Here’s what happened at the Hive PH Meetup and how I processed it.

Hey guys! It’s your wounded healer, Ish. I’m here to share how I processed my first time meeting online friends, Hive PH, last April 29, 2023, at LOBO Filipino Tavern.

As many of you may know, it hasn’t been long since I joined the community and it took one fortuitous moment when @tpkidkai messaged me. Soon, I was part of the baradagulan in discord, game nights in the voice channel, and even facilitating a Kamustahan session. From a webinar speaker to a one-click-away chismosang healer, I made myself comfortable in this digital space.

It was no surprise that an invitation for an official meetup got me excited. I would see faces behind their voices! The thrill, social anxiety, and post-meetup missing-them-hours was truly something I haven’t felt in a long time. So I wish to take you through my experience but with an added lesson: You can process through journaling.

If you missed my webinar on Oct 1, I talked about the power of writing in healing. I suggested that we use journaling as a tool to release our emotions and make sense of what we are going through.

Why is this important?

Because we have a tendency to speed through life, having wonderful moments, yet not learning from them. Taking the time to reflect would help you greatly understand who you are and how your words, feelings, interactions with others shape your life. Being introspective helps one’s personal growth.

Simple journaling questions like, “What happened?” “What did I feel?” “Why did I feel that way?” “What was my consequent behavior?” would go a long way in your self-discovery journey and achieving a better version of yourself.

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Yan, gets na ha? Hahaha. Just to share, this is what my journal looks like currently:

But if you’re not the pen and notebook kind of person, you can type it out. What’s important is you have an outlet to share your thoughts.

The way I processed is divided into the following parts:
1. Souvenir Exhibit: Ish the Artist
2. Pre-LOBO: Ish the Traveler
3. Meetup: Ish the People Person
4. Lessons from a van ride, KTV, and a Tagaytay tree

Materials used are the following:

• Acrylic paints
• Paint brush
• Pens
• Stickers
• Paper
• Glue stick

Also added receipts from that day

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Souvenir Exhibit: Ish the Artist

Journaling doesn’t have to be just about the words. Remember, you are the painter of this blank canvas (which I took literally). I painted the two pages with a deep purple color while leaving out the traced figures of each souvenir from the event.

The purpose of these pages is to remind me of how people took the time to prepare these things and display them like an art exhibit. I wish to remember the time Adam gave me his cards, Nanay Rome’s and Jonalyn’s crocheted accessories, Tp's alcohol spray, and Witty’s trinkets from Japan.

Pre-LOBO: Ish the Traveler

For this part, I talked about the funny thing about being one of the few passengers in the bus, laying down on my bag, and running into emergency issues with my Grab app. Thankfully, my sister helped me book one that led me to Arc and I’s bnb place. She was kind enough to assist me in settling in and we went together to the Ayala Museum to meet the others.

This is where the real test begins. Time to meet more people. As I turned around from the museum’s entrance, I saw big smiles and arms waving at us.

“Hi Ish!”

I was met with an embrace from Witty and holding hands from Jude. I felt my anxiety melting away like ice, as if we had always known each other. Sadly, I learned that not everyone is at their tip-top shape from being sleep deprived or overly caffeinated. I could relate with not feeling my best, but I loved that we were all trying to be present. I forgot about my four-hour travel time and walked with them to Ayala Square after ate cindee, Denn, Ford, and C arrived.

To buy some time before the venue opened at 6 pm, we took group pictures and I observed the wandering cats, leashed dogs, and tall trees.

Then, the group split up into three: the staff, who will set-up the venue, the others who went home to Demo’s place, and us, Cindee, Denn, and Ford, who had nothing better to do than listen to a busker.

Later on, we walked to LOBO under the excruciating heat despite the clock’s hand on the evening territory.

Meetup: Ish the People Person

Wala nang retouch-retouch! Upo agad kami sa empty table since it was just exactly dinner time. While some were busy mingling, I remember scrambling in answering the Hive PH’s slambook. Hindi ko na nga naalala mga sinulat ko because there was an adrenaline rush in everyone’s energy.

Saying hi to everyone and trying to think of their username sa discord was a challenge hahaha. Pero soon, napiece together ko na who’s who and the program moved along from getting to know portion, human bingo, to singing battles.

ᴾʰᵒᵗᵒ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ⁱⁿᵈᵃʸᶜˡᵃʳᵃ

Everyone got into the spirit of cheering for anyone and singing along kaya ang saya sa feeling. Eventually, everyone were getting up on their feet, switching tables, chatting just about anything. Despite being an introvert myself, wala na, lumabas ang pagkapeople person ko. I can’t help but attune to people’s laughter, cheers, and teases.

Time passed by so quickly but it seemed like our fun was just getting started. The night was young at 10:30 pm, so we switched to a KTV room to continue the joy of being together. Yun lang, I didn’t estimate how quickly I would get overstimulated by the heat, the lights, the noise, and the booze.

Hello Kitty might haunt me for days; still, there were genuine moments when I saw everybody enjoying and that was enough for me.

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Lessons from a van ride, KTV, and a Tagaytay tree

To this day, I haven’t journaled the Tagaytay trip so that has to wait. Hehe. Kaya I went ahead and noted down some things I learned from the whole experience.

It sums up into one sentence: The hard work of healing pays off.

There were times I could easily disengage, go home, and return to my bubble, and I’m thankful I didn’t. With everything I’ve been doing, going to therapy, taking care of myself, the Hive PH meetup magnified that it was all for the good. Plus, show up anyway. Just go. Just try. Be yourself and see if people accept you. Hindi mo malalaman kung fit ka ba or hindi kung hindi mo susubukan.

Pwede akong natrigger, nagkapanic attack, and broke down there and then, but because I am aware of my tools now, because I am capable of regulating myself, the worst-case scenario didn’t happen for me.

Additionally, may mga lessons about how we humans relate to one another. We thrive in connections. It’s no mistake that we are social creatures and it’s lovely to see how we try in our own ways. Some crack jokes. Some radiate a positive light. Some hold you in a loving way. Some solve problems. Some quietly observe.

We are so different yet we have the same heartbeat for community. That’s something truly meaningful for me.

In the end, napagod lang ako magtype at magsulat ng long paragraphs hahaha! Just kidding!

Bonus: A secret page that discussed my deeper feelings!

But that’s for my eyes only. Hehehe.

Thank you for reading and supporting my blog 💜

This is just part 2 of my series about the @hivephilippines meet-up last April 29-May 1. If you enjoyed this, make sure to stay tuned for the next blog by following me and commenting down below your thoughts.

ᴬˡˡ ᵖʰᵒᵗᵒˢ ᵃʳᵉ ᵐⁱⁿᵉ ᵘⁿˡᵉˢˢ ᵒᵗʰᵉʳʷⁱˢᵉ ˢᵗᵃᵗᵉᵈ.