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[kurtbuensuceso]

My Family Tree

[kurtbuensuceso]

My Future Family Development Plan

To be quite honest, I have not thought of what my future looks like yet. For me, it is still quite a blur. However, this project requires me to come up with my future family development plan so I guess I will give it a try.

To get it all started, who am I going to marry? First thing that comes to mind in terms of qualities is of course someone I am comfortable with. She must be fun to be with. I cannot imagine spending the rest of my life with someone who cannot keep a conversation going. Especially knowing that I myself is a talkative person. She must also be good in making friends with other people. I like someone who is not picky. Of course, above all, she should have a care in her society. She needs to be aware with what is happening around her. She should not be apathetic to the problems that the country or the world is facing. It is a bonus for me if she has the same love for music like I do.

In the future, when I already got married with my partner, I should have been an established person. I foresee myself as a financially-stable man. Someone who has the capacity to be independent from my parents. By then, I will have had an “Atty” before my name. I will also have been content with how my life is going. I will have gone to the places I dreamt to visit, done things I have never tried like skydiving or skinny-dipping, and checked all the boxes off my bucket list. And most important of all, I am still pursuing my dreams and keeping the passion for sports, photography, and service to the people.

I am planning of having three children with two- or three-years gap in between. There will be two boys and one girl with the boy being the firstborn, the girl is the second, and then the boy as last. They will be named Augustus, Alaska, and Luka, respectively. Augustus will be the protective one, Alaska will be the loving one, and Luka will be the funny one. All of them will be introduced to sports as young as possible. They will be taught to be friendly with everyone, no matter the status in life. We will instill in their minds that good manners will always be a priority and not academics. It will be alright for me if they do not excel as much in academics, as long as they become a good citizen. They will all be sent in the same university until secondary level at Ateneo de Manila University. It will be their decision though where to go for college and what degree program they would like to be in.

Rules in the family and household will be set. With the help of my spouse, we will raise our children as God-fearing and law-abiding citizens. They will attend the same church as we do so they will be introduced to the Christian faith early in their lives. Every dinner time, our family should be complete at the dining table. There, we will discuss how our respective days went while watching the news. Household chores will be evenly divided to our three children. Even if there are helpers, they should be given tasks to that they will not be too reliant on other people and develop self-responsibility.

When everything goes as planned, and my children are already successful with their own lives and families, I would want to be with my wife in a separate home. I would appreciate if my kids visit us every now and then but is already their decision. As long as I have my other half with me, I am good to go. I will have had trust on them because I know that I will have raised them to be strong, independent, and men and woman for others. Before I leave them, I want to be secured so I would definitely sign them up for health care plans, same as with my wife. I would not like to be a burden when I die so I would also fix our memorial plans. Once the dust has settled, I would wish that my last years on earth will be spent with me and my spouse traveling the country and the world. We would go to serene places where we could enjoy the company of each other. At the end of the day, nothing beats the love you have for your partner.

As I grow older and older, I still want to contribute to my society and my church. I will try my best to do this by educating the younger generation. By reminding them that listening to the advice of the elderly would help them understand what life is. I will give testimonies to my church on how it molded me to the person I grew up to be. And the secret to ageing gracefully? Being optimistic. Knowing that everything is under your control anymore. You just have to let things be and learn to acknowledge what really matters.

Last Will and Testament:

I, Kurt David C. Buensuceso, Filipino citizen, of legal age, married to Astrid L. Buensuceso born on the 7th of March, 2000, a resident of 531 Delgado St. Sampaloc, Manila, being of sound and disposing mind and memory, and not acting under undue influence or intimidation from anyone, do hereby declare and proclaim this instrument to be my Last Will and Testament, in English, the language which I am well conversant. And I hereby declare that:

I. I desire that should I die, it is my wish to be buried according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church and interred at our family mausoleum in Manila;

II. To my beloved wife Astrid, I give and bequeath the following property to wit: my share of the company, Buensuceso Law Firm;

III. To my esteemed children, Augustus, Alaska, and Luka, I give and bequeath the following properties to wit: our house, our resort in La Union, and our Milk Tea shop in equal shares;

IV. I hereby designate Annalise Keating, the executor and administrator of this Last Will and Testament, and in her incapacity, I name and designate Wes Gibbins as his substitute.

V. I hereby direct that the executor and administrator of this Last Will and Testament or his substitute need not present any bond;

VI. I hereby revoke, set aside and annul any and all of my other will or testamentary dispositions that I have made, executed, signed or published preceding this Last Will and Testament.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto affixed my signature this 3rd day of May, 2019, in Manila, Philippines.

I would appreciate if my passing is announced through any platform possible. I do not want to deprive my friends― even those I am not close with, relatives, and loved ones, of such information. I would be glad to hear their stories about how I touched their lives in one way or so. Even if it is a bad or good experience, I would request that everybody in the burial would hear it because it is my narrative.

My epitaph would be something along the words: “Here lies a person who relentlessly pursued his dreams, persistently supported his causes, and genuinely loved his journey.”

[kurtbuensuceso]

My Family Love Story

The story of my family began around February of 1996. My father, Brix, and my mother, Florence, first met on the second semester of their freshmen year. Apparently, they studied at the same university in College. They had different degree programs, though, as my mom took up BS Hotel and Restaurant Management while my dad took up BSBA major in marketing. Their paths first crossed when they became classmates in a minor subject, specifically English. My dad made the first move when he tried to borrow a ballpen from my mom. At first, she was not interested. She thought he was just one of those playful guys. But he felt something different. He knew she was not some ordinary girl. So as the days passed, he tried pursuing her.

Some couples would start their courtship stage by going on a first date. But that was not the case for my parents. My dad immediately gave my mom a bracelet on the Valentine’s Day of 1996. She was surprised at first but she gave him a chance. Hence, they started going out together. According to them, their first date was at McDonald’s near their school. She ordered Spaghetti while he got a rice meal. They proceeded to small talks, and shared some laugh since he is a humorous guy.

After seven months of courtship, my mom finally gave my dad her sweet ‘yes’. Their official boyfriend-girlfriend relationship started at their freshmen year until only the junior year. You would wonder, “why did it last for such a short time?” The answer is my older brother. It was during the summer of 1998 when a not so pleasant surprise arrived. My mom already got pregnant as she was about to enter her last year in college. It came as a shock for both of them as well as their families. So, the initiative was to hide it from their parents until they were ready to face the music. Obviously, the news could not be kept for so long. On the third month of my mom’s pregnancy, they both told each other’s parents. The initial reaction for the both sides were the same. My grandparents were hesitant but eventually came to terms with it.

Upon receiving the news, my grandmother from my father side insisted that they should be married. My parents did not have much say on their marriage. They just succumbed to the decision of their elderly. The wedding pushed through with a simple ceremony in Manila City Hall. On the 18th of August, 1998, they ended their boyfriend-girlfriend relationship and officially became partners for life.

The first house of my parents is inherited to them by my grandparents. As a matter of fact, it is still our home several years after they first moved in together. In the beginning, it was only the three of them― my father, my mother, and my older brother. But it was just for a short span of time because a year and four months later, I was already born.

We were a family of four for pretty much a long time. My brother and I were both baptized at the United Church of Manila. My family is born-again Christian so we grew up in a household that is bound by the religion’s teachings. Because of this, we both did not have our first communions or anything that the Catholics practice.

The age gap of me and my brother is not that far so when we were kids, it was easy for us to get along. I remember back then that we would always wear the same clothing, we had similar hairstyle, and basically had the same set of friends in our neighborhood. My mom had a hobby of matching everything that we have from shoes, to toys, even up to the little accessories. We also went to the same preschool through high school, where we were separated only by a year. Hence, whenever he graduates, I immediately graduate a year after. Our parents never missed important activities in our academic journey. They attended our graduation, boy scout investiture when we were in 4th grade, recognition, competition and a lot more.

A new blessing came in our way when we welcomed another addition to our family. On the 9th of July, 2009, my little sister named Trixia Martina was born. She is indeed a blessing from God because my mom was not expecting to bear a child anymore. With the prayers of our family and relatives, my mom successfully delivered a baby girl. It was a breath of fresh air since she is the only girl in the family aside from my mom. Martina, as we fondly call her, brought a lot of joy in our home.

She is a ray of sunshine that makes everyone in the room happy. I am thankful that God gave me another sibling that I can play and have fun with. Notwithstanding, a child I can impart my love and wisdom to.

Every family has been through ups and downs and mine is no exception. Although we shared plenty of happy memories together, we also had a fair share of struggles. I remember that our family almost got separated when I was in 3rd grade. My parents got into a deep fight that we thought we may not be able to resolve anymore. My brother and I momentarily parted as I live with my mother in Makati and my brother with my father in Manila. At that point, it was really difficult for us but I did not lose hope. When Martina was conceived, only then my parents got back together. They did not want her to have a broken family when she grows up. Hence, they patched things up for family’s sake. Safe to say, my little sister was the glue that made the family stick together.

Currently, my family is in a good state. My older brother recently finished his studies earlier this month. It was a proud moment for my parents as the success of my brother is as much as theirs. They have two children that they still have to think of though since I am still in my freshman year in College and Martina is just on her 5th grade. Nevertheless, I am happy because the fact that my family is still intact after all the road bumps we encountered along the way. It is still a long journey for us but I know that as long as we stand on each other’s side, we will make it through.

[kurtbuensuceso]

My Autobiography

At around 3 in the morning, on the 7th day of March, year 2000, my journey to life started. It was a peaceful surrounding because it was already dawn until one cry broke the silence of the room. That was the moment that my family was waiting for. I was successfully given birth in our simple home in Pakil, Laguna by my mother, Florence, together with my father, Brix. Also present when I was born is my grandmother, Terry.

Before I turned one year old, I was christened in our family’s church in Manila named United Church of Manila. The foundation of my faith was formed in that church where we usually go every Sunday to attend a service. It has a separate place for kids aged 3 until 12 years old which is called “Sunday school”. My older brother, Stephen, and I, used to go there and play with our fellow churchmates. We were taught by church volunteers different lessons every week with varying themes. It was a good start on my spiritual life because I was having fun while also learning about God.

I started going to school when I was 3 years old at Molina Kids’ Learning Center. Although I was younger than the rest of my classmates, I still enjoyed their company. I remember being excited every Friday in my preschool because it means that it is our playday. There would be no lectures, instead, we would do art activities, play in the slide, and chase after one another. It was so simple back then. 

After preschool, I transferred to the National Teachers College (NTC) where I spent basically more than half of my academic life. It was an eventful elementary life for me.

I joined a lot of quiz bees, some of which I won, some, I lost. But the most notable that I won was the Math Quiz Bee when I was in 5th grade. I was up against the eventual valedictorian of our batch, Daniel, and it was the fourth consecutive quiz bee of the year where we faced off. The previous three quiz bees, I always came up short, bagging only 2nd place and not surprisingly, he always got the 1st place.

You could imagine the determination in me to finally get over the hump and bring that elusive gold medal home. I really prayed to God and asked for his guidance. I wanted to win and it is only with His help that I can muster one. And thankfully, it was an answered prayer because after four tries, I was triumphant. It was the first time that I was actually proud of myself. I did not expect the result but I prayed for it. That was a big boost to my faith.

I graduated 2nd honorable mention in elementary. It was a feat to be celebrated because I literally started from the bottom. It is still vivid in my memory that I was only top 14 in my class when I first entered NTC. I worked my way to the top through hard work, and of course, with the help of my family. 

The Junior High School phase of my life, I can say, is the most memorable for me. I went to the same school but I had an entirely new set of friends. Most of my elementary batchmates already transferred. Hence it was a new start for me.

And little did I know, it was the beginning of many firsts. I had my first swimming with friends, first sport that I played, first trip to the guidance office, and first major failure. I really had the time of my life because I was exposed to a diverse environment. 

When I look back, it was a big blur because it went by so fast. I wish I had the opportunity to control the time because I would have definitely made it slower. Although there were plenty of good memories, there was also a moment where I experience a big blow in my life.

It was my senior year. I was really bent on moving to another school because I was getting tired of going to the same school every day, passing the same hallway, and meeting the same faces. Hence, I tried my luck in Ateneo de Manila University. I got excited with the thought of studying in my dream school. I knew the odds were against me because my family does not have the privilege to send me in such a prestige university. But I was a stubborn kid, I still pushed through with the admission test.

I got the result while I was in school. My classmates can attest when I say that I was downright devastated. I cannot help but burst into tears when I received the bad news. I began to question myself: Am I dumb? Am I not as intelligent as I think I am? I took the failure in my heart. I doubted my faith. I wondered if there is a God capable of letting this happen.

So, I stayed in Senior High School at NTC for two more years. I encountered new challenges. I can say that my school was not ready for the K-12 so we suffered in the hands of unexperienced professors which was mainly my adversity.

But it helped that I had a new set of friends which made the extra two-year stay more bearable. These people are the reason why I did not regret having to go through the whole thing. And if given the chance, I would gladly run it all back.

During my 11th grade, I was introduced to Victory U-belt Youth. It was a breath of fresh air for me because my relationship with God was rekindled. Together with my classmates, we went to Youth Service every Friday afternoon. This is the time where my spiritual life was at its high because I really felt the company of God. I barely missed a service because my body would look for praise and worship courtesy of Victory. In fact, I even ushered one time in a service which made me really fulfilled.

To cap it off, I tried my luck again in Ateneo. This time, it was not just Ateneo, but I also took the admission tests in La Salle, UP, and UST. I was crossing my fingers that I will pass Ateneo and UP because both are my dream schools. Unfortunately, the results still did not go my way. Of course, I was disappointed at myself again, but I did not focus on my failures this time around. I realized that why will I be sad if La Salle and UST admitted me in their school? I managed to direct my energy to positivity.

Presently, I am a first-year student at University of Santo Tomas taking up Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. I know that it is still a long road to the finish line, but with my family, friends, and God by my side, there is nothing that I cannot overcome. I will just put my faith in Him, and as cliché as it sounds, trust the process.