Started: 04/27/2021 Ended: 08/24/2021 Ang hirap palang tumanda. Ang hirap magbayad ng bills. Ang hirap suportahan ng pamilyang akala ay isang milyon ang suweldo mo. Ang hirap ngumiti sa nanay na mataas ang tingin sa'yo pero hindi ka kayang ipagtanggol. Ang hirap tabihan sa hapagkainan ng tatay na pinag-uubusan mo ng pera pero hindi ka maalala. Ang hirap mag-abot ng tulong sa kapatid na baon sa utang. Ang hirap intindihin ng hipag na nakakapagpa-rebond pa kahit kapos na kapos na. Ang hirap pakisamahan ng bunsong halos ilahad ang mga palad tuwing makikita ka. Ang hirap ngitian ng mga taong tanong nang tanong kung bakit hindi ka pa nakakapag-asawa. Ang hirap humarap sa mundong isasampal sa'yo na mag-isa ka. Tulong, bigay, utang. Isang iling mo lang, madamot ka na. Kasama mo sila kapag may maibibigay ka, pero hindi mo sila mahahanap kapag wala na. Ikaw ang kakayod, sila ang tutuka. Ikaw ang iiyak sa pagod, sila ang magtatamasa. Iyon ang summary ng buhay ko. Sobra-sobra ang naririnig na paghingi, kulang na kulang ang naririnig na pasasalamat. Sobra-sobra ang pagpapasensya, kulang na kulang ang natatanggap na pagpapahalaga. Sobra-sobra ang binabayaran, kulang na kulang sa kasiyahan. Kaya nang dumating sa buhay ko ang nag-iisang lalaking hindi ako nakita bilang naglalakad na alkansya, ang nag-iisang lalaking nakinig sa mahabang listahan ko ng problema, ang nag-iisang lalaking nagbigay sa akin ng kakaibang saya, ipinangako ko sa sarili na sa gitna ng hirap ng pagtanda, magtitiis ako basta't siya ang kasama. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay pagtalikod sa minahal na pamilya. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay paglaban sa mundong pinatatakbo ng kapangyarihan at pera. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay ang pagdurusa't pag-iisa. Siya ang ginhawa, pahinga, at kasiyahan ko. Dumating man ang araw na tanaw ko na ang dulo. Dumating man ang araw na wala na kaming sagot sa lahat ng bakit at paano. Dumating man ang araw na pareho na kaming talo.

If we were to talk about making the first move, boys are usually the ones who do it, but not in the case of Ireena Razon. For her, it was a now or never situation. Given that it was her last year of high school, she felt she had to do everything. You only turn 17 once in your lifetime, and after that, you can't afford to make foolish decisions anymore, she thought. Little did she know, this "foolish" 17-year-old decision she was about to make would shape the rest of her life. Book Cover from: Su Minh in Pexels

PUBLISHED UNDER LIB Note: If you're not into flawed characters who make wrong decisions, don't read this. Save yourself from stress. Started: 10/07/2020 Ended: 11/18/2020 Elora Chin Valencia grew up in a toxic Christian family where she was viewed as the black sheep. Araw-araw ay ipinaparamdam sa kanya ng mundo na wala siyang lugar sa sarili niyang tahanan. She was a consistent dean's lister and an obedient daughter, which left her wondering what she had done so wrong to be disregarded as a speck of dust in the wind. They made her feel like she was just dirt, filling up the empty space. The one who would never have her own safe place. Feeling all of this contributed to her endless suicidal ideations. Baka nga tama sila. Baka nga wala siyang halaga at kailanman ay hindi na sasaya. She almost believed that. She almost held onto that notion. Not until she met the man in his BS Civil Engineering uniform and gorgeous grin, Troy Jefferson Dela Paz. He kissed her forehead, and her loud thoughts were silenced. Her demons calmed down. Her foes were defeated. For the first time in her life, she had proven her family wrong---a happy Elora Chin was possible. She was loved and well-taken care of. Troy embraced her sharp parts, not minding the wounds he might get. But fate had a lot of cruel things in store for her. Because when she thought she had reached the peak of happiness, she found myself drowning alone in the ocean she now called home, alone in her shame, alone with the waves she couldn't tame.

Nadia de Marco knew what she wanted in life and that is to be the most powerful woman in the country. Growing up in the Philippines, she knew that it would be an uphill climb. There is misogyny everywhere, but instead of fighting it, she decided to use it to her advantage. That is probably the upside of being undermined, being almost invisible-people will never see you coming. While she was watching everyone's moves, no one was watching hers. Things were going according to plan until Avery Brienne Eliseo came into the picture. Suddenly, she got an enemy. And unlike Avery who has her cousin by her side, she has no one. And she needs to have someone. She's been looking for so long until she found Archibald Reign Gallego-the perfect partner in crime... or so she thought.

(Game Series # 1) For as long as Katherine could remember, Juan Alexandro Yuchengco has always been her dream guy. He's smart, kind, and could be funny when he wanted to... but the problem was, he never saw her as more than his sister's friend. And she's determined to change that. She followed him to law school. She made sure that he's aware of her presence... and thankfully, her efforts paid off. Finally, Jax was looking her way. But life is never simple. Life is a game. It's either you win or you lose. It's either you get it all or you lose it all. Kapag akala mong nandyan na, biglang mawawala pala. Kapag akala mong iyon na, may iba pa pala. But how will she play if all the cards are stacked against her?

Brain. Tumor. Med school. Yogurt. Kisses and dreams. Navigating the spectrum of human conditions and returning memories from medical school. Calista Lavinia Laxamana stuck to the rules of progress she set for herself over the years. Because of medical negligence, she needed to accept her parents decision to marry a man that she did not know and met in the past. In the chaos of her mind and reality, she cannot feel anything, especially when the person she thought would be there for her turns back and left her in the abyss of hardships. He left her to deal with a marriage she had not appreciated in the first place. To be foreign in the journey without him. Yet, in the bliss of the breakdowns, Theodore Nathaniel D'aureville gave life to her dull, ambitious life, introducing her to the real art of medicine. START: JUNE 3, 2024 END: AUGUST 30, 2024

[PUBLISHED UNDER LIB] #3. "If I won't have you then might as well kill me, attorney."

(Game Series # 4) Charisse Faith Viste believes in working hard. She does not believe in luck, only hard work. Bata pa lang siya, nasanay na siya na pinaghihirapan lahat ng meron siya. Being the only girl in a family full of guys, nasanay na siya na kung gusto niyang makuha, kailangan niyang pagtrabahuhan. And because of this, she grew up tough. She already accepted the fact that guys are just too intimidated to even give her a second glance. She'll always be too smart, too confident, too much for everyone. One day, she had this overwhelming feeling of sadness. She looked around and saw that everyone around her has someone by their side... Everyone has someone to embrace... Siya? Libro lang ang kayakap. She used to be fine with the idea of being alone... alone, not lonely. But not anymore. She needed someone to stop her from feeling so lonely.