I have said this a hundred times: early this year I’ve shifted from novels to self-help books. And the book that has the biggest influence on this transition is Paano Ba' To?! by Bianca Gonzalez.
I have always wanted to buy this book when it came out because there were a lot of positive reviews. But for some constraints, I did not get the chance to buy it.
So fast forward to March 2017, when I went with my parents to CDO, I saw 4 copies of this book at National Bookstore so I bought one even though it wasn't the book that I initially planned on buying. Thank God for some happy accidents.
Speaking of which, I don’t plan to make this a review but I guess we’re heading to that direction so let’s see:
1. I’m not very good with arts, calligraphy and everything else in between but I personally love the creative design of this book. From front to back cover, there are a lot of random cliparts which I don’t really find annoying or magulo. In fact, I find it cute and complementary to the white cover.
2. When you open the front and back cover, you will see calligraphic writing of inspirational quotes. Again, surprisingly it’s not irritating to the eyes. I had fun reading them. So I think #ProjectBG Team found the right balance. (Wow. Expert… ish.)
3. The division of chapters is simple and true to its sense as well - Family, Friendship, Love, Career & Money, Failures, Fashion & Beauty, Purpose, and Self. Bianca also purposely left a blank page for the readers/writers to write on after every chapter. I like this part because it encourages an interaction (and assessment) of some sort. She then ended with some beautiful quotes as takeaway.
4. With regards to the content, I love the straight-to-the-point advice not just from Bianca but also from her friends – Toni, Anne, Luis, and a lot more. And because they’re speaking from first-hand experiences, it gives more weight to the words.
5. Bianca quoted here a lot of inspiring words from great books. This led me to reading Essentialism to The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck which then paved the way to books that I wish I had known and read in the past.
6. It comes with these lovely stickers!
A little fact: I wanted to give this book to a friend but because of the end-of-the-chapter journal, I couldn’t. My dark little secrets are scribbled on those pages. I wouldn’t risk it. Lol. Speaking of, here’s a letter to myself that I’ve written after the last chapter. Write something for yourself too! ;)
Dear self,Wow. Unsa toy uso ron, we started from the bottom and now we’re here?! Hehe.The fact that you now (almost) finish this book is something to be proud of. It means you acknowledge your worries, anxieties, shortcomings and you’re willing to be better. It means you have an open mind for new perspective. So quit worrying. You’re doing just fine. There’s one person that I haven’t apologized to and that’s you. Sorry for those failures and times when I didn’t stand up for you. You deserve better.So what I really like to say is I pray that you find that one job that will make you wanna wake up and get up every day. I hope you never forget who you are living for – the God who deserves your praises. I dream for you to be more passionate on your craft, more loving not just to family and friends but also to the unlovable, to be more compassionate and empathetic, to be more courageous and confident, more forgiving – to others and to yourself, to choose to be happy everyday, to be generous and to always radiate positivity and humility.I want you to know that you’re beautiful – inside and out. Because God made you so. You are strong and resilient. You are flexible and hardworking. So whatever goals that you have, I am confident that you will achieve them if you put your heart in it. You are special and kind. You’re smart and quick so believe that you can do it. But always bear in mind Who you’re doing it for.✝️❤️
