06/20/2026 | Entry #30
Sharing with you what I wrote back in college...probably in my second year huehue
xxx
Once upon a time, during a winter cold snap, a breezy wind froze the streams and rivers—and an angel was sent down from heaven. Through the roaring voice of thunder and flashes of lightning, which faded into the soft, delicate cry of a baby, she traveled across the sky of Romblon. Oops, too much of a fairy tale!
Hi, I’m Angelica Tiaga, an 18-year-old woman living in the body of a 14-year-old girl. People always think I’m younger than I am, which I take as a compliment. I laugh at simple jokes, whether they are expressed through words, actions, or just an idea that pops into my mind. Most of my friends' first impression of me was that I was a mean girl who didn’t know how to smile. It’s just part of my personality that I don’t talk much to people I don’t know. I simply believe that only the people who know you truly care about you—so why bother talking to everyone else?
I’m a Born-Again Christian, and anyone who truly knows me knows that because I always share my faith with them. I’m also an art fanatic, and those close to me know that well. I was once hooked on Korean Pop music, and I can say it truly influenced the way I perceive music. Now, I’m interested in listening to classical music, which has become a habit of mine. I usually wear t-shirts and pants when I go out because I’m comfortable knowing people won't look at me differently. As a Christian, I believe my body is a temple of Christ, so it must not be disrespected. However, I have no issue with people who love wearing short shorts.
I have semi-short hair, which, for only the second time in my entire life that I can remember, has been cut to this length. This is because my grandpa, who passed away last year, didn’t like seeing women with short hair. I’m not tall, which is one of the main reasons people see me as younger than my age; I basically inherited it from my mother. I don’t have a clear complexion because I’ve got a lot of skin marks from my younger days. I have a scar on my face from being hit by a stone when I was 6 years old. I also have a big scar on my right leg from an insect bite that became severely swollen after I went to a funeral (which is believed to bring bad luck in our province). Finally, I have a long scar down the middle of my chest; I cliff-dived from a dead tree at the beach in our province and fell onto a broken branch. People don’t know where I got these marks, but the experiences behind them are worth remembering.
Before I go any further, I am the only daughter among the five children of Felipe and Nida Tiaga. My father is a farmer/fisherman, and he is the one who played the role of a mother in our family since we grew up by his side. My mother, on the other hand, became the breadwinner. She used to work in a market in Cavite to sustain all our financial needs. Now, my older brothers have already graduated from college. The oldest is a pastor and an academic dean in our province. The second one is currently reviewing for his NAPOLCOM examination. The third is an I.T. graduate working in a supermarket. My younger brother is now in grade nine. We may be facing a financial crisis, but our family is full of love. We are separated at the moment as we reach for our own dreams, but sooner or later, we’ll be together again—under one roof and in one home.
What else could I share? Aside from not liking to talk to strangers, I really dislike the atmosphere of parties. I don’t like the smell of strong perfumes, alcohol, or smoke, nor do I like the idea of dancing with wild crowds. But I do love birthday parties—kids' parties, to be exact. Speaking of kids, I usually hang out with them during family gatherings rather than with my cousins of the same age. I just don't know how to communicate with my peers, especially when they talk about their romantic relationships. I’m not a fan of real-life love stories; fairy tales are much more worth my time than listening to where and when their love began. But I do love LOVE. As a Christian, love is the very foundation of our relationship with other people and with Christ.
I love sports and I'm an outdoorsy person. I was part of the softball team when I was a high school freshman. I quit playing when one of the coaches told me that I "moved like a girl," which I didn’t understand because I am a girl. I love joining camps, especially when there are outdoor activities. I’m also a bit of a phlegmatic person—when people push me to do things I don’t like, I always end up miserable. So, I do things based on my emotions. If I don’t feel like dancing, I won’t dance. The same goes for when I want to write, draw, paint, eat, or sleep. I spend a lot of time on my bed, but that doesn't mean I'm always sleeping.
Right now, I am undergoing training inside the church to be part of a ministry. I am actually part of the Arts and Design Ministry, where we design events for the youth. However, I’m not very active today because my schedule for this semester is brutal. Still, I’m coping with it.
So, what are the things I know about myself that I don’t want other people to know?
I was bullied. Not because I was silent, but because I used to talk too much. I was the Supreme Student Government president back in grade school. As president, I enforced rules for the benefit and discipline of the students. Unfortunately, not everyone could follow them. I was bullied verbally, physically, and emotionally. There was a time when I didn’t want to go to school because I was tired of all the complaints and glares from classmates and other students who didn’t even know me. I don’t regret creating those rules, but I hated the backlash from students who resisted discipline. Looking at them right now, most of them are out-of-school youth, which is exactly what I was trying to prevent back then. But their choice is their choice.
Next, this is kind of "dugyot." Because I grew up in the province, I already expected that my childhood would be different from my current classmates'. I once experienced pooping (tumae) up in a tree. The idea is dugyot and kadiri, but I can’t remember why we chose that exact spot. I say “we” because I was with my cousins, and doing that with them was honestly hilarious. We were still so young at the time, so who knows what pushed us to do it.
My friends know this, but I don’t want them to share it with others, so I keep it a secret: I have scoliosis. I’m afraid I will grow old with an unpleasant spinal curve. Since we aren't rich, I can’t afford a back brace. I don’t really know how or why my bones went wrong. Still, I always pray to the Lord that He may bring healing to the foundation of His temple.
What are my dreams?
I WANT TO BE A PILGRIM. Before, all I wanted to do was travel. But I found no deeper meaning in just traveling for leisure—parang ang selfish. After I came to know Christ, I wanted to be more like Him. I don’t want to be a god, but I want to help people in different parts of the world, especially those in remote areas that cannot be reached by government aid. I dream of building an underground house, just like the hobbits. I also dream of staying in Cappadocia, Turkey. Para kasing it feels so full of history about Jesus, not to mention the houses and tunnels carved out of natural stone. When I was in high school, I dreamed of becoming a performer just because I wanted to be near my ultimate ex-crush. Ang babaw, 'di ba? I also dreamed of writing my own book, but it feels like I might be dreaming too much. I’ve got a lot of dreams for my family—both my biological one and the one I hold in my heart.
As for the best film I’ve watched... I’m not totally fond of watching tons of movies. I pick them randomly; if the beginning is appealing, I’ll keep watching, but if it gets boring, I stop right away. In my 18 years of existence, maybe it’s just me, but I still haven’t found the "best" movie yet. But I do love fairy tales (Peter Pan hooked me because I also don't want to grow old), musicals (Les Misérables, Into the Woods, and Descendants are the latest ones I've enjoyed), serious or complicated plots (Serendipity—assuming you meant this instead of Intuition—and The Da Vinci Code), and a concept I absolutely love: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
