HELLO, 2004!!
Hello 2004, and hello Manila, too. Am back from my ~2-week RnR. It was fun. Lots of eating, karaoke, dancing, drinking.. did I say, eating? :) I finished Tuesdays with Morrie which I bought because I got so intrigued since so many Friendsters list that as their favorite read. Will try to review some other time but it really was not that impressive. Ok lang. I liked being around my family.. specially my siblings and cousins. It was sad, though, to see my once very charismatic and jolly uncle (mom's younger brother), bedridden and getting fed via NGT.

Being offline was actually very refreshing. But it revived my old habit of boob-tube watching. No worries, though. Things are back to normal now in my cable-free apartment :) The magic mic was a big hit. Karaoke galore. 24/7. Hahaha. I learned how to make mango float (whoever invented Graham crackers deserves one big kiss!! hehe), and my fruit salad punch was a hit (actually a variation of gin pomelo but i added spiked fruit-flavored jello's and apple slices).

Got together with some high school buddies, and it was fun once more to go down memory lane, as well as to get updated with latest batch tsismis like who came out when, how many marriages got annuled, who got married or had children, etc.. One of our batchmates is now a big star back home, being a top-paid showgirl/hostess/singer. Another batchmate is also a famous singer. A handful of successful doctors, nurses (most of whom are now either in the U.S. or UK), and engineers in the semicon and telecom industries. And for the juicy bits, we have a batchmate who came out just recently but is in the closet again in his hometown so as not to jeopardize his budding political career (he is running for mayor). Another batchmate who got involved in a major estafa case and can name drop one of the widely talked about politicians lately. (hehe, I feel like a gossip column). We are indeed one colorful bunch. But at the end of the day, we get-together and unanimously say that high school was indeed the best of times for us. Those four years molded us into the people we are now, good or bad. Those four years forged a bond that can't easily be broken by time nor distance. Our teachers say we were the coolest batch. I never realized we were so loved because we so personified the word "dedma". We cared enough to do well in school and respect authority, but also did not care about the demands and expectations of others. We just were who we were. Ah, what I'd give to be 13 again, wide-eyed, scared but also worry-free.

2003 was definitely a colorful and eventful year for me. It will go down in history of one of the most remembered years in my so-called life. So many things happened, that the plots changed faster than our daily soaps. Yup, last year is full of bittersweet memories. But I still measure it in love....

And what does 2004 have in store for me, I wonder? I don't know. All I know is, my to-do-before-30 list is almost due. And I still have not learned to drive a stick-shift, nor learned how to swim. I still want to become a certified diver and go back to Costa Rica to see stingrays and sharks and beautiful corals. But I'm now a certified to do CPR/first aid. Yey. Cooking, I suppose, is a continuous improvement thing, but I can feed myself and probably one more who never complained of my so-called "cooking". Anyhoo, I've learned enough in the past years to not create lists anymore. That is not to say I will stop trying. Just that, I may need to revisit that list and reprioritize. Because there may be other important things I need to do. Besides, should life really stop at 30? Nah. In fact, I will make this year a good start of better years to come! And while I won't have any more lists, I will continue to strive to learn new skills every now and then, finish my MBA in a year or so, be of constant service to others, and yeah, definitely take up swimming. After all, my ultimate dream is to live a bohemian lifestyle - be a beach bum/writer/struggling artist :)

I already know that this year is going to be a year of big decisions for me. While I have not reached the end of the corporate ladder, recent events have made me rethink my career goals. Basta, I want to embrace a good deal of fearlessness and risk-taking in this area. I want to establish a good portfolio. Be more business savvy. Take control of my finances. To buy a Pajero, or not, that is the question. LOL. I want to say goodbye to the shopaholic. I will ingest less alcohol and coffee but I will ensure to continue to strengthen relationships. I will party less, and instead, I will read, write and continue to feed my soul and the inner artist in me, lest I lose track of my identity once again. I will touch lives of other people in my own small ways.. specially children because much as I love old and sick people, I have an irrational fear of mortality, specially since my parents are now in their golden years and I just don't want to deal with that reality.......

2004, another year. You will be my year of hope. And 362 days from now, I still want to measure you in love.