The 2010 Awards
Okay, this might just be the first in a series of year-end blog entries, as I might write a few more entries if I feel like it.
My friend Richmond and I have been filling out this meme since 2007 or 2008, and so, in the spirit of tradition, I'm filling out this meme once again, since the year is about to end anyway. I think Richmond might have added or modified some questions, though, so that explains why this may seem different from the usual version of this meme (if you've seen this before).
1. Restaurant of the year? Chocolate Kiss, hands down! It was love at first bite for me.
2. TV show of the year? Er, it started airing in 2009, but since I love FMA so much - FMA: Brotherhood! Durarara!! comes a close second.
3. Movie of the year? Still deciding between Toy Story 3 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1)
4. Actor of the year? I'm not really into celebrities, so... meh.
5. Song that reminds you of 2010? "Telephone"
6. Song that describes 2010? Oh, dear. How do you find a song to describe an entire year? "Complication" (the second Durarara!! OP), perhaps, since the lyrics kinda describe my anxieties about the future and my general state of mind for the year, what with me being a graduating student and all. I quote: "I worry about tomorrow, fearing that everything might break / But deep in my heart, I know that looking towards the day after tomorrow won't give me the answers." The chorus, however, is a bit more optimistic: "Tomorrow is a blank canvas that extends endlessly; what should I draw on it?"
7. Book of the year? Okay, this isn't really a new book, and it's an obscure one at that, but I think that out of the few books I read this year (record low OTL - I really should find more time to read more novels), Audition by Ryu Murakami (no relation to Haruki Murakami) was the most interesting. This novel is the source material of Takashi Miike's infamous film, Audition, by the way. I think I was so happy just to have found that book.
8. Fashion statement of the year? I'm not into fashion, so I wouldn't know...
9. Favorite night out? B-but, I'm not a night owl, so I hardly had any nights out... ;_; Well, if we're to stick to "nights" out and not days, it'd probably be karaoke night with Tricia-sensei and Ricardo. That was when I went to Osaka sometime in January. It's a shame that Simon couldn't make it at that time!
10. What did you get really excited about? A lot of things. To list a few:
- Visiting Hiroshima, Himeji, Kobe and Osaka (to see Tricia-sensei, Simon and Ricardo again!)
- Cosplaying Olivier Armstrong. I was so afraid that I couldn't do her justice, but, er, I think I did okay.
- Tagcom 2010, a.k.a. "Blonde Day" (because Andrea, Angela, ex-friend and I all cosplayed blondes on that day, by some coincidence)
- Andrea, Angela and Tricia-sensei's visit to Manila
- Being part of cosplay groups (e.g. FMA group, Trinity Blood group)
- Ph102 with Sir Strebel and Th131 with Fr. Dacanay (of course, I knew that these classes wouldn't be a walk in the park, but I was excited for the experience)
- Returning to Japan for a stroll down memory lane and meet-ups with friends
- Taiwan
- Eating at Chocolate Kiss
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- The last few FMA chapters (though, with each new chapter, I also felt some sadness at the fact that FMA was going to end soon)
- 4B mini-reunion
- Reunions with Richie!
- Philo Christmas party XD
- JSP Week
11. Who was your closest friend? Richmond
12. Who was your coolest new friend? ninjapeps, you pervert, you. :p
13. Who did you grow apart from? Guess who... :(
14. Who did you miss? The friends I made during my stay in Japan, Richmond (but it's not like I miss him that much because we see each other every now and then, LOL), Andrea, Angela, Tricia-sensei
15. Do you have any regrets when it comes to your friendships? Yes, in relation to ex-friend. I think I should refrain from elaborating, lest I go TL;DR.
16. Biggest change of 2010? Being uprooted from Japan and returning to Manila. I had a case of reverse homesickness. I don't really like being uprooted from my surroundings, you see. I felt homesick when I left the Philippines for Japan, and, while I was happy to be there, I also initially felt that I was missing out on a lot back home. But this year, when I returned to Manila, I was both happy to see my friends again and sad that my happy stay in Japan had to come to an end.
Also, the second and third biggest changes of 2010 are losing ex-friend to her group of new friends and becoming a senior, respectively.
17. Valuable life lesson learned in 2010? Let me quote some lines from "Agaw Dilim," a song by Sir Strebel's band, Gene Pool: "Hahanapin ko ang saya kahit lumisan ka na / Kahit lumipas na, mahahanap ko ang saya." It was painful to have lost ex-friend to other people, and until now, I'm still bitter, hurt, sad and angry at her, her new friends and myself, but I made a lot of new friends this year. Most of these new friends are cosplay friends, but, mind you, these new friends of mine are, I believe, good people. I'd like to think that, while I met these friends through cosplay, we won't just be bonded through and because of cosplay, because that'd suck. I've heard stories of "cosplay friends" who are just there as long as you vote for them or like their fanpages or join them when they're cosplaying, but I don't think that these new friends I've made are like that. They're nice people. I like them, and they've made cons so much more fun for me. I used to go to cons alone sometimes, but now that cons here are, well, the way they are, it seems like going to cons alone isn't as fun anymore. Besides, I realized that cons are more fun when I'm hanging out with these people, haha. In short, I learned that ex-friend leaving me wasn't the end of the world. I found new friends, and no, they're not replacements for ex-friend. They're unique in their own ways, and I appreciate their company a lot.
18. Best decision made this year? I took a chance and accepted corneria's offer to join her group for LS 127, even if I didn't know Brad, Pau and Julia back then, and I only had a passing acquaintance with Niko and Bea. Who knew that I'd make such awesome new friends?
19. Worst decision made this year? Staying in Japan until Feb. 1. That meant that I had to clean my room and leave hurriedly in a panic after my exam. I was so worried that I wouldn't make it to the airport on time because I didn't have much time to fill out the remaining paperwork and clean my dorm room properly. Thinking about it, I should've stayed in Japan for an extra day. My teachers in ADMU would've understood, since they already knew that I had an exam on Feb. 1 that could not be moved to an earlier date. Had I stayed an extra day, I would've seen snow in Asakadai, could've said my proper goodbyes, could've cleaned my room properly and thanked the dorm manager and his kind wife properly, and maybe even done some extra shopping.
20. Biggest achievement of 2010? OmuNoms! I'm so happy to have been a part of this venture. :)
21. Biggest failure of 2010? Ex-friend is my greatest failure. :( Yes, bitter Tifa is still bitter.
22. What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2010? Take the JLPT
23. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
- More money XD
- More time for myself (ha, like that'll happen)
- More inspiration, so I can write more fanfics
- Some time to travel
- More hang-outs with friends
24. What do you wish you'd done more of?
- Studied more Nihongo and Mandarin
- Hung out more with the friends I made in Japan before I left
- Lost more weight
- Traveled some more before leaving Japan (e.g. Hokkaido, Shirakawa-go)
25. What do you wish you'd done less of?
- Driven ex-friend away :( (She had her faults, but I had mine, too T_T)
- Trusted some people whom I'm not sure I should still trust
- Studying? No, seriously, I overstudied for a few things, when in hindsight, I should've paid more attention to my (slightly growing) social life, what with friends like ninjapeps inviting me to hang out.
26. What did you do for your birthday? Ate at Chocolate Kiss with my family, then I studied for some upcoming exams. It wasn't much of a birthday (but I was so happy that my family took me to Chocolate Kiss, since they'd heard me raving about it about a month or two ago), what with the upcoming exams, and ex-friend trolling me on my birthday by inexplicably giving me the cold shoulder even though we'd made up before that.
27. What did you do for Christmas? Ate out, went to Robinson's Galleria and Greenhills, visited my relatives
28. What did you want and get? Haha, a lot of things; I don't want to re-enumerate everything. Anyway, I got a pen from Charmy; chocolates and cookies from my relatives; a photo from ninjapeps; the Trinity Blood novels, a cute sleep mask, make-up and storage boxes from Dad and Mom; and a Christmas figurine from Christine.
29. What did you want and not get? A lot of things, since my wish list is a combination of unattainable and attainable stuff. XD Well, for starters, I was hoping to get new clothes for Christmas, but I didn't get any. Mom says that she'll take me to Divi or 168 one of these days to look for new clothes anyway.
30. Highest point of the year? The early half of 2010 (January-April or May). In spite of the fact that I did feel sad about returning to the Philippines in February, I was still partly on a high because of the happy memories I had in Japan. I also met a lot of new friends during this time.
31. Lowest point of the year? July to August. Ex-friend dramu.
32. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? There are a lot of memorable dates, so just read my previous posts. :)
33. Is 2010 a good year? It was okay.
34. Do you think 2011 will top 2010? Maybe not. Life after college sounds like a dead end to me. But maybe my friends can make 2011 happier for me - I can only hope.
35. What are your plans for next year? In general, I suppose I should figure out what I really want to do with my life. The problem is that there are many possibilities, and I'm not sure which I like best. Study abroad? Get an MBA? Work for this or that company? It's not that I don't know what to do; it's more like I've thought about a lot of things I could do, and I can't really decide.
36. What are you looking forward to next year? And this is where I get more specific:
- Baccano! cosgroup with Audrey, Ada, etc. (late Jan./Feb.)
- Sir Bobby's "Prodigal Son" lecture for Th141
- Celebration with OmuNoms! group once everything is over (Feb./Mar.)
- Victorian Valentine IV. (Feb.)
- Figuring out whether I will work or take further studies (depends on whatever scholarship and job opportunities come my way)
- Blue Roast (Mar.)
- FMA cosgroup: the revival! (Apr.)
- Possible Section 3 cosplay (if I can find a trenchcoat and wig for ninjapeps (TBA)
- Family vacation (Mar./Apr./May)
- Trip to Japan, if I can get my parents to say "yes" (I mean, they're not interested in seeing temples and shrines anyway, so I hope they will allow me to go on my own, or at least take Katkat with me, since she also likes temples and shrines) (Mar./Apr./May)
- Pabaon (Mar.)
... Er, I am not so keen on graduating. But it is inevitable, hahaha. And I still have no clear idea as to what I will happen with my life after March. Anyway...
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!
My friend Richmond and I have been filling out this meme since 2007 or 2008, and so, in the spirit of tradition, I'm filling out this meme once again, since the year is about to end anyway. I think Richmond might have added or modified some questions, though, so that explains why this may seem different from the usual version of this meme (if you've seen this before).
1. Restaurant of the year? Chocolate Kiss, hands down! It was love at first bite for me.
2. TV show of the year? Er, it started airing in 2009, but since I love FMA so much - FMA: Brotherhood! Durarara!! comes a close second.
3. Movie of the year? Still deciding between Toy Story 3 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1)
4. Actor of the year? I'm not really into celebrities, so... meh.
5. Song that reminds you of 2010? "Telephone"
6. Song that describes 2010? Oh, dear. How do you find a song to describe an entire year? "Complication" (the second Durarara!! OP), perhaps, since the lyrics kinda describe my anxieties about the future and my general state of mind for the year, what with me being a graduating student and all. I quote: "I worry about tomorrow, fearing that everything might break / But deep in my heart, I know that looking towards the day after tomorrow won't give me the answers." The chorus, however, is a bit more optimistic: "Tomorrow is a blank canvas that extends endlessly; what should I draw on it?"
7. Book of the year? Okay, this isn't really a new book, and it's an obscure one at that, but I think that out of the few books I read this year (record low OTL - I really should find more time to read more novels), Audition by Ryu Murakami (no relation to Haruki Murakami) was the most interesting. This novel is the source material of Takashi Miike's infamous film, Audition, by the way. I think I was so happy just to have found that book.
8. Fashion statement of the year? I'm not into fashion, so I wouldn't know...
9. Favorite night out? B-but, I'm not a night owl, so I hardly had any nights out... ;_; Well, if we're to stick to "nights" out and not days, it'd probably be karaoke night with Tricia-sensei and Ricardo. That was when I went to Osaka sometime in January. It's a shame that Simon couldn't make it at that time!
10. What did you get really excited about? A lot of things. To list a few:
- Visiting Hiroshima, Himeji, Kobe and Osaka (to see Tricia-sensei, Simon and Ricardo again!)
- Cosplaying Olivier Armstrong. I was so afraid that I couldn't do her justice, but, er, I think I did okay.
- Tagcom 2010, a.k.a. "Blonde Day" (because Andrea, Angela, ex-friend and I all cosplayed blondes on that day, by some coincidence)
- Andrea, Angela and Tricia-sensei's visit to Manila
- Being part of cosplay groups (e.g. FMA group, Trinity Blood group)
- Ph102 with Sir Strebel and Th131 with Fr. Dacanay (of course, I knew that these classes wouldn't be a walk in the park, but I was excited for the experience)
- Returning to Japan for a stroll down memory lane and meet-ups with friends
- Taiwan
- Eating at Chocolate Kiss
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- The last few FMA chapters (though, with each new chapter, I also felt some sadness at the fact that FMA was going to end soon)
- 4B mini-reunion
- Reunions with Richie!
- Philo Christmas party XD
- JSP Week
11. Who was your closest friend? Richmond
12. Who was your coolest new friend? ninjapeps, you pervert, you. :p
13. Who did you grow apart from? Guess who... :(
14. Who did you miss? The friends I made during my stay in Japan, Richmond (but it's not like I miss him that much because we see each other every now and then, LOL), Andrea, Angela, Tricia-sensei
15. Do you have any regrets when it comes to your friendships? Yes, in relation to ex-friend. I think I should refrain from elaborating, lest I go TL;DR.
16. Biggest change of 2010? Being uprooted from Japan and returning to Manila. I had a case of reverse homesickness. I don't really like being uprooted from my surroundings, you see. I felt homesick when I left the Philippines for Japan, and, while I was happy to be there, I also initially felt that I was missing out on a lot back home. But this year, when I returned to Manila, I was both happy to see my friends again and sad that my happy stay in Japan had to come to an end.
Also, the second and third biggest changes of 2010 are losing ex-friend to her group of new friends and becoming a senior, respectively.
17. Valuable life lesson learned in 2010? Let me quote some lines from "Agaw Dilim," a song by Sir Strebel's band, Gene Pool: "Hahanapin ko ang saya kahit lumisan ka na / Kahit lumipas na, mahahanap ko ang saya." It was painful to have lost ex-friend to other people, and until now, I'm still bitter, hurt, sad and angry at her, her new friends and myself, but I made a lot of new friends this year. Most of these new friends are cosplay friends, but, mind you, these new friends of mine are, I believe, good people. I'd like to think that, while I met these friends through cosplay, we won't just be bonded through and because of cosplay, because that'd suck. I've heard stories of "cosplay friends" who are just there as long as you vote for them or like their fanpages or join them when they're cosplaying, but I don't think that these new friends I've made are like that. They're nice people. I like them, and they've made cons so much more fun for me. I used to go to cons alone sometimes, but now that cons here are, well, the way they are, it seems like going to cons alone isn't as fun anymore. Besides, I realized that cons are more fun when I'm hanging out with these people, haha. In short, I learned that ex-friend leaving me wasn't the end of the world. I found new friends, and no, they're not replacements for ex-friend. They're unique in their own ways, and I appreciate their company a lot.
18. Best decision made this year? I took a chance and accepted corneria's offer to join her group for LS 127, even if I didn't know Brad, Pau and Julia back then, and I only had a passing acquaintance with Niko and Bea. Who knew that I'd make such awesome new friends?
19. Worst decision made this year? Staying in Japan until Feb. 1. That meant that I had to clean my room and leave hurriedly in a panic after my exam. I was so worried that I wouldn't make it to the airport on time because I didn't have much time to fill out the remaining paperwork and clean my dorm room properly. Thinking about it, I should've stayed in Japan for an extra day. My teachers in ADMU would've understood, since they already knew that I had an exam on Feb. 1 that could not be moved to an earlier date. Had I stayed an extra day, I would've seen snow in Asakadai, could've said my proper goodbyes, could've cleaned my room properly and thanked the dorm manager and his kind wife properly, and maybe even done some extra shopping.
20. Biggest achievement of 2010? OmuNoms! I'm so happy to have been a part of this venture. :)
21. Biggest failure of 2010? Ex-friend is my greatest failure. :( Yes, bitter Tifa is still bitter.
22. What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2010? Take the JLPT
23. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
- More money XD
- More time for myself (ha, like that'll happen)
- More inspiration, so I can write more fanfics
- Some time to travel
- More hang-outs with friends
24. What do you wish you'd done more of?
- Studied more Nihongo and Mandarin
- Hung out more with the friends I made in Japan before I left
- Lost more weight
- Traveled some more before leaving Japan (e.g. Hokkaido, Shirakawa-go)
25. What do you wish you'd done less of?
- Driven ex-friend away :( (She had her faults, but I had mine, too T_T)
- Trusted some people whom I'm not sure I should still trust
- Studying? No, seriously, I overstudied for a few things, when in hindsight, I should've paid more attention to my (slightly growing) social life, what with friends like ninjapeps inviting me to hang out.
26. What did you do for your birthday? Ate at Chocolate Kiss with my family, then I studied for some upcoming exams. It wasn't much of a birthday (but I was so happy that my family took me to Chocolate Kiss, since they'd heard me raving about it about a month or two ago), what with the upcoming exams, and ex-friend trolling me on my birthday by inexplicably giving me the cold shoulder even though we'd made up before that.
27. What did you do for Christmas? Ate out, went to Robinson's Galleria and Greenhills, visited my relatives
28. What did you want and get? Haha, a lot of things; I don't want to re-enumerate everything. Anyway, I got a pen from Charmy; chocolates and cookies from my relatives; a photo from ninjapeps; the Trinity Blood novels, a cute sleep mask, make-up and storage boxes from Dad and Mom; and a Christmas figurine from Christine.
29. What did you want and not get? A lot of things, since my wish list is a combination of unattainable and attainable stuff. XD Well, for starters, I was hoping to get new clothes for Christmas, but I didn't get any. Mom says that she'll take me to Divi or 168 one of these days to look for new clothes anyway.
30. Highest point of the year? The early half of 2010 (January-April or May). In spite of the fact that I did feel sad about returning to the Philippines in February, I was still partly on a high because of the happy memories I had in Japan. I also met a lot of new friends during this time.
31. Lowest point of the year? July to August. Ex-friend dramu.
32. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? There are a lot of memorable dates, so just read my previous posts. :)
33. Is 2010 a good year? It was okay.
34. Do you think 2011 will top 2010? Maybe not. Life after college sounds like a dead end to me. But maybe my friends can make 2011 happier for me - I can only hope.
35. What are your plans for next year? In general, I suppose I should figure out what I really want to do with my life. The problem is that there are many possibilities, and I'm not sure which I like best. Study abroad? Get an MBA? Work for this or that company? It's not that I don't know what to do; it's more like I've thought about a lot of things I could do, and I can't really decide.
36. What are you looking forward to next year? And this is where I get more specific:
- Baccano! cosgroup with Audrey, Ada, etc. (late Jan./Feb.)
- Sir Bobby's "Prodigal Son" lecture for Th141
- Celebration with OmuNoms! group once everything is over (Feb./Mar.)
- Victorian Valentine IV. (Feb.)
- Figuring out whether I will work or take further studies (depends on whatever scholarship and job opportunities come my way)
- Blue Roast (Mar.)
- FMA cosgroup: the revival! (Apr.)
- Possible Section 3 cosplay (if I can find a trenchcoat and wig for ninjapeps (TBA)
- Family vacation (Mar./Apr./May)
- Trip to Japan, if I can get my parents to say "yes" (I mean, they're not interested in seeing temples and shrines anyway, so I hope they will allow me to go on my own, or at least take Katkat with me, since she also likes temples and shrines) (Mar./Apr./May)
- Pabaon (Mar.)
... Er, I am not so keen on graduating. But it is inevitable, hahaha. And I still have no clear idea as to what I will happen with my life after March. Anyway...
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!