He is an only child. He had almost everything when he was younger, but life unsurprisingly took charge of the wheel while he was growing up. There was a not-so-cool change, so he had to do things he never thought of doing. He started working full-time when he was in fourth year college. He would go to work at night and go directly to school after shift. It was more than tough, but self-motivation and time management offered a helping hand for him to keep going. After four long and winding years of working in different BPO companies, he got one of his dream jobs. He became a Legal Copy Editor. It was the perfect stress-free job for him. Proofreading (one of his passions), flexible shift (he never incurred tardiness), and own workstation (no more hours of waiting for its availability) meant happiness to him. Enjoying what he was doing, he was able to deliver a high performance. He consistently exceeded client’s expectations. He served as the central brain of the team. He also gained a parcel of truly good friends. He couldn’t ask for more. He was even ready to step up and become a team manager until his Nana (grandmother) passed away. It was when he realized that life is shorter than he thought. He could no longer fulfill his dreams for his Nana.

Not wanting history to repeat itself toward his parents, he courageously took a big risk. He loved his job, but he sacrificed it to look for a better work opportunity in Singapore. He held a Social Visit Pass (SVP). He literally did everything (applications via online, phone, newspaper, and walk-in) to get a good job, but life seemed to be a little bit unkind. His SVP expired after a month. He applied for a 30-day extension online. It was successful. He took advantage of it. He continued to look for a job, but life still seemed to be unkind. He desperately tried even those jobs that were outside his cup of tea. The 30-day extension soon expired, but he was never a quitter. He wanted to fight a good fight, so he went to Malaysia which is just a bus away from Singapore. He stayed there for six boring days and upon going back to Singapore, he was again permitted to stay for another 30 days. (It is as risky as hell, but it is what most Filipino tourists/job hunters do to prolong their stay in Singapore.) He again continued to hunt almost all kinds of job. He (as expected) got physically and mentally tired, but he chose not to give up that easily. There were sleepless nights when tears would automatically fall down, but he chose to keep the faith. Having all the hopes in the world, he went to an agency to apply for a Food & Beverage position. He never had a single bit of working experience in the same field, but he passed the interview with the employer. Purposefully eating his pride, he immediately borrowed money (a big amount of money) from his close and not-so-close relatives and friends for him to pay the agency’s processing fee. With the help of some people with undoubtedly huge hearts, he was able to complete the money just in time. His heart shouted for joy as he finally saw beautiful rays of light. He was about to reach the other end of the tunnel when the sun suddenly set. His work pass got rejected. He was totally upset to see darkness waiting for him outside the tunnel.