Shainne Hostalero

The Good Read:      The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho When I was a kid, I had lots of goals and dreams. I wanted to be a teacher, a businesswoman, a wife and a mother living in a cute house with a flower garden, has swing and has a library of my favorite books. It sounds ordinary, I know. I was dreaming of that when I was 6 and now I'm in my 20s and those 'mini' dreams, I say, aren't starting to be visible just yet. I'm not yet a teacher. I'm not yet a businesswoman. And I'm definitely not yet a wife and a mother that lives in a cute house with a flower garden that has swing and library of my favorite books. And, this is the time I know that my dreams don't sound and seem ordinary. Despite not having the aforementioned things at hand, I'm happy. There are just so many things I am lucky to have and these are all treasures that I won't trade for anything. I've lost some along the way, of course; but I've ...

Photo by my brother, James Hostalero PICC, Plenary Hall My college graduation  First, a big CONGRATULATIONS to all of you! I say, education is worth more than any amount of material things our money can buy. It is one of the treasures we could cherish and share to everyone forever; and to all of you who have decided to pursue and achieve your dreams; to all of you who have passed and finished your elementary, secondary and college degrees with and even without honors, soar high! You are one step closer to the betterment of our society. And, as early as now, you finally have made a difference. The best advice I could give to all of you is... Don't STOP . Don't. No matter how the universe says otherwise. Like some of you, I have so many frustrations. I can't even say that I am successful (in the universe qualifications) right at this moment, but if feeling 'happy and contented' and/or finding 'genuine happiness' are to be registered as qualifications t...

Before the clock strikes 12 midnight and consider April 22nd over and done, I want to say thank you to the whole universe and to the Lord above for giving me such a perfect day. Photo by Candy Razon Thank you everyone for your birthday greetings! This, I could say, is the best birthday I've had for the past three years (since 2012) of jumble. Thank you so much to my family for putting up a mini get-together and for leaving your offices earlier than usual so you could come home before I do. Thank you so much my bff, Rara, for the birthday greetings and for generally coming into my life and sharing almost a decade of true friendship. Thank you to my FEU Diliman Family for the surprise cake and a happy lunch. I'm really blessed to have this day came through. Indeed, an unleash! Again, to everyone of you who took time to go through my social media dashboard to express the warmest greetings, to everyone who texted, called, left wonderful messages for me and surprise me i...

Do you, by any chance, wonder why beautiful places soothe your mood? It is because new experiences bring us a certain touch from the world that could calm us. Travelling to beautiful places makes us realize how blessed we are to finally have a glimpse of the wonderful nature. Last Holy Week 2015 (April 4-5, 2015), Rara and I decided to have our getaway to one of the most relaxed beaches (still) in Mindoro, the Talipanan Beach. Puerto Galera isn't something new to me. In fact, I've visited it hundreds of times before, so I tried different beaches there then. I have gone to White Beach and Sabang Beach way back, and very recent, Talipanan Beach. That, I must say, the most relaxed one.  We are not fond of partying or drinking (well, not anymore). Maybe because as you grow older, you will outgrow these kind of things and you will realize that sleeping late is not the 'deal' anymore (oldies. Hehe! )  That was what we like about the beach. It was just comforting...

He Cares Foundation is a Christian non-profit organization that helps poor/street children in Metro Manila by providing their basic necessities such as food, clothing, medical assistance, education and spiritual support. *** I came to know He Cares Foundation through their efforts of helping children by conducting tutorial sessions every weekend, mostly Saturdays. It is a good effort by the foundation to provide assistance to children when it comes to building their base and point as they go on and reach their dreams and goals in life. Education is very important. It is one of our instruments towards success, better community and society. I do believe that if we are educated enough and if we would make use of our wisdom and acquired knowledge then we can finally fulfill one of our existential purposes - to build a better and peaceful nation. Help us educate and impart knowledge to children by being one of the great instruments of change. Be a Volunteer! He Cares Foundation...

At Kiltepan Viewpoint, Sagada Q: What university or college did you go to achieve your degree? Shainne: I graduated from Far Eastern University – Manila with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Commerce Major in Marketing Management. How did you decide what you wanted to study? Deciding on what field to choose to be my major was one of the most difficult decisions I have made in my life. There were a lot of things I really wanted to try when I was younger and interests varied and somehow changed. Maybe Marketing Management was really my calling and I couldn’t be any happier. I’m glad I didn’t give up. Not one bit. Hehe How did you decide what you wanted to do with your life? I want to congratulate those who have already decided! Hahaha! Actually, I’ve had a lot of setbacks when I was in college. There were a lot of things I wasn’t sure of; things I didn’t even know if I must continue. But as I grow older and as I experience things in life... that was the t...

Bossypants by Tina Fey (c) Shainne Hostalero The Good Read:  Bossypants by Tina Fey Truth be told: Tina Fey is my favorite... In all her ways as a writer, an artist, an actor, a producer, a wife and a mother. I see the humor arise whenever I get to see her writings, her stints, guesting and hosting gigs (well, of course, on publications and on TV only.) When the book Bossypants was recently out, the first published of it was on a blue hard-bound book. I was then a student, third year in college to be more specific. I went to a bookstore - a bookstore where you can read books even if you don't have any intention of buying them; a bookstore where no one's going to reprimand you for being such a freeloader. Hahaha! I swear, I've finished lots of good reads there. I was just a student and the books that I was interested about were the books that cost more than my weekly allowance. In other words, I couldn't afford. So, what happened was I made it a point to swing b...