The Highlights of My Year 2013

Today is the last day of 2013, last night to be more specific! Oh, time really flew so fast.

Right now, I am alone in the house. My sister went out to spend New Year with some friends and since I am afraid of the explosion of firecrackers in the street I chose to stay at home and officially, this is the first time in my life to welcome the New Year alone without a family!!

While waiting for the midnight to strike and witness the grand entrance of the year 2014 in my room (laugh!!), hearing all those awful blasting of dangerous elements everywhere and contemplating how to pull enough courage tomorrow to wind off fears of explosion on my way to the church, I made another trip down-memory-lane to look back at the most important events of my life in 2013. I just feel this is a good way to end the year with great anticipation. From now on, I want to bath myself with positive thoughts, positive affirmations to attract happiness, success and fulfillment.

According to consciouslifenews.com "Positive affirmations are just like mantras. They have sacred and spiritual forces in them. Our brains adopt thought patterns and direct our organs to act accordingly". 

My year just started so good. Finished my masters degree, made one foreign trip, visited a world-class island and boarded a plane seven times.

I went home on the 26th of December (2012) to celebrate New Year with my family in the province. I really enjoyed being at home because it felt like happiness is all over the place. I was able to visit my maternal grandmother too who, at 93, has still a very active memory, she instantly recognized me upon arrival. I went back to Davao on the 4th of January in  time for our scheduled Christmas recollection on the following day.

By January 5 I joined my colleagues for our recollection,  it was a very fulfilling spiritual activity, we had a good facilitator, Rev. Fr. Russell Bantilles. The rest of the afternoon was ours to explore the area. On the 7th of January it was back to work in the university.

April 25. My MBA graduation at the Ateneo de Davao University. A liberating day for me, at last finally, I was through with all those sleepless nights, stressful weeks of making assignments, oral reports and case studies. 

With my MBA classmates, Janice, Dory and Gerlie

May 27. Had a good time with my friends, Pinky and Helen, we spent dinner at Sushi Dito, Kathy joined us, and we talked so many things, laughed on top of our lungs and reminisced our good times and bad times back then in the campus. Then we're off to La Verna to visit Juvy who had just given birth to a healthy baby boy. I went home past 11:00 in the evening.

May 31. Left for Clark, Pampanga with friends in the university for our Hongkong and Macau leisure trip.

June 1-5. Boarded a plane for Hongkong! It was my very first trip abroad, so many discoveries and lessons I learned along the way. Got to test my courage of going to another land without any anchor except determination and sense of independence. Trip to Macau was another thrilling escape, lots of memorable encounters, the opulence of Casino resorts, the glamorous boutiques and the atmosphere of being in a place where a strong influence of Europe is still alive.

June 7. Got accepted as an affiliate for a Hotel Travel Agency (link of the hotel search box is in the uppermost of the right side bar of this blog) and been receiving monthly payments ever since.

At the Avenue of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hongkong

June 14. Just as I experienced a rapturous first week of June, the second week was a devastating one. Towards the end of the week, an unexpected event happened. My all time favorite boss, Engr. Reynaldo Deypalubos, who had served the Engineering Program of UIC for 10 years as associate dean, died unexpectedly. Shock as everyone in the campus, I had a hard time accepting his untimely demise. It was so shocking and dreadful that it took several months before I came to term with the distressing truth of his death.

June 29. I left Davao to start a new life in Manila. Unsure what path would await me, I rested everything to God. On the night of our arrival, we went out right away, chillin at the Klownz, a comedy bar in Quezon City owned by celebrity, Allan K. I and my sister lived for a while in San Andres, Manila. My good friend, Anelyn Arcon, is one of the kindest people I ever encountered in life, she made everything easier for me as I started establishing myself in the new environment. Thanks to Anelyn's overflowing generosity. God is really good in so many ways, He used other people as instruments to channel His great message of hope and care to everyone.

Our banana boat adventure in Boracay, stopping at the famous exclusive resort

of boxing legend, Manny Pacquaio, the West Cove.

July 2. Traveled to Boracay with friends. Anelyn sponsored this once-in-a-lifetime getaway, so grateful with her immeasurable benevolence. I had a great time while at this breathtaking world-class island, enjoying every minute of our stay. It was awesome!

July 5. After our arrival from Boracay, we went to Tagaytay for a night road trip. Yaaay! That was so incredible. We had lots of laughter and teasing while inside the car. We visited Sister Rachel of the Charles Borromeo sisters then traversed the Aguinaldo Highway to do sightseeing, dined at Mushroom Burger then unwind at Starbucks Coffee.The environment was so cool!We got back home at early dawn.

July 7. Went to Laguna with Rowie Tagaan and stayed at Southwinds Resort in Pansol, Calamba City. Another relaxing weekend! We also visited Sister Nenette Laus, RVM at the Betania Retreat House just a short distance from the resort.

Visiting some of the most dazzling destinations of Christmas ornaments in the 

metropolis Ayala Triangle in Makati (above) and Trinoma in Quezon City (below)

The succeeding weeks were equally exciting and fun. Visited so many landmarks in the city, attended birthday parties and joined friends in countless outings.

September. Got my first job in the metropolis! And my agony began. The reality of rushing, heaving through the thick crowd, commuting everyday thoroughly gotten on my nerves that I wondered if I made the right decision to come to NCR, months passed until I finally learned how to grasp the fast-paced life in the metro.

And the rest of the story is, well, history worthy of a book. Just as exciting as a representation of a New Year.

December 29. I started to get back working on my three non-fiction books I neglected for the past two years because of my masteral studies. Hope to sustain the momentum of my appetite in editing the manuscripts and hopefully my laziness would not get in the way haha!

I am also preparing a full-blown business plan for a small business. I will be reviving the organic soap business I neglected a year ago, and will be adding two household cleaning products. Got so inspired after receiving so many orders from different clients.

It's high time to take the business principles I learned from Steve Jobs seriously and reignite my entrepreneural passion.

Alright! After hours of waiting, finally! The clock stroke at midnight and the explosion in the surrounding worsened waaaaah! Felt like the roof of the house is under attack of a nuclear bomb. Oh God protect me and make me safe here!!!

Happy New Year everyone!Cheers to a good life in 2014!