bye 2011, hello 2012!

2011 is about to end, how quickly time flies by. In general, 2011 has been my most stable year. I’m with one company from January to December and everything else was blasé. No major issues, no flaring drama. A bit boring but there were also lots of memorable trips. It was my first time in Boracay last January and it was really a blast. Even if my companions were not that game for several water activities, it was enough that the beach was perfect. Staying in station 1 was very peaceful and relaxing, the sand pristine and the weather was great. There were very few people so my vacation was not overcrowded, no polluted waters.

Walking along the beach of Boracay.

March: Tani and I ‘backpacked’ in Cebu. We stayed in different hotels and resorts each night. Very tiring but worth it, expereienced both the city and the beach. Cebu Lechon was simply the best!

A view of the horizon from the resort.

Summer was the company outing in Bataan. A very short trip but Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar was beautiful. The first UP building can even be found there! Amazing!

Unibersidad ng Pilipinas: The 1st buidling

Next trip was later this year with my chix. Simply fun, fun, fun! First barkada getaway. It’s good we got together before Khalil took her long vacation and Tasha left for Qatar. Next vacation, we must be complete. Bellarocca? Hahaha.

Puerto Galera with the chix.

Four vacations in a year, not bad. I hope I can top that these coming years. So far, I already have two trips planned. Where to next?

2011 was also a year where some friendships ended and some even blossomed. It’s a bit sad but well, life goes on. This year also taught me a lot of things like a great deal of patience and being content with what I got. Content in terms of being happy with what I have and not complaining. But at the same time, I still have my eyes on my dream. Hopefully, this 2012, I would be able to pursue my MA at a very good, if not the best, school.

I am 23 now and I’ve always thought that I would have accomplished more at this age. There’s no use regretting past decisions. Dwelling on those would not help me at all. This coming year, I promise to do my best in everything to do and I hope that I will finally be able to blaze my own trail towards my dream. It’s time to take risks. Walking on the safe side won’t get me anywhere. Time to make my own adventure!

And last but not the least, I want to thank You for all the blessings and abundance in 2011. Please continue to shower us with Your love, blessings and abundance these coming years.

Starting the new year with my loves. Feliz año nuevoİ

Happy New Year! With love, Mikey and Shakti.

BFF

I've known Tasha since we were six years old. She was from K-Kamia and I'm from the next door class, K-Gumamela. Throughout our elementary years, we were never really that close. There were some years we were classmates, there were also several years when we barely spoke to each other as we belong to different sections.

Highschool came about and we became close in grade 7. Since then, we had been inseparable. This could have been because we belonged to the same class most of the time. And in instances that we were not classmates, we still managed to catch up with the ups and abouts of each other. We've been through a lot of petty arguments especially during 7th grade. I cannot really remember why we had lots of disagreements but there were times that we would ignore each other for practically the whole day. And when school is out, one of us would ask in a fierce tone "Ano, sasabay ka ba?" and then we would walk out of school together. Since then, Tasha and I became best friends. We would tell each other our secrets, our crushes, our first loves and our family problems. Just remembering our silly crushes makes me smile while I'm writing this now. Tash, remember R_____ and J_____? Hahaha.

After the cheerdance

Highschool graduation.
Tasha. Mich. Kat

Grad ball.

Mara. Kat. Mich. Tasha. Khalil. Jackie. Lauren.
Piya. Alli.

As highschool came to an end and we entered the University, we still managed to meet up with our other highschool buddies, Khalil and Mara, during our breaks. There were even some classes we had together like Geology 1, etc. Vices were introduced and we frequented tambayans like Drews, Sarahs and Shade - smoking and drinking our time away. Classes were skipped and papers were left unfinished. Nevertheless, we had the time of our lives.

Tasha. Mara. Mich.

As we focused on our majors, our paths drifted apart (a little) and me and my girls barely got to see each other. There were times when I would see Tasha only once or twice a year. She got busy with her life and I got busy with mine. But even though that was the case, I knew that she would always be there for me in case I need her. Well, of course there were also a few times when she would be so busy with her other friends and that left me with a tampo. But still, I knew that she was still there (even if she skipped our barkada get together often).

As we graduated from college and started making our way to life, we still see each other other but not that often. Lately, I found out that she is leaving. On the 24th. I can't help but feel a little sad since she would no longer be here. I have this feeling that I'm being left behind. I can't just call her anytime, we can't go out on our shopping dates anymore. For the past few weeks, we've been trying to make up for lost time. We went to Puerto Galera with the girls, had a sleepover and spent hours in malls - eating good food and shopping.

Galera vacation

Bes, I wish you all the best. You take care of yourself since it's your first time to be away on your own. I will definitely miss you a lot! Merry Christmas and enjoy!

P.S. Longchamp ko ha. Hahaha.

Christmas Melancholia

It’s December once again and it will be Christmas in a couple of weeks. Most people feel the rush and their joy is simply contagious. However, for the past couple of years, there are certain times when I’m alone and I feel a wave of sadness which I could not fathom.  I hate, hate, hate sad and slow Christmas tunes because when I hear those kind of songs, I either feel nauseus or on the edge of tears. I could not understand why I feel that way. I always feel that Christmas is such a special occasion as there are so many things to be thankful for. And yet, I feel like something is missing. Is it possible that I expect too much and end up disappointed? Is it missing childhood traditions? I don’t know.

Aside from feeling a little blue, I also get a little bit more nervous than usual. News of bad things happening especially during this season makes me want to hide at home. Jeeps, buses and even cabs are not safe. (Affirmation: The world is safe. I am safe.) I would rather have a couple of hundreds in my wallet than have tons of cash and get scared out of my wits each time I go out. After all, let the credit and debit cards serve their purpose.  Hahaha.

Let's end with a happy note so here are some of the many things that make me happy.

My pretty Shakti girl

The amazing smell of the douglas fir tree. Super bango!