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I always wanted to do a blog and it is finally here. 

Just this weekend, I finally let go of my self-doubts and created my Hive account. Special thanks to my friend and colleague @ybanezkim26 for the encouragement and invitation to join this online platform. He has been talking a lot about Hive since last year. But I guess, I was just caught up in a lot of shortcomings and workloads.

We all survived the tragic and chaotic year of 2020. I was one of the millions of people who lost their loved ones during this pandemic. It was indeed a challenging year for all of us. 

A year has gone by and a new chance for us to redeem ourselves and take on more challenges. When my situation, I strongly believe that life is short and we must make the most out of this gift. 

## SELF INTRODUCTION 

I am Zaniel John Barluado, 27 years old and you can call me **ZanJo** or **Zan** for short. I currently live in Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines. My hometown is General Santos City, South Cotabato, Philippines.

I graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in **Chemical Engineering** last 2015. I took and passed the licensure exam the following year. Two years after I got my first professional license, I tried another exam for Chemical Technician and got my second license. 


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Right now, I am employed full time in one of the Philippines' largest and most diversified conglomerates and working here in Mandaue City. I work in one of the manufacturing plants located in Cebu. I also work part-time as a virtual assistant in UpWork to earn enough money to support my family.

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## AS A FRUSTRATED WRITER

I can still remember when I signed up to take UPCAT in 2009. My first and second choices for my college course were BA Film and BA Creative Writing. I even considered *BA Malikhaing Pagsusulat sa Filipino* since I was trained to write editorials and feature articles in Filipino since I was in elementary and even competed in various interschool writing competitions.

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Even in high school, it was always been my dream to become a film director and creative writer at the same time but my parents wanted me to pursue a degree in science and engineering. So I enrolled in my bachelor's degree instead. 

In my early teenage years in high school, I write short stories and edit videos in my free time. I even tricked my friends to be my talents in my video teasers and parodies.

When I got to UP, I was drowning in my academics and engineering major subjects. I never expected that could still be able to somehow relive my dream by joining yearly university-wide short film festivals starting in my third year. We even won twice (2013 and 2015). 

I created the storylines, scripts and shot the films. I would also assist in the final editing and rendering of our film. I also get to edit and produce our batch multimedia presentations when needed. 

So I think you can understand if a part of me was always asking myself the question, ***What If?***
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## MY INTERESTS AND RECREATION

I consider myself an extrovert and outgoing person. Before this pandemic, I do mountain trekking for a day hike or camp night on the weekends. Every year, we would train for at least one major climb on the highest peaks of the Philippines. I love the feeling of being outdoors, drained in my own sweat, and being one with nature.

It's like hitting two birds with one stone, exercise and unwind with the fresh air away from the city hustle. A quick escape from the stress of life and our daily struggles.

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I also love being in the water element: sea, waterfalls, lakes, and rivers. Cebu province is known internationally as one of the islands in the country that has the best beaches and waterfalls. 

Nothing is better than taking a dip and replenishing yourself in the waters. Just forget everything and enjoy being in the moment with God's natural creations. 


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But just like everyone else, there are times that I feel like staying indoors. I would just open Netflix and watch interesting series and movies. I am also a big fan of many reality TV shows. In fact, I meet a lot of passionate people online and we do viewing parties for fellow fans of *Survivor*. 

I host and play mini-games online with my close circle of friends, it can be via Zoom or Messenger. This habit actually started during the lockdown and it became one of our stress relievers as well.


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## SETTING MY HIVE GOALS 

Once the Covid-19 vaccine will be available in my country, I will be able to travel more and feel secure at the same time. I plan to go home to my hometown but the current quarantine rules and protocols make it difficult for me to leave my full-time job for a visit to my province.

I am excited and grateful for this platform that helped me achieve my dreams about writing content and blogging. I want to share my life experiences, travel diaries, fitness journey, and other things that I am passionate about without being judged. 

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I wanna be spontaneous in blogging my experiences and life stories here in Hive. I also plan to go back to video editing so I can revive my long-lost talent and share it here. 

In this era of what we call the **New Normal**, I want to meet new people in this online community, reach out, and be acquainted with everyone. I plan to be active here and just be myself.

I will make use of my creative juices in producing my content here. Any constructive criticisms are highly welcome as I am willing to do my best and improve in this area. 

For someone like me with no prior blogging background, this experience of making my first blog makes me thrilled and feel enthusiastic to start my new journey online. 

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Before I end this, I would really appreciate every upvote, comment, and repost that I will receive. Being appreciated is one of the small things that make my heart and soul happy and fulfilled. 

Thank you very much fellow Hiveians for this opportunity. I will see you around.


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<b>Meet The Author: Zan Barluado</b>

<sub>Welcome to Zan's blog site in Hive. He is a friendly millennial who loves to travel, have fun, and discover new places in the Philippines. He is a licensed chemical engineer and chemical technician by profession. He currently resides in Cebu. </sub>

<sub>If you like his content, don't forget to upvote and leave a comment below. Don't forget to follow him to be updated with his latest posts and events. Thank you for your support.
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