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Dear Future Me, We just recently lost Lolo. It's been hard. I feel this deep sadness and a strange sense of being lost, like something in me has quietly dimmed. But I hope that by the time you're reading this, you're in a much lighter place, smiling, content, maybe even joyful. I hope you're beginning to live the life you once prayed for, piece by piece, day by day. I hope you've learned to be kinder to yourself, to give yourself the time and love you used to so freely offer to others. Have you? Did you finally choose you? Do you still think about that professor from USC? Or should I ask, do you even still like him? I hope not. Because right now, the me who’s writing this is quietly hurting over someone who probably doesn’t even know I exist. It’s heavy, liking someone from afar, someone who might never look back. But I hope you’ve grown past this longing. I hope you’ve found someone else, someone who sees you, chooses you, and cherishes you the way you’ve always deserved. Or maybe, just maybe, you’re fully in love with yourself now. And that’s just as beautiful. I hope you’re in a good place, with Mama and Papa and P, with your work, and with the people who surround you. I wish you're waking up each day feeling fulfilled, even in the small things. I will always hope for the best for you. Please keep growing. The version of you writing this is still figuring things out, still learning how to let go and move forward. But even in the mess, I believe in you. So wherever you are right now, bloom there. Thrive. Be stubborn about your joy. I hope you’ve finally taken those trips we dreamed about — to Taiwan, Boracay, and Siargao. I hope you've stood in those places with the kind of peace that makes you breathe a little deeper. I hope you're collecting moments that make your heart feel full. More than anything, I hope you are achieving beautiful things, not just accomplishments, but memories, love, laughter. I hope you're happy. I hope you're in love. I hope you're you, only softer and stronger. No matter where life takes you, I’ll always be proud of you. With all my heart, Z