2010 was the year that...
1. ...my nephew Jaime was born! January 1, 2010. Can't believe the little guy is turning ONE tomorrow. I've watched him transform to a teeny-but-really-long baby to a little chubster who can point out babies in books when we yell "WHERE'S THE BABY?", who bites us with his five teeth, and runs around too fast for us. He's adorable and I've loved watching him grow up. Going home to find him smiling has been such a joy!
2. ..Retsol turned on me. Or, maybe I turned on Retsol. Maybe because deep down, I knew I was just waiting to hand in my resignation letter. But no matter how much I tried to get my head in the game, I knew that I really hated my job. It wasn't value-adding the company or to my life, just another way of retailers passing on their expenses to us. (Sorry. It's true.) No matter how much my boss tried to improve our position as a company, everyday I woke up and dreaded going to work. Everyday I stared at my computer and asked myself, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THIS FOR?" My parents noticed that I wasn't happy anymore.
And right smack in January 2010, I remember SO WELL, things exploded. I had a Bad Day, which I wrote about:
"I shall spare you the boring details, but the Bad Day was so bad that it didn’t go away. The Bad Day, which transpired a couple of weeks ago, is morphing into a Bad Month.
Worse, this Bad Day didn’t just bother me at work. It followed me around like a parasite, sucking the positive attitude out of me and leaving feelings of irritation, panic, disappointment, and even inadequacy. Whether I was still working or enjoying my free time, my Bad Day was hanging over me like a cartoon rain cloud. I’d be typing an e-mail regarding another project and suddenly my mind would start obsessing over the Bad Day. I would be drifting off to sleep at home and BAM! One little thought about my Bad Day would creep up on me and my eyes would be wide open again."
(You can read the whole article here.) Things were never the same.
3....I resigned! A LOT of confusing and exciting things happened after I handed in my resignation letter, and some people may have gotten me to change my mind, but in the end, I knew that I had a different path. It was incredibly difficult, but now, my new life is about to start. C: Still, I miss my friends, the learning and the craziness. And the free products. Haha.
4. ...I kept on wakeboarding.
I may have not exactly been able to do ramps BUT BY GOD, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STAND AND DO ROUNDS! Whut up. Fuwede na! *litte dance*
5. I had my own car, thanks to Unilever.
I shall miss you, Noli.
6. ...Auj was the first one in our barkada to get married. And she was gorgeous. He was gorgeous. The whole thing was gorgeous. And so far, she's transformed into a domestic goddess and he's a sweet guy whipping her up pancakes when she's sick. Love you both!
The gorgeous couple.
Now with our crazy barkada.
7. we celebrated our 5 Year Baboy Anniversary! It's insane to think that it was five years ago, yet it remains a pivotal moment in my life. And I still consider them some of my greatest friends. To looking back and moving forward together.
Christmas 2005
Celebrating our 5 years!
Christmas 2010 (Oh, Gena.)
8. ...my dream concerts came true. I said I was only willing to shell out big bucks for JT and Usher. Well, whaddya know. AND with Timbaland.
JT and Timbo
Ursher
9. I went through a shoe embargo until my birthday.
January: 'SUS! KAYANG KAYA!
February: Mmm. Shet. I want to buy shoes na.
March: OMAIGOD I'M DYING!!!!
April: RAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWRRRRRRRRR!!! SINO BANG NAG-ISIP NG LECHENG EMBARGO NA 'TO????
May: MALAPIT NA MALAPIT NA MALAPIT NA MALAPIT NA!
Ayan tuloy.
10. I TRAVELLED TO SPAIN AND PORTUGAL! (And went back to the States!) Awesome sauce.
Avila (Spain)
Salamanca (Spain)
Coimbra (Portugal)
Fatima (Portugal)
Obidos (Portuagal)
Lisbon (Portugal)
Seville (Spain)
Cordoba (Spain)
Madrid (Spain)
Barcelona (Spain)
Barcelona (Spain)
Bilbao (Spain)
Las Vegas! (Which reminds me, I haven't uploaded my NY pics. There aren't a lot, but...for posterity!)
11. I went on a lemon diet. 10 days of nothing but lemon juice with syrup and pepper. I never, ever thought I would do something like this but when I realized I'd be going on vacation, I needed to ensure that I wouldn't come home fifty pounds heavier. And surprisingly, I survived!And it worth it because I was able to keep from gaining weight when I ate all of these:
SANGRIAAA!
All in all, my 2010 felt like a transition year. This was the year I turned 25--a quarter of a century old! I feel like I'm easing my way out of the-world-is-my-oyster, carefree youth and slowly preparing for the gravity of adulthood. My first foray into the real world was over, and I need to continue on in my life's path, to start preparing for the long term. I have to start thinking of the future, of what lies ahead. I see what my brother and sister-in-law are going through with their son, I have to start thinking about my future family too. (Yes, I am aware that I actually need to attract someone before thinking of a family, but that's beside the point.) Even some of the milestones I celebrated this year signalled the end of things as they were: Auj's is only the first wedding. (2011 is going to be the year of the wedding!) Our vacation is probably the last with Kuya Jason as he's about to get married too.
Not the greatest year in my life, but going through all changes has also showed me my capacity as a person: celebrating five years with the Baboys (and the Brew Crew, come to think of it) showed me how long true friendships can be sustained. Shoe embargoes and lemon diets proved that I *kinda* have willpower. I guess as I'm forging my road to the future, I'm forging my own self.
January is named after two-headed Janus, who has the capacity to look both forward and back. Today, I realize I'm not only looking at 2010 and 2011, but my whole life before today and the life I want after today. I can see it now: Big changes are coming. Maaan, 2011 is going to rock my world.