Love my inverted haircut! ❤️ Probably the shortest I've ever had my hair but you wouldn't be able to tell from the front 💇🏻😍👏🏼 So glad I found Crystal to tame my crazy mane. THANKS CRYSTAL 😁
Instagram Business Profile - Finally!
31st Birthday Celebrations Continued
When You Accept Yourself, You Are Invincible
For so much of my life, I wondered why I seemed different from everyone else. I sucked at all things school. I changed majors three times. I hated every single class, except writing and psychology. No matter how many hours I would put into studying, my brain wouldn’t retain any information. I always felt like I was missing something because everyone else around me didn’t seem to have as much trouble. In fact, many of them were achieving the paths that they had set out for themselves. Me? Not only was I failing on my “path,” I had zero interest in it to begin with. I was only doing what I was doing, purely out of a sense of obligation. Thirty years later, and now thirty-one, I’ve finally been able to forge my own path based on who I truly am and what I want to accomplish in life. Rather than ask myself why I’m not as good at something, I just accept it - I take pride in it because it’s part of what makes me, me. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. 😊 Self-awareness is the most liberating, empowering thing. 👍🏼
Het's 31st Hoedown
Usually I start planning my birthday in May because its the only day of the year where I can get all of my favorite people together for some fun times. This year though, I was too busy with Sharespark stuff so I didn't get around to planning anything. Instead, my birthday was looking to be a pretty quiet day of work and video games... until these guys showed up! And despite the short notice, we were still able to have a proper Het's Hoedown! 😁😜🎉🍻 Thanks for coming guys! It was an epic evening thanks to you!! ❤️❤️❤️
Meeting My Cousins from the Philippines
On Friday, I got to meet two of my cousins for the first time. 👯 The meeting was virtual on Skype but hey, better than nothing! We had a lot of fun chatting and getting to know each other. They’re huge k-pop fans and they were also very interested in my hip hop dancing days haha. So great to hang out with them 😊❤️ Now, can I take a second to marvel over the power of social media and communication technology? Using just my laptop and a wi-fi connection, I was able to see and talk to my cousins who live in a timezone 15 hours ahead. Furthermore, through social media, we’ll be able to keep in touch on a regular basis… That might not seem like a big deal but ten years ago, this would have been impossible. Look how far we’ve come in such a relatively short amount of time. As society adapts to this kind of connection and new technologies are developed, digital media will continue to evolve very quickly. Through @sharesparkmedia, I hope to help people become aware of the impact of this evolution. What do you think? Does this kind of connection make the world seem bigger or smaller? 🤔
Met them at a Meetup
First Sharespark Newsletter Sent - Feeling Victorious!
New Sharespark Video Intro
So thankful to have these two in my life! 😁 Last week, they took me out for an early birthday celebration in Downtown LA. I can’t even begin to explain how much these two have been there for me! Love you guys ❤️❤️ 4 more days until my 31st birthday! 😳 And my only wish is for you to donate $31 to Sharespark! Check out my vlogs this week for 31 reasons why digital literacy is a necessary skill in the 21st century.
Most people are excited for my journey as a social entrepreneur but there are a few who ask me whether I’m scared of failing. Some people even advised me against documenting my story on social media so as to avoid possible embarrassment and humiliation should I fail. Here’s the thing though… I’ve already won bro. 🙌🏽 It might be difficult to understand this considering I still don’t have a paycheck but taking the leap into entrepreneurship has allowed me to discover my true potential in a way that nothing ever has. It literally makes me shudder that I could still be sitting at a desk, working a 9-5 with a salary and benefits and never have discovered this unique way to help so many. Would it really be such a failure that I pursued my dream, even if @sharesparkmedia never takes off? NAH! 😎
Shoutout to the best intern ever! 🏆 Christopher’s creativity, enthusiasm, and dedication have impressed me since day one and he has truly been a monumental help during the summers he has interned with me, this being the third. As a Sharespark intern though, Christopher’s ideas and unique understanding of marketing have really thrived.
So many times during this journey have I organically come to a thought or conclusion on my own that, after some research, I come to find is a legitimate issue or concept being discussed in the “real world.” I’m not really sure why it takes me so long to come to these realizations but the sincere delight and pride I feel when I realize that I’m not alone in my thinking amuses me. For example, the concept of social entrepreneurship didn’t hit me until ~two weeks ago...
There are two things that my dad has taught me that have really stuck with me. The first is dedication. My dad is straight up the most dedicated person I know. No matter what, he will go above and beyond to be the best at whatever he has set himself out to be: a father, a husband, an engineer, a friend. All without a single complaint and full of jokes and laughter. This can also lead to him being stubborn lol. But my tendency to go all-in on something that I’ve set my mind on? I definitely get that from my dad. The second is to make the most of whatever cards you have been dealt. It’s easy to take everything for granted. I was born in America - this is all I know. My dad though? He’ll tell me stories of his life in the Philippines, like how he barely weighed 100 lbs in high school because there wasn’t enough food to eat. I vividly remember the first time he came to visit me when I was at UC Irvine. I took him to our dorm’s cafeteria and he was overcome by tears at the abundance, the availability, and the variety of food that was so easily accessible to us. When I first told him about starting @sharesparkmedia, there was only one thing he had to say, “This is America, anything is possible here.” Despite having so little, my dad has accomplished so much and I have more than he ever could have. I can do this. Happy Father’s Day Dad! 👨👩👧👦👨🏽❤️ Also, I still beat you, even it was just by 3 points. 😂
Still can’t get over how I actually had drinks with these two! Lisa and Daniel were two of the most active @vcycsouthbay members while I was working at the Volunteer Center… and now they’re of drinking age! What the heck - I’m old lol. 😂 So good catching up with you guys!! Hope we can do it again soon! Very excited to see what’s in store for you! 😊 Get that Vegas trip in! 😉
There’s been few people I’ve been able to give this title to: hero. Actually, I can’t even think of someone at the moment but this man seriously saved me. I still can’t get over the timing of when and how I discovered him. Somehow, I stumbled across one of his videos when I was feeling the most lost I’ve ever felt in my career. A lot of people and a lot of circumstances have led to me taking the leap into social entrepreneurship, but for sure, this guy was a HUGE motivator and he continues to inspire and reassure me every single day. One of his mantras that really resonates with me is: One Life. You get one life, that’s it. And if you don’t do what you really want to do, it will never happen, period. It’s that simple. @Garyvee, you are my hero. I wish I could pick your brain about @Sharesparkmedia!
Gonna miss this one like crazy! Thanks Liz for the countless times you were a shoulder that I could lean on! For being a reality check when I needed it and for all the good conversations we had. One of the things I miss the most is just popping into your room to say hi. 😭 Bums me out that we never went on a hike but I promise, I'm coming to visit you on the East Coast!! So excited for you and your next adventure! Have an awesome road trip! Vlog and blog and Facebook Live!! 😂❤️❤️
Yay!! We broke $1000!! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far! And if you haven't yet had the chance, please support @sharesparkmedia, the online movement promoting digital literacy by empowering people to utilize digital media to achieve meaningful goals! The link to the @gofundme is in my bio! Any amount will help! THANK YOU! ❤️