lessons in life...

Once upon a time, I wrote a list of things I have to remember. I wrote the list when I was angry at the world. I also wrote the list to remind me of the real world. I named the list as "Things I Have To Remember".

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Things I Have To Remember...

1. Do not wait. You'll be wasting your time. Time and tide will wait for no man.
   - I wrote this one when I got pissed at a once-close friend. She kept me waiting for hours before calling me to tell me she could not go to the library with me because she had a fight with her boyfriend. It was the third and the last time she stood me up be for boyfriend reason (or any other reason). Some friend, huh?
   
   
2. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
   - This one I wrote on the very same day because she said she won't disappoint me again. I should have known better.
   
   
3. Ignore small matters. They worth nothing.
   - A group of girls fighting over silly stuff (read: which boy is cuter). Need I say more?
   
   
4. Stop being so nice and generous. Be selfish!
   - These so-called friends always turned to me when they were in trouble. Penniless? No worries, Ummi to the rescue. Boyfriend is mad about something? Ummi's shoulder is there to cry on. They came to me when they had no one turn to, but they never came to me when I was in the same situation.
   
   
5. Do not depend on others and put your hopes in other people.
   - You thought you could always count on your "friends" to help you out. Think again.
   
   
6. Never ever trust someone so easily.
   - You thought "friends" are always trustworthy, they won't stab you behind your back. Well, think again.
   
   
7. Believe in yourself and be yourself.
   - This one I wrote when I was feeling defeated. I felt the need to be like my friends (read: tramps) to be accepted. I was so wrong.
   
   
8. Be choosy. Be picky. Only go for the best. You deserve it!
   - At this point, I realized I have to be choosy in friendship. At this point, quantity was not of my concern.
   
   
9. Respect and love your family. They are the only people who will always be by your side and watch your back.
   - Anytime I was down, my sisters were always there for me, encouraging me to move forward. They were the only ones who really care.
   
   
10. No one will help you to be successful. You've got to help yourself.
    - If I want to succeed, I have to do it on my own. No one can help me. They can only give advices and encouragement. The rest is up to me.
    
    
11. Wizen up. Smarten up. Fools go nowhere!
    - I'm not going to allow anyone to fool me anymore. Enough is enough.
    
    
12. Never look back and regret. And never ever feel sorry for yourself.
    - I wrote this when I was thinking about my so-called friends. I stopped being friends with them and I was wondering if that was the right move as I was feeling rather lonely at times. It was the right move as I am much more happier without them.
    
    
13. Always learn from mistakes and never make the same mistake twice.
    - Human made mistakes and we learn from them. We learn so that we won't make the same mistakes again and again (though some of us never learn!).
    
    
14. Approach challenges and difficulties head-on.
    - I had to write this one to give me the courage to face the world. I can be timid sometimes.
    
    
15. Have faith in what you do. Confide in yourself and never give up.
    - I second-guess myself all the time. But then again, I believe that everything happens for a reason. I wrote this one to remind myself to be strong and be firm in achieving my goals. I wrote this to remind myself not to give up to soon as I was having difficulties in my studies.

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Looking back, I realized I have learned so many things in life, particularly regarding friendship. I had hard times to believe in friendship. As time moves on, I learned to trust again, to accept people more openly and to reserve my judgment.

Now, I have friends who'll sleep with anything with boobies but will always have my back. I have friends I had never met who'll give me advices and encouragement when I need them, who'll lend me their shoulders (well, virtual shoulders) to cry on and who'll cheer me up when I'm down. I'm content as for now to remain like this.

There are lessons in life that are just too precious to be left ignored. In this not-so-perfect life of mine, these lessons are always welcomed. These lessons taught me to be a better person. At least I hope it had. Whaddya think?