“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.” —Robert Frost

Amid unpredictable changes throughout life, we could get a grip of our options, step into greatness and move with greater possibilities of a better tomorrow. The only way to make sense out of changes in life direction is to plunge into it, move with it and join the game. If there are some issues that are not in our favor, we always have a choice to adjust our course and cheerfully live each today more purposefully. There is always opportunity during difficulty.

To forgive and forget is sometimes a challenge. With the coming Year of the Dragon, we need to cleanse all unwanted negative energy as we approach the Chinese New Year next month. Entering a New Period 9 filled with Yang energy, 2024 is a huge and extreme transformation year of events that will be the start off a new era lasting 20 years.

Thanks to Feng Shui Consultant and Bikram Yoga teacher Ollay Aninion (Contact her at tel. 0917-8680788 and follow @yoga_bikrammakati on Instagram), I got the Feng Shui Forecast for the Wood Dragon 2024. Ollay is also a World of Feng Shui Ambassador and has amulets and lucky charms for sale at her Bikram Yoga Makati.

This Year 2024 of the Wood Dragon, the first 15 days of the Chinese New year lunar calendar, Feb. 10 to Feb. 24, are best for happy celebrations. Host parties, invite friends and increase your social circle. Be generous and avoid getting angry.

Be careful and conservative in handling your financial matters, because this year lacks the element Water. So it will be very beneficial to wear blue, as blue is the color of the year that represents Wealth, the Lucky color.

Be kind, calm, understanding and patient in all aspects of your relationships, whether in family life, work or social engagements.

For my Rabbit sign, we will have a lucky year because we have financial stability in the cards. Making healthy lifestyle choices and meaningful connections are crucial. We just need to learn to relax and be less nitpicky with ourselves. We need to be more mindful to ease our nerves and practice calmness.

For a daily refresh, we should move and relieve stress with yoga and guided meditation. We should return to the basics and focus on eating regular meals and getting a full night’s rest.

The scent of roses

This weekend, I intend to get some much-needed relaxation and enjoy the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City. Exactly a year ago, Tim Yap and I were invited by SM Supermalls president Steven Tan to join the festivities. We were both so excited to be invited again but this year, we are joined by Estée Lauder’s Sharyn Wong.

During the flight to Iloilo, Sharyn shared the latest scents of Tom Ford. Vanilla, one of the most sought-after ingredients in modern perfumery, assumes a role that is anything but ordinary in Tom Ford Vanilla.

The fragrance’s mesmerizing multidimensionality is exposed through an interplay of glamorously bright and seductively deep vanilla facets. A vanilla CO2 extract instantly lures with explicit refinement, while vanilla tincture India, exclusively developed for Tom Ford, exudes a soft sensuality. A profound contrast is struck by vanilla absolute, an intriguingly dark vanilla note that infuses the fragrance’s silhouette with a sultry, shadowy depth.

Sharyn also shared the new scents of Jo Malone. Wear your roses on your sleeve with one timeless flower and many different expressions. It’s a collection of rebellious rose scents, from light and fresh to deep and decadent. The British fragrance and lifestyle house introduces a collection of three limited-edition rose scents, each showing a different side to this iconic fragrance ingredient: Rose Blush, Rose & Magnolia and Rose Amber. The collection will be available in Jo Malone London stores starting February 2024.

Keeping healthy is an all-year around goal for 2024. I have made it a resolution to play more golf. I was glad to join the Dasmariñas Village Association, Inc. (DVA) golf tournament at the Tagaytay Midlands Golf Club last week.

For chosen beneficiaries

The “DVA Golf for a Cause” aimed to generate funds for DVA’s chosen beneficiaries—the Daughters of St. Anne (DSA), a religious order based in Cubao serving the homeless, and the soldiers stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre in the West Philippine Sea.

The tournament counted San Miguel Corporation, The Corner House and BingoPlus as its major sponsors, and had 140 participants, most of whom were Dasmariñas Village residents and their guests.

Players were treated to an early morning breakfast and giveaways before the ceremonial tee-off. Soon after, the flights of players began teeing off in the shotgun start format.

While the January winds made their presence felt, the cool morning weather provided a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere on the course. What made it more enjoyable were the roving golf carts where DVA provided snacks (including Dimpy’s chocolate cupcakes!), sodas and San Miguel Beer, much to the delight of the players!

Once the players completed the course, a sumptuous lunch waited for them in the lounge, with live music serenading everyone.

The event would not be complete without the awarding of trophies to the winners of the different categories. Equally exciting was the raffling off of numerous prizes, with no player leaving the tournament empty-handed.

Keep positive energy throughout the Year of the Wooden Dragon, and always share your blessings!

Follow @seaprincess888 on Instagram.