Faves of 2012....

At the end of almost every fashion show, all the models would come out to give the crowd a one last look on the collection. The designer would then be the last one to come out to take his or her bow.

I guess the closing of another year is also like that. (O ha! Na-relate talaga sa fashion show ang buhay? Can it get any beki-er? Haha!) For some people, taking one final look at the year that passed by is something that needs to be done before we bid the year adieu and move on to the next season... errr. year.

While writing this post, I looked at my December 2011 and December 2010 archives and saw that I didn't write a yearend post for those two years. The last time I wrote a year in review kind of post was in 2009.

This year, I decided to do a highlights of 2012 sort of post since I pretty much have some time to sit down and write. Hehe!

In no particular order, here are the most memorable things about 2012.

1. Yogyakarta. I've been dreaming of visiting Borobudur and Prambanan for the longest time. After being wowed by the Angkor temples, Borobudur was definitely on my list. I was really glad that it finally happened this 2012. It's even more memorable because the trip was with PG Boy and it was our first trip together overseas. The best parts - the sunrise tour at Borobudur and the dinners at awesome Yogya food places.

2. Myanmar. I wasn't planning on making a trip to Myanmar. I'm trying to save for a trip next year so I wasn't really keen on doing a lot of travel this 2012. However, looking back now I am very happy that I did the trip. It turned out to be a very amazing travel experience. The fact that it was with MkSurf8, RKGreg and Chris made it even more awesome. The most memorable part of the trip for me was catching the sunrise at Shwesandaw Paya. I did love the experience in Borobudur, but the sunrise at Shwesandaw is enough to move one to tears. Okay, I didn't cry but being there and watching that sunrise was enough to take one's breath away.

3. Bintan. Some time in July, MkSurf8 invited to go to Bintan. This was a first trip to Bintan and I definitely want to go back. I was glad to have been able to go because if there's one thing I really miss about the Philippines, it is the beach. Thank you, MkSurf8, for having me and PG Boy!

4. Concerts and plays. It has also been a good year for shows and concerts. While I may have missed Guetta and  have yet to experience ZoukOut... I feel lucky that I was able to catch the concerts of Lady Gaga, JLo and the Philippine Madrigal Subgers. I also enjoyed watching Spring Awakening, Company and, of course… God of Carnage. That night at God of Carnage was a major fan boy moment. Good definitely come to those who wait. I was able to take my photo with the cast, which included Lea Salonga and Adrian Pang!

5. Nature walks. I've said a million times. I will say it again. As much as I love the city, I crave for the countryside. I'm a city boy with a heart for the countryside. Haha! Thanks to my Singaporean friend Melvin, I was able to see the green side of Singapore. From Bukit Timah to Punggol, I had a great time going on all of the nature walks/hikes even if it required waking up at 6AM on a weekend. My fave trip for this year probably was the one at Pulau Ubin with Melvin and his friends David and Patrick. For a souvenir, I have a scar on my elbow. Haha!

6. One year plus in Wiley. If it weren't for Wiley, if it weren't for the referral of Chris, I wouldn't be where I am now. (Well, I probably would still be in Singapore but it will be much more difficult.) I am just really so grateful to be part of this company. I have a great team lead and very supportive team mates. There is not a day that goes by that I am not thankful for the job that I have.

7. One year. Just like what PG Boy said, "There has been ups and down. But here we are." I came to Singapore in search of a job and to start planning for the future. I got so much more. I got you. Thank you. :)

8. 33rd Birthday.  Another year. Thank you, Lordy. For the second year in a row, it was a great birthday celebration despite being away from home. I was able to have a birthday lunch with good friends. On the day of my birthday itself, I was able to do things that I wanted. And then of course, there was the birthday celeb with the kids of Yong-En Care Centre. It's a simple of way of thanking Lordy for the blessings and for giving back to the country that has adopted me for the past (almost) two years.


And before even the year ends, 2013 is already starting to look very good. January is a trip to Bali. In February, I'm going to Nepal for work.

These are just a few of the things I can think of right now that made my 2012 an awesome one. Iam certain that there are many other things that happened but the ones above are those that stand out. Haha! This is also not to say that there weren't any difficulties throughout the year. There were. Really, there were. However, I would rather focus on the good and just learn from the not so good. Hehe!

The only thing stressing me so much lately is the work pass renewal, which will happen in either Jan or Feb. I am praying for a few more years in Singapore. I still can't go back to Phils. My life here is just starting. So I'm really, really praying for the approval of my work pass renewal.

How was your 2012???

P.S. I checked my January 2012 posts and I did write a review of 2011. Haha!

Hello, 2011...

Happy new year everyone! :)

How was your first day of the year, of another decade?! :)

I thought mine wouldn't be a good one, but things got better. Haha

Yesterday, I woke up feeling feverish. I thought it was nothing so I went on with my plan to go to the gym. The workout did me some good. I was sweating like a pig the whole time and I was hoping that that would make the feverish feeling go away.

It didn't.

When I got home in the afternoon, I took a nap and woke up because I was shivering. I only had the fan turned on, but I was really burning. I had to wear a sweater and bundled myself up in a blanket. I was like that until just before midnight. I don't know why but it seems to be a Dec. 31 curse. Last year I was in the same exact situation. It was much worse though because I brought myself to the Emergency Room. Haha! I won't dwell on that anymore since there's no point in doing that.

Going back to last night, my Mom woke me up before midnight. I was shivering, but I didn't want my Mom to see that so I just tried very hard to put on a happy face. I could hear the sound of the fireworks of our neighbors. I looked out the window and it was all smoke. I could see my Dad, my brothers and my nephews and nieces watching our neighbors with their fireworks. Haha!

I didn't go out of the house anymore to join them. Instead, I joined my Mom at the kitchen/dining area to wait for the guys to return for our Media Noche. For the first time, I was overwhelmed by the amount of food we have on the table. We've always had the same number of dishes prepared every year, but this is the first time it came to my mind that boy, do we prepare a lot! And there's just five of us in the family. (My kiddie nephews and nieces would join, but still there's so much food left to last for two more days. Hehe!)

Anyway, I didn't eat much. I had some pasta, some ham and the 12 pieces of grapes (which my Mom has been making us eat since we were kids. Haha!) After dinner and though feeling sick, I stepped into the shower and took a bath. I promised some friends that I would be joining them for a party at our happy place in Ortigas and I intended to keep that promise. Haha! Fever or no fever, I was already psyched to go out with my friends for our own party to welcome 2011.

The gods seem to have seen the importance of the party because as soon as I got out of the house, I found a cab. I was worried that it was going to be difficult to get a cab, so I could have hugged the Manong when I saw him and his cab. Hehe! I picked up Marl near his house and then we set off for Ortigas.

We met up with Francis, Vince and Joffer, Richard and Gerry, and I-vanchy. When I saw that it was starting to be a couples' gimmick, I had to text I-vanchy to hurry up and get to the bar already. Haha! Just kidding, just kidding. I don't really mind being the third wheel (at first to Marl and Francis), then fifth wheel when another couple arrived, then seventh wheel(?!) (Haha! Is there such a thing?) when another couple arrived. I'm really happy to be with friends on the first few hours of 2011, and I was even happier because I saw that so and so patched things up. Yeyyyy!

The next few hours were spent just dancing, raising our bottles/glasses, and toasting to friendship and so on! Surprisingly, there were a lot of people at the bar. It wasn't like the maddening Friday volume of people but there were still many partygoers. Fun! I have to say that I-vanchy and I missed Edsel, Arthur and Vic since it's usually the five of us wreaking havoc at the bar on Friday nights. Haha! Edsel was in Cavite. Arthur was in Olongapo. Vic was in Sydney.

We left the bar just as the first sunrise of 2011 took place (Gerry and Richard left earlier though). The six of us got into a cab and headed to Rufo's at Shaw for bfast. It was closed. We tried MickeyD's at St. Francis Square and it was also closed. We ended up at a grill/restau in faraway Makati Ave.! Haha! I fell asleep while waiting for the food, maybe because I was feeling sick and just dead tired. Haha!

I got home by 8AM. After saying hello to my family, I headed straight to my room, changed into something more comfy and just hit the sack. Haha!

Good start for 2011! :)