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Hello Hive!

I have been very busy with onboarding some of my friends on Hive that I post less often than I wanted to. Onboarding is not easy, but it's very rewarding to see those you invited to do well here. I don't get anything of monetary value in return, but it is satisfying enough that I plan to continue inviting more of my friends.

It's my birthday today and I felt to have this mandatory birthday post. I just turned 27, but I still look and act like I'm 17 years old. I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse, but I don't really have the urge to act according to my age. I wanted to be as happy-go-lucky as I can, but life has this way of reminding me I'm not getting any younger. Sooner or later, I have to make decisions that could alter the current course I'm heading and I know it won't be easy.

What have I accomplished in life really? Unlike @glecerioberto who had his life planned and mapped out already, I felt like I don't have any clear goals on what I really wanted to do in the next few years. There are times when I felt like I'm stuck in my current situation while the rest of my peers are accelerating towards their destination. It sucks, but I have to live with it. The only consolation I have is to remind myself that life is not a race.

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Living in a country where norms and expectations are abounding, it felt suffocating at times. Why do people treat as having a car, a house, or starting a family at this age is considered to be a milestone? Why do I feel like I'm divergent or freak or different when I don't treat those as milestones but choices. I sometimes hear questions like when will I get married because my friends are already starting to have a family of their own. As if the world is not fucked enough to raise another human being.

Okay. Now it feels like I'm ranting on my birthday. Let's have a positive note.

It's my first birthday in Hive, but it's already my third birthday since I started this blogging-on-a-blockchain thing. I already noted in my post "10 Reasons Why Hive Is Perfect For Me" that I couldn't imagine what my life would be without Hive. It's in this space that I felt like I could make a difference. I enjoy talking to people from all around the world and hear stories from all walks of life. I felt there's no platform yet that's closer to what Hive has achieved.

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Moving forward, I want to thank the people who have been part of my life in the last 27 years. From the bottom of my hypothalamus (cliché), you have my deepest gratitude. As an introvert and a weirdo, I have a very small circle of friends. Hive made it possible to expand my horizons and reach out to people from other countries which is truly remarkable and sometimes overwhelming for someone like me. If you felt that you saw me as who I really am, then it's both a privilege and a burden that you have to live with. I hope you can bear with me for the years to come.

As someone who never had a clear goal in life, my only wish is that I can travel as soon as possible. You all know that I specialized in travel because I wanted to promote my country. I still have a few travel reserves, but they're almost depleted and I don't know what type of content I'll be producing if that time comes.

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Let's celebrate life even in these precarious times. It's in times like this when we should realize how fleeting life is and it's meant to be lived to the fullest. I choose to celebrate another year of my life with you all here in Hive. To those who supported my posts since the day I decided to take the challenge in making sure that my content is not mediocre, thank you very much! You encouraged me to continue what I'm doing and influence others as well. I promise to keep it that way.

To the people who are somehow inspired with what I'm doing, please don't expect too much from me. Please pay the inspiration forward and influence others to do the same. In a world that's unfair and abusive, let's choose to be kind and helpful to others. Char!

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Kim Ybañez _{Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines) and the rest of the world even if he's still a poor corporate slave with tons of bills to pay and two siblings to support in college.} _{If you like his content, don't forget to upvote and leave a comment to show some love. You can also reblog if you want to. Also, don't forget to follow him to be updated with his latest posts.}

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