other male-female pairs), and this game also serves to promote – competition, fitness motivation, and expressions of bright personalities (when possible).
The Ovasinax game and website were designed by Jerome and Lucy who, by the way, have been happily married for 12 years now, are in their 40s, and are still kicking the sports that they both love; they are Canadians of Asian origin (Sri Lankan and Filipino heritage, respectively). Jerome and Lucy both work in the medical fieldā¦ we all know how tight the schedules of people who work in this field can be, but these two still manage to enjoy traveling; they also appreciate cold weather ā which is just perfect for a cuddle ā and are very fond of animals, especially cats. Their hobbies include reading and writing, which explains why they pay attention to blogs and blog posts.
The Ovasinax team is constantly promoting and supporting me, which is a very big help in terms of expanding my network and helping my blog posts to become known by people around the globe; they also donāt ask for anything from me in return. Still, I decided to do an interview, and this time, it will be with them in the spotlight. They actually didnāt want to do it, but I insisted and told them that itās my way of showing my gratitude to them. So, without further adoā¦.
Question: How did you come across my blog posts? Answer: We came across your blog site and your blog posts after we came across your tweets and your whole Twitter account; since you are clearly very engaging and popular on Twitter, we then checked out your blog posts and were very impressed by your openness, sweetness, purpose, and heart (all of which you display whenever you write/compose).
Question: When did you make the decision to feature me on the official Ovasinax website? Why? Answer: We decided to ask you if you would like to be interviewed by us (and be featured on a special page on the official Ovasinax website), very soon after we read your magnetic blog posts. The reasons for wanting to feature you on the official Ovasinax website were – you seemed to have a great personality, you are certainly an up-and-coming blogger, you (we felt sure) would be honest & detailed in your interview answers, and you are very beautiful.
Question: Out of all of my blog posts, which most caught your attention or interest? Why? Answer: All of your blog posts are interesting, and the two that captivated us the most were – “The Warmth Of Armenia” and “Love, Future You!”. The reasons for those two posts being especially interesting were – the first one was a great travel-based post with gorgeous pictures and nice anecdotes, while the second one had important and inspiring pieces of general life advice.
Question: How and where did Ovasinax get started? Answer: Ovasinax got started in our minds, based on thoughts of younger “party” daysā¦ the concept was expanded upon (and the rules & regulations were created) by us in Canada, although since Canada is a relatively cold country, Ovasinax has unsurprisingly gained most interest in warmer parts of the world (like Australia).
Question: What is your main goal regarding Ovasinax and how do you think it will help people who play it? Answer: Our main goal regarding Ovasinax is for it to keep on growing and gaining popularity in more parts of the world (hopefully, it can eventually get onto TV screens worldwide, too!). Ovasinax is a great way for couples to train together, bond with each other, motivate/challenge each other, and stay fit togetherā¦ plus – it is romantic!
Question: How do you describe the best feeling you have had, regarding Ovasinax? Answer: The best feeling that we have had (re: Ovasinax), so far is – pride while seeing more and more people in different countries becoming interested in this game and trying to play it, write about it, film videos about it, and tell other people about it.
The Ovasinax team consists of such good-hearted people; their pieces of advice and their suggestions motivate me to do better. From strangers to friends! From āsomeoneā to mentors! Glad that they came across my blog posts, and glad to have them in every chapter of Yourstrulieās journey!
Have you ever been in a toxic and abusive relationship with someone? Have you tried fixing it or you are just inlove with the idea of being in a relationship and ignored the signs and red flags?
Couples at the beginning are full of love and joy, smile and laughters are endless. Those dates and late hang outs makes your heart flutter. Those hugs and kisses are too hard to end–until you came to know each other too well.
I have been in a toxic relationship before and thankfully not abusive but I can tell that you will not realize it’s toxic unless you are totally out of that relationship. Signs that you are in a toxic relationship (abused POV):
It’s always your fault no matter what he/she did to you (talking about physically and mentally, let’s add emotionally), it’s always your fault. You always feel at fault all the time.
You are mad at him/her when he/she cheated on you or do something bad but fall for him/her even harder when he/she “explained” to you and denied everything.
You put him/her first before anyone else. Before anything else, even if it means loosing your dreams and goals especially your life and career.
You don’t respect yourself anymore and just beg for his/her forgiveness, beg for him/her to not go (top of the list!)
You know the truth but still choose to be blinded by your love ( or is it really love?)
You will seek advice and comfort from your friends but won’t listen and choose to stay with him/her even you know for yourself it’s not healthy anymore. Even if it means losing your friends and family.
How to get away with it? Well it’s not easy, some people are abusive either, emotionally or physically. It’s even harder if it’s both. It may be easy to say this and I know it is hard:
But always trust your guts, don’t wait until it’s too late.
ALWAYS LOVE YOURSELF FIRST.
It’s okay to be afraid, it’s fine if you are afraid of him/her but always remember you have friends and family you can run in to.
It’s hard but you have to help yourself, you have to step up for yourself and for your future.
Don’t be denial and delusional. It’s hard to do this but you have to give it a try. Think of your happy times before you met him/her. You are happy even before he/she came to your life so you could do it also even when he/she isn’t there anymore.
Go out and have some fun, breathe some air and laugh (don’t laugh alone please lol). Don’t sulk in and don’t let depression eat you.
Always remember you are loved by many.
It’s really hard to get out of a toxic and unhealthy relationship, you just have to stay strong for your dreams and future with your family and friends. Be vocal, even if you can see your friends and family getting irritated and annoyed when you open your mouth to talk about him/her, it’s fine. They are not mad at you, they are concerned to the point of saying hurtful words to you just so you wake up from the nightmare you allowed to dream of. It’s okay to give up, sometimes giving up is not a sign of being a coward, sometimes it’s a sign of being strong because you are getting your self out from the situation that may drag you down. Especially when you are fighting to save your relationship yet he/she isn’t.
Giving up your life? Getting tired of it? Nahhh– run to your friends and family, they will give you a lot of reason to move forward.
Not all people you meet stays in your life. They come and it’s their choice whether to stay or go. It’s their choice if they want to travel the journey with you. It’s their choice if they are true to you.
I’ve met a lot of people before and thought they are my friends. Well If we share a common interest and have a good time together I already consider you as my friend. But that was a mistake, I should have not get my hopes high, I should have not let my guard down.
I’ve met friends I consider when I went to Armenia ( see The Warmth of Armenia ), there is this one lady whom I became close with. We share our past experiences, our feelings and some of our secrets to each other. We hang out and stroll around the city together, building memories but that was quickly shattered into pieces, she asked for a favor and I obliged—We are friends after all! And so the favors she’s asking keeps on piling up, I’m not asking anything in return tho. But not returning back what you’ve asked for is a different story. She begun ignoring my messages and calls until she just vanished just like a bubble. It’s my fault I trusted her easily. When I was in Oman I also met few people who became my friends and until today, I’ve been very close to this lady we are not talking everyday but when we do, it becomes overrated!
Then there’s your college friends, I have a big group of friends and up to this day only 5 remains in contact. I believe that you can still be friends even if you’re not talking to them for the time being and they are busy with their own lives, but just a simple hello or a simple reply wouldn’t hurt right? (or I’m just a clingy person?) but the memories are still there, good and bad. Everytime I’m looking at our pictures I can’t help myself but to smile and reminisce the good ‘ol days. Our bond in college are pure. And I’m thankful to those who remains to be in my life. We are all still friends in Facebook though, and that is still a good sign!
People says that High School life was the best part of one’s school journey, and it’s kinda true. Your craziness doesn’t have any limits, it molds your life and personality. My classmates are my friends and I’m not joking when I say all of them (maybe I’m their class president so they don’t have a choice?lol) and now it’s down to 2 whom I’m talking with almost everyday.
From where I worked before (see You Deserved It) most of them are still in contact and choose to stay. I’m glad for it. Now, I have made new few friends and I’m confident that they will stay until I’m alive. Why?Because they are my friends! simple as that! I started to create my blog last 3 years ago, but I deleted it and now, they are the reason why I’m starting again. Special thanks to my vlogger friend who is becoming famous now!(hahaha I know you are reading it, you are welcome!) and to this lady who keeps on fighting the demons pestering her, thank you! You guys made my tummy aches from unlimited eating (though they are really trying their best to keep the foods away from me) and cried from laughing loudly until someone tries to shut us up.
Appreciate the people who choose to stay and fight your demons with you. Give them importance not because they have something to offer and give, but because they stick with you without apparent reason. Laugh with them in times of happiness. Cry with them in times of sorrow. Accept them as they are, don’t try to change them as they are not trying to change you. They will say “I told you so” because of your stubbornness and it’s a sign they care. Don’t be lonely if you thought to yourself I only have this much of friends while he / she has a tons of it, it’s fine. It’s not about the quantity, it’s all about the quality.
Thank you friends who became my family, thank you for sticking with my craziness and thank you for not giving up on me! How about you? Have you thanked them for riding with your craziness?
