The Young Entrepreneur by Brit Tripudio

I started fashion 2 years ago, back in 2011 when I had no direction in college I dropped out and searched literally for a good fashion school. I remember i was with my friend Geri, he helped me find the school which is fashion institute of the Philippines. of course I made it sure it was one of the best fashion schools they have In manila, 2-3 weeks later I enrolled myself and lived in manila for 2 months. Then I decided I could go back and forth from Angeles city to Manila because it is more cost efficient and I like going home to see my dogs and be with my family. I took up fashion design,pattern making, haute couture, embroidery and menswear. After that I pursued my fashion career in Angeles since the city is being developed I thought at that time I could also develop my career there. Of course there are lots of trial and errors with my garments finishing because It was still fresh and I was starting and then few months later I mastered some of the lectures the school had given us to review. My biggest show probably was my manila fashion show. It was sponsored by style bible and was organized by Miriam college events management students. It was my first show there and it was awesome I met new people and gained more popularity in manila And then a friend of a friend her name is fate Natividad bumped Into me on the way to manila, she asked me if i was interested on having a show that they (bloomers party services) organize and if I could team up with them, I saw this as an opportunity so I grabbed it. The show was not perfect but it was not bad either. It was a neophyte show of the fashion industry it is like our debut.  After few weeks I received lots of invitations from organizers and event planners if I was willing to sponsor them and again saw that as an opportunity to establish myself. 2011-2012 were my starting point. I was 21 then and enjoyed single show. 2013 the big step for me was to build my own shop. I had a concept in my mind of woman wearing me in the highest class event and they look so chic in my dress. I named it (of course by the help of.my friend Geri) Go Chic! Chic is a word or expression in France which mean Stylish or style. Since my designs have lots of different styles I named my shop Go Chic! Haute Couture by Brit Tripudio.  First months of my business was still, no clients yet and having a business wouldn't prevent you to be frugal, I slent lots of money building it and yeah it was hard. Come July, I booked my first client: a bridal gown for ms Tam Manaloto (now Bicierro) owner of Coco Fresco. I gave her the concept of Nostalgia Italia which incorporates details of Italy's baroque architectural designs and many more. Her gown was quilted with rhinestones and laces and used my cutting techniques. Her bridesmaids wore black and gold. They were 18 to 20 persons, I did all the cutting of patterns and sewing of the appliques Draping and many more. And my name was more established after the wedding because people were not expecting me doing a bridal gown which is a first. Actually now I ended my lease contract and im planning to move I  our new house in villa Dolores. Because I think I don't need to have a shop its the same with not having an atelier cost efficient and I could work closer tk my family. By the beginning of June I might go and study fashion abroad.  Nothing is Final but I'm praying for it. And one more tool that I almost forgot to mention was or is my relationship with God without Him I think my dream wouldn't be attainable. I also have tattoos: "don't give up on yours dreams" in Arabic And " never a failure always a lesson" these are just some of the phrases I always read and it is like an affirmation to me, that whenever I'm close to doubting myself of my talent I would go to the mirror and read my tattoos. I have been through a lot these past few years, some was very easy but other issues was totally hard. But I managed to overcome them by Grace of God.

Life by Reese

My name is Reese. That’s not my real name, of course. But I see myself as a “Reese”. Here’s my story.

I have two children from different men and I have no husband (Noticed how I used ‘and’ instead of ‘but’). My father was in jail for a little over 10 years and is now psychologically damaged. My mother is bipolar and decided to give me to my grandparents. I grew up in different houses. I didn’t have a stable childhood. Passing me around as a child made me the ambiguous and stubborn person that I am today. I am on a constant battle in trying to change this. My personality is one of the reasons why I took up Psychology in college.

No one really liked me during my teenage years because I wasn’t so likeable. Nobody was there to correct my mistakes and guide me through that tricky stage in my life. But I’m lucky I have friends who understand what’s wrong. People that know my story. People who saw ‘me’ unfold right in front of them. People not even trying to scold me of what’s wrong. People that patiently waited for me to find out what’s wrong myself.

I had my first child when I was 17. The father of my eldest child got someone pregnant and I just “gave way”. I didn’t demand for anything because I didn’t want to. So I stopped school and applied at a call center. I worked there for 2 years. And those years were the worse. I forgot my responsibilities as a parent and I can never forgive myself for lost time. I decided I needed to go back to school to give my child and myself a better future. But we had trouble doing that because living with my father was a daily struggle. And the worst day came, when his psychologically unstable mind pushed him to threaten to kill me and his daughter. I was so scared, ran out of the house with nothing with my daughter in my arms and no plan of where to go at all.

We stayed at my boyfriend’s house for a few days and we stayed at my friend’s after that. I was able to save enough money to rent a house. I had a few things. A cooler for the leche flan I sell, a small and defective TV, one mattress, a few pillows, a rice cooker and some kitchen utensils. That’s it. No exaggerations. That was all I had.

I tried to look for more work and I came across working online. I bought a very old laptop which costs 8,000 pesos and started working as a freelance writer. I was able to afford everything I need and was eventually able to transfer to a bigger apartment. And I was even blessed with a healthy and cute baby boy last August 2013. I am happy now. I feel incomplete sometimes because I know me and my parents will never be okay but I didn’t want any pain anymore. I need to choose my battles. Blood is not always thicker than water plus I have my own family to take care off.

I guess the most valuable lesson I could give everyone is that there’s always a way. I always wake up in the morning knowing that I can accomplish everything. I sleep at night with a grateful heart knowing that despite every trial that I’ve been through, I was able to rise out of them strong. Make it a habit to learn something new every day – something new about the world, about the people you love or about yourself. 

The Year that Changed my Life by Enzo Lopez

As far as I know, I have been far away from home for a long time and the comfort of a home cooked meal brings me more joy than a brand new shirt in my closet. Ever since only few people remember to give me a present during my birthday and Christmas, so most of the time, I spoil myself with fancy things, which I don't need. I please myself from the smile I bring to people whenever I go home giving them stuffs from places I travel to. It's kinda nice, but at the end of the day, when you sit down all alone thinking, 'what about me?’ Well who would bother, since they see you with new stuffs all the time give you something right? I can clearly remember when my friend Don surprised me with a new shoe during my last visit to Singapore. I am pretty much sure that he saved his hard earned money just to get me that shoe. I was speechless actually. People whom you never expect would surprise you have more meaning than the thing itself. 

Being away from home doesn't only give you liberty to do whatever you decide to do. It makes you appreciate every single thing you have been missing out on and give value to everything around you. As soon as you notice things moving further away from you, you start to jump back right in and catch up. I think that's when home sickness kicks in. This never really happened to me until I met a few friends who seem to be perfectly happy back home. It got me thinking, what if I just go home and live their lives? The point where I almost lost the good thing I had in hand. Few days passed, I am missing my mom, sister, and my newly met niece and nephew. It struck me, that these people are more important than my personal desires. More than I know, people are expecting me to live up to what they see of me. That if I fail, I fail not only myself but also their dreams for me.  

Quite surprising how timid I have become now, I used to talk so much, because that's my job, interview people, approach a crowd, be spontaneous. I wonder where it all went to. I realized I just figured out how to control my emotions better now. Talk when needed and only answer when asked. I learned that it’s better to keep still in the corner and analyze the surroundings than throw yourself in the crowd full of predators. Trust me, people are made selfish. They look at you and they know what they want from you. If you look so pushy, they will definitely squeeze every drop of gold you have in your system. Sounds so pessimist right? Well maybe, but that's how life is. My best asset maybe my element of surprise, just when they think they can push you around, they end up being in awe with how much toxins you have in your skin. Better that way, at least you only do harm to people who hurts you.

You'll be surprised how life passes you by. It's either you go with the pace or get stuck living your life in the past just thinking about how life was so much better before. Life doesn’t get any easier, you have to continually prepare yourself for the next wave of challenge that will level you up and mold you to a better person OR watch others bask in the glory of their success. Everybody has their own story to tell, how do you want people to remember you? Usually as much as we want to say that we are happy, there are just some moments when you long for something you don't have.

I am living a totally different life now with all new people. It's like a brand new me. Only thing left of me is my family and a few good friends -made me understand that blood is definitely thicker than water. But most of the time, people who sticks till the end are the ones we neglect in the beginning.  I am pretty sure that in another 5 years, nothing will be the same. So this is what I always remind myself, I need to constantly improve on a day to day basis so that I will be happy in the next 5 years. I am done living a life of disappointments, and I can say that we all have to continuously work for what we want to make us happy. Every emotion is transit, whether it be hatred, love, contentment, etc... Hence, don't let complacency pull you down. When life gives you time to rest, that's probably the best time to gear up. Cause the challenge never ends. Things usually strike us by surprise, and believe me, I will never ever let it put me down again. 

The year is almost finished, about 16 days from now. Yet I am ready to close this year with my face up high thankful for all the blessing I have received. It wasn't merely luck, but a twist of faith I constantly maintain. No New Year resolutions for me because every day I change myself. I see every sunrise is an opportunity to make my life better.

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