ok, i must admit, i am imitating the year-end documentary of ABS-CBN. no plagiarism intended. :)
well, barely 24 hours and it's bye bye to 2008.. another year passed. a brand new one coming. as much as i am ashamed too admit it, there's something about new years eve that makes me melancholy, anxious even... perhaps it's the fact that a year passed and i was not about to do the changes i was planning for myself, for my life in general, at the start of the year.
even afraid because of what the brand new year has to offer...
i am the type of person that always settles within my comfort zones. hell, i often hate myself for that but as i said from previous blogs, there's just so many people who depends on me--me being the responsible, dependable one, PREDICTABLE ONE--that being a person-who-throws-cushion-to-the-wind is not an option. i am confined to this, and i am already happy with it (ok, ok, there's some lapses every now and then) because this is what defines me as an individual. it's just a matter of acceptance and learning to live with it i guess...
for 2008, this year was more about self-discovery..
JANUARY, i started the year on the wrong side of the bed. nope, not what you were thinking... i still woke up with darwin on my side, his big strong arms embracing me. i got some health issues that it almost went to the point that i was being avoided. i got something which deflated again my always-thinning confidence. but luckily i got some good sets of Über understanding, loving and supportive friends--that i realized.
FEBRUARY.. the love month. and what great love I felt that time. ok, i admit i have a partner which is not very expressive.. in words or otherwise. then, valentines day i got a surprise card from him. this was the first from our seven yrs of being together as partners. i don't have the card with me, but the words there really made me teary-eyed. hmmm... cge na nga, it made me cry a little. this little surprise opened up my eyes to true love despite and in spite of...
**note: will edit this once i got home and will look for that V-day card**
MARCH: apple left IBM due to some stinky politicking at the office. and eventually Pau resigned as well and pursued her life-long dream of becoming an architect. they were part of my being at the office, more of myself at work. contact center job is really monotonous and brain draining so it helps a lot to have fun and crazy sets of people around. keeps the boredom away. so with them leaving the company, it only proves that nothing good lasts forever, that the only constant in life is change.
SUMMER 2008. our yearly plan of going to Bora was haltered due to Jonalyn's sudden job offer abroad. this was a first for us since it was a summer habit to go out of town--away from the hustle and bustle of the metro. in a way this is a treat to ourselves for the hardwork and office-hell we're constantly getting. a breath of fresh air--literally. but the sudden offer she got was irristible that we had to give way for her... it's a good thing i was able to tag along my IBM colleagues for a Galera weekender. talk about being blessed with such diverse sets of friends..
in MAY, i gave thanks to the woman who's the reason for my existence.. mother's day, i treated my mom to a simple lunch at mann yann (formerly known as ta yann in rob place manila). it was something that my mom enjoyed, chinese food, and the time i was able to spend with her. my mom never complains mostly of everything. anything i gave her--time, money, attention--she always appreciate. and for this i am so lucky. i barely see my parents; once, or twice a month, and sometimes when i go home, i don't even spend solid 24 hrs with them..and never this she say it in my face that i am neglecting them. which made me feel mighty guilty because the understanding and love i am getting from my mom is something that i could not even equal. and rotten as i am because often i lied and gave excuses whenever she asked me to go home, but i could not due to personal stuffs... i know mom, she only wants time + attention = appreciation.
then a friend got married. they were a couple for five yrs before they tied the knot.. this helped me appreciate more the value of family and the sense of being with someone you can spend your life with...
3 yrs with IBM, and i feel so stagnant.. stucked and under developed. when there was a slot for the YB training, i immediately grabbed the opportunity last JUNE.. YB is a six sigma training that aims to lessen the defect on a particular process. striving for perfection in a nutshell. in the training i learned stages to get the necessary target for perfection. this methodology is used primarily for QA and this position is something that i have been coveting. applying the YB methodology in my life would seem like a good idea?
and oh yes, i got a gold... credit card that is...
"what day is it and in what month this clock never seemed so alive.." it was JULY...
two things i love the most...music and flesh... lol. i could recall during my puberty watching MTV was a fave past time. cuz there's music made to life more in flesh. mid-year and i was able to get to live two of these things in separate occasions. first was the concert of lifehouse. then the bi-annual underwear show of bench. the latter i did not enjoy much for two things: show started freaking 2 hrs late, and it only lasted for 45 mins. oh did i forget the 3rd reason? piolo pascual was not there...
it was also that month that Darwin moved to JPM for our financial growth...
08-AUGUST-08... china staged the most spectacular and ostentatious olympic opening ceremony ever! and we moved to our new home in bulacan. talked about first timers. for us having our own home was my mom's ultimate dream since i started working. this is the only thing that my mom has been bugging me about. "pag-ibig ang kasagutan, kabayan.." LOL
and history unfolded as well the reunion concert of ERASERHEADS! i felt like i was back in high school! this month was all about once-in-a-lifetime experiences. and near death was actually part of that. i got involved in a car accident which almost killed me and an officemate.
china staged that olympic to break aged-old belief that the number 8 is unlucky. and it worked. but for me, the 8th month for the past 3 consecutive yrs always makes me say "otso, otso pababa, pababa ng pababa..." till i'm six feet under? hopefully not...
Health is wealth as an old adage says. one yr after my hospitalization in 2007, i hit gym again. nothing fancy about the gym i worked my ass on. it's just the one outside our street. with some rusty equipment, smelly and sweaty big gym buffs, it was the perfect place to find a gorgeous gym caretaker. LOL.
moreover, we were slowly feeling the benefits of Darwin's new company. We were starting to eliminate bills to give way to more financial stability.
4Q OF 2008
OCTOBER fest na... yeah, the irony of it was that i was not even able to drink any liquor this month. me and the girls at the office were planning to hit the bar--and some gay bar--and drink our hearts out. but the plan did not materialize...
Then our first out-of-country trip! we went to HK and Macau. too bad the disc i bought for the camcorder is giving me hell and i could not upload pix. the trip opened up something more in me... not just the beauty of the places we've been to, but more on living a life outside the comfort of our own country to earn more. it's just the amount i am earning right now is just enough to fulfill ends meet. i want to have more...a better life.
with just hours before a new year unfold. hope that what i learned in 08 will be an instrument for me to face 09 with a strong spirit. i know i have my friends who will support me, a mother who understands, and Darwin who loves me... and Mr. Almighty up there to guide me... carpe diem!
