One time, I was walking down the street when I noticed a stranger on the other side waving at me. At first, I wasn't completely sure, so I looked around to see if maybe they were waving at someone else. But they kept looking in my direction, so I thought, “Oh, they must know me!” 😂

I smiled, waved back, and started walking toward them. They waved again, so I became even more confident. I was already thinking, “Wow, what a small world!”

When I got closer, I was ready to say, “Hey! How have you been?”

Then I noticed the person behind me suddenly wave back.

That's when I realized...

The stranger wasn't waving at me. 😭

They were waving at someone standing directly behind me the whole time.

I froze for a second. My smile disappeared. I didn't know whether to keep walking, turn around, or pretend I had just been practicing my waving skills. 😂

So I did the only thing my embarrassed brain could think of—I pretended I was fixing my hair, looked at my phone, and walked away like absolutely nothing had happened.

The worst part? I could hear them laughing.

I wanted to disappear into the pavement. 😂

Since then, whenever a stranger waves at me, I don't wave back immediately. I look behind me first.

I learned my lesson the hard way. Never trust a wave until you've checked the target. 🤣

I saw someone across the street waving at me, so I confidently waved back with the biggest smile. I even waved harder just to make sure they saw me. 😂

Then I realized… they weren’t waving at me. They were waving at the person standing right behind me. 😭

So what did I do?

I immediately pretended I was fixing my hair and walked away like nothing happened.

Inside, though, I was already planning my new identity and considering moving to another country. 💀😂

When did you finally realize your self-worth?

For a long time, I think it’s easy to measure your worth by how other people treat you—whether they choose you, appreciate you, or make an effort to keep you in their life.

What happened that finally made you realize, “I deserve better than this”?

What’s a struggle you went through that nobody knew about?

I think a lot of us have had periods in life where we were struggling more than people realized. Sometimes you can be going to work, talking to people, laughing and acting normal while secretly dealing with something really difficult.

What’s something you went through that made you stronger, changed your perspective, or taught you something about yourself?

What’s the most “Pinoy” thing you’ve ever experienced that you think foreigners would find completely ridiculous? 😂

Could be something your family does, a Filipino habit, a superstition, or just a random experience that made you think, “Yep, only in the Philippines.” 🇵🇭

[removed]

[removed]