home food, that's all!

Coming home over the Christmas holidays has always been a food fiesta of sorts. Despite mother's cries of her 3 little pigs getting bigger and bigger by the minute. Christmas in the Philippines will always be the greatest excuse for accumulated years of "holiday weight".

Lying here now on my favorite bed, I can smell home cooking from the kitchen - ah the wonderful perks of good home cooking!

LOL I think I'm hungry. Bye for now.

Scream

When your whole soul feels like bursting.

Shopping Fails of the Day

This pair of Alexander McQueen peeptoe pumps...

and that Ralph Lauren halter dress I couldn't find a picture for (as of the moment).

12:25

There was a point in time yesterday where I randomly looked at my clock.

12:25 - it randomly brought a smile to my face - even my clock is reminding me that Christmas is just around the corner.  Weather in Hong Kong is finally getting better. Cooling and soothing.  Nice, crisp air. 


Ah, wonderful wonderful Christmas.

The birth of Christ is always something good to turn back to.  And as today's Sunday service has taught, not only is Christmas always something good to turn back to, but rather, we have to remember that Christ is always the 1st one we should turn back to.

=)

-

heart feels like crying. boo hoo hoo. december wind's a-blowin'.

Ok, next year..

My plans are to go to the following places:

1) Japan
2) Vietnam
3) Shanghai
4) Singapore
5) Batanes/Coron/Corregidor/Boracay (just one of them will do)

Let's see what comes true. :p

Eating Your Frogs

I went to a fellowship last Monday...and the speaker, a woman by the name of June Liao was sharing her tips on time.

She said, "eat your frogs." Basically to be able to get things done, her point was, not to procrastinate.  Eat your frogs.  Then you will basically get 80% of the things you need to do, done.

If you have more than one frog, then eat the uglier frog first.  If you have 3 frogs, eat the ugliest one and then go by level.

Honestly, there is some sense to the ugly and gross thought of eating frogs. Once you get the thing you hate out of the way, then at least it's a check in the list.

I have a lot of frogs to eat today.  And well, here goes.

*bu...rrrp***

forgetting what lies behind...and just moving on

It's taking me a lot of courage, to even believe I am doing this. It's time to walk on ahead, and not turn back.

i wuv books

in a discussion with my sister as to how much people now are so techie and not appreciate books so much anymore.

im not referring to e-books, those are just the craze right now.  But real books. paperbacks that get dog-eared the more you read them.. i don't know.. for me... they're just comforting.  having a book to flip and just relish as you turn the page is always amazing. 

sigh..i just love em. ;)

Miss Saigon

Listening to Miss Saigon right now... and find it just so sad... =:::(

Turning to the Quarter Life

• Flowers and cards from my team. 
• Lunch with my team @ Wanchai - Cinta J for Filipino Food.
• A dozen cupcakes from Cherin 
• Checked out that Charriol bracelet I've been eye-ing.  Possible sale on Saturday! 
• Dinner @ Balalaika with AIESEC-UBS buds and Lovely (special mention)
• They set everything on fire at the restaurant, from the multi-meat Sashliks for everyone down to the free Baked Alaska. Yum. 
• Replying to each person that greeted me on Facebook.  "Warring on FB" as Nats put it
• You forgot my birthday and I can't seem to get over it.
• I'm now 25. 
• La-di-Da!

Aegis

While buying simcards for my Family's visit 2 weeks ago, this girl from the store gave me a free autographed CD of Aegis' Greatest Hits. I know, it's jologs, but I totally love Aegis. They're the best OPM band to sing to when you're sabaw, lasing, or maybe just in the mood to belt out cheesy tagalog songs that's ultimately jeepney material. heehee

 

And well...

Happy birthday to my brother today!!! :D

Movie Hang up

Holidays give me a chance to stay home (well and weekends too...)

That also means that it gives me a chance to sit around and watch TV... Came across HBO Signature which was playing "A Story of Us"  where a couple grows apart from each other but struggles to really get a divorce...

In the last part, Michelle Pfeifer slews out a line so long that just should go down to the memorable line books...

The scene goes like this:
Katie: I want to go to Chow Funs
Ben: I thought we agreed we couldn't really talk at Chow Funs
Katie: I know
Ben: Are you saying Chow Funs because you can't face telling the kids? Because if that's why you're saying Chow Funs, don't say Chow Funs
Katie: That's not why I'm saying Chow Funs. Funs, I'm saying Chow Funs because we're an us. There's a history here, and histories don't happen overnight. In Mesopotamia or Ancient Troy there are cities built on top of other cities, but I don't want another city, I like this city. I know what kind of mood your in when you wake up by which eyebrow is higher, and you know I'm a little quiet in the morning and compensate accordingly, that's a dance you perfect over time. And it's hard, it's much harder than I thought it would be, but there's more good than bad and you don't just give up! And it's not for the sake of the children, but God they're great kids aren't they? And we made them, I mean think about that! It's like there were no people there, and then there were people and they grew, and an an an I won't be able to say to some stranger Josh has your hands or remember how Erin threw up at the Lincoln Memorial And I'll try to relax, let's face it, anybody is going to have traits that get on your nerves, I mean, why shouldn't it be your annoying traits, and I know I'm no day at the beach, but I do have a good sense of direction so I can at least find the beach, which isn't a weakness of yours, it's a strength of mine. And God your a good friend and good friends are hard to find. Charlotte said that in Charlottes Web and I love how you read that to Erin and you take on the voice of Wilber the Pig with such dedication even when your bone tired. That speaks volumes about character! And ultimately, isn't that what it comes down too? What a person is made of? That girl in the pin helmet is still here 'bee boo bee boo' I didn't even know she existed until you and I'm afraid if you leave I may never see her again, even though I said at times you beat her out of me, isn't that the paradox? Haven't we hit the essential paradox? Give and take, push and pull, the yen the yang. The best of times, the worst of times!I think Dickens said it best, 'He could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean', but, doesn't really apply here does it? What I'm trying to say is, I'm saying Chow Funs because, I love you
Ben: Did you hear that kids? Mom wants to go to chow Funs!

So sweet... Sometimes, love's just like that. :)

Source came from IMDB

Mulan

The emperor in Mulan (Disney Version) was just so funny when he was saying this to Shang...

Emperor:  (clears his throat) The flower that blooms in adversity...is the most rare and beautiful of all.
Shang:  -Sir? -
Emperor: (in an exaperated voice...)You don't meet a girl like that every dynasty.

Yey Mulan! Girl Power ;)

Ruby Tuesday

Didn't know that Ruby Tuesday was a song before a restaurant. Or maybe it's the other way around. It's a restaurant before it was a song. Nonetheless, you learn interesting things listening to the 60s top hits on Yahoo. I just love the Oldies.

RUBY TUESDAY
(Rolling Stones)

She would never say where she came from
Yesterday don't matter if it's gone
While the sun is bright
Or in the darkest night
No one knows
She comes and goes

Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you...

Don't question why she needs to be so free
She'll tell you it's the only way to be
She just can't be chained
To a life where nothing's gained
And nothing's lost
At such a cost

There's no time to lose, I heard her say
Catch your dreams before they slip away
Dying all the time
Lose your dreams
And you will lose your mind.
Ain't life unkind?

Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you...

?

have you ever wondered how it feels like to know what you are capable of? and at the same time scared that you will never live up to its potential?

the good ol' days

We never liked it when the oldies talked about "the good old days".  They called it the "glory" days even.  But today, I somehow kind of connect as I talk to myself about the good old days. When I thought I was pretty and I could conquer the world.  When I thought I was smart and can talk to anybody about anything. Tell you what, I'm not belittling myself right now, and I'm not pitying myself either.  But today just gave me an understanding as to why they liked talking about days past.  One is probably because it was such a satsifying event, and really, the kids of the new generation won't know how glorious it was anyway (since we tend to blow it out of proportion in our heads) and two, well, it makes them or today, even me feel better.

I dunno, I like them good ol days. I liked them when they were simple and good and just appreciated.

Just them good 'ol days.

this little piggie

it just takes me back.
slamming the door after a fight only to find a bloodied finger.
a person who was so sick of his own blood and needed to get stitches.
today, i stare at my own bloodied finger
happy that i didn't need stitches;
and gleeful that i am not afraid at the sight of my own blood
gushing generously onto the gauze.
such a scientific marvel, we are, us people.
got my little left pinky invalid for the next two weeks
and as the nursery rhyme went when we were kids..
'this little piggie cried wee wee wee all the way home.'

To Welcome HK Summer

A happy colored bag!

Silent Decisions

Throughout life, we will always be making those silent decisions.  Whether in our sleep, in the bathroom taking a shower, walking on the street, sitting on a bus, we make decisions.  Our brains run on a constant speed that cannot be stopped for as long as we are alive.  We think of things unintentionally sometimes, and we make decisions about them.  These decisions might be important or not.  But that's what they are -- choices and steps we decide to take.

And right now, I think I will stick to my silent decision I made weeks back or maybe it was years back and it's just taking a little bit more time to stand by it.

Thursday Thoughts

I recently started a new job and everyone has truly been wonderful in their own way.  My brain's an amazing array of thoughts right now and it just revolves so much around the time spent at work, the job itself, my friends at home, my family, my life.  I guess in short, a lot of people would say that I might be going through a quarter life before I even step into age 2-5!

There is probably nothing more now that I want right now than just to pick up the phone and call someone (Lady Antebellum plays in the background) but I think after 5 years? or so? I don't really keep count anymore, I really shouldn't.  I look into people's Facebook pages and it just seems like everyone's been moving forward except for me.  I don't know... or maybe it's the other way around.  Or maybe I haven't gotten to that point where I've found what I've wanted to reach?

 I literally don't know.  I couldn't say that I am at a crossroads because I seem to have my life in front of me.  That road.  You know?  And all I have to do is just live it.  And I try.  Really.  So despite the discomfort that a lot of activities may pose, I go out and do it, and maybe, it will bring out the life in me.

Who knows?

house 6 finale thoughts

Albeit the ring of cliche around the Season 6 Finale of House MD, I still thought it was kinda sweet. :)

discovery home and health day

watched 2 interesting and scary shows on Discovery Home & Health today...

1. This man who weighed 800+pounds could barely move... His goal is to reach a walking figure of 220 pounds... 
2. This lady with multiple sclerosis...didn't know she was pregnant. And gave birth to twins in the toilet...

Just ... wow.

Try (Asher Book) - [Fame 2009 OST]

TRY
Asher Book

If I walk would you run
If I stop would you come
If I say you’re the one would you believe me
If I ask you to stay would you show me the way
Tell me what to say so you don’t leave me
The world is catching up to you
while your running away to chase your dream
Its time for us to make a move cause we are asking one another to change
and maybe im not ready

CHORUS
but I'll try for your love
I can hide up above
I will try for your love
we’ve been hiding enough

if I sing you a song would you sing along
or wait till im gone , oh how we push and pull
if I give you my heart would you just play the part
or tell me it’s the start of something beautiful
am I catching up to you
while your running away , to chase your dreams
its time for us to face the truth cause we are coming to each other to change
and maybe im not ready

CHORUS
but I'll try for your love
I can hide up above
I will try for your love
we’ve been hiding enough

I will try for your love
I can hide up above

2x Huh huhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh huh huhhh

If I walk would you run
If I stop would you come
If I say you’re the one would you believe me

Knock, Knock

Coming home from a 5 hour church session last Sunday, I was in bed watching TV when some people rang my doorbell.

*Ding*Dong*

Who is it?

We just want to share the word of God...

I am a Christian already..

*and they proceed to leave me Jehovah's Witness pamphlet..*

la lang.

2010 May Polls

The Filipinos vote today in the first ever automated polls in the country. One part of me is very proud -- this is a major milestone! Another part of me is quite uneasy if we have educated the voters enough.

I do pray for safe elections this year. And may the winner lead the country to where its talent is supposed to be.

A bit and a piece

While catching up on the episodes of House Season 6 today, 13 tells a patient, "you don't have to win anyone's heart, you just have to ask for it"

A Friday Morning Like No Other

Nothing beats having a bad Friday morning. You know that feeling when you build up the earlier part of your week that you will eventually come to a Friday? Well, I did just that this week. It's my 2nd week on a new job, make no mistake of thinking that I hate it. I love the new job. It gives me a lot of time to study the policies and learn from different good people. But today, was just different for me.

I woke up at 430 in the morning to figure out that there's a rainstorm pouring outside. Ugh, I would have to walk in the rain to get to an 830 AM meeting with the US. (Bad Thought #1) I went back to sleep and woke again at 7 -- checked the TV for the rainstorm warning and noted that it was Amber and not Black, and therefore I had to go to work. I had that bad sick feeling in my stomach that feels like I just need to puke something or someone out of my system if that's ever possible. (Bad Thought #2)

After preparing, I went down and brought a check and went to the doorman of my building. He went menopausal on me because I asked him for a favor that in case the water delivery guy came, if he could just hand him the check. He went ranting on me like he will never do me any more favors in the future. And then, at that moment, I knew who I wanted to puke out. (Bad thought #3)

So, I took the train because it was raining, rushed to work only to find out that my 830 call is transferred to two weeks after. It was rescheduled 13 minutes before the call.

Nothing beats starting a morning that way. A Friday to boot.

Accomplishments for the day

1) Subscribed to Time Magazine (I realized I needed to learn more about the world and I have committed myself to reading more about it)
2) Kicked off looking for hotels for my family for their June visit
3) Read through most of the policies for work.
4) Keeping myself awake.

get lost

i don't know if you're just thick,
or you just couldn't care less about what i feel.
overall conclusion: i wish you'd get lost. oh wait, i don't seem to want you to.
but still. GET LOST

ala lang

Nakakatuwa parin namang tingnan matapos ang labingwalong buwan. Pero nakakawalang gana lang sigurong tumingin ngayon. Nagsawa narin siguro sa mukha mo. Sayang naman.

 

Hehehe. :p

fattiness

Woke up this morning feeling crappy as ever. Pulling the curtains to block any source of light that was coming in, I just wanted to stay in bed, as always.  (which, in the past months have proven to be very toxic for me) I felt heavy and weighed myself. OMG. There's nothing like a weighing scale 4 days before you hit the beach to tell you you're fat.  I can't help it, says my subconscious.  Aging and a slower metabolism has done this to me! But I knew they were excuses and it's really a call to either shape up or ship out. For whatever it takes, I think I owe it to myself to actually look good and not "let go." (For crying out loud, letting go is for married women who forget!)

 

huff..puff.. maybe i'll walk home tonight. :p

On Roads and Road Names

"The devotees arrived in Baguio City around 7 a.m. Saturday and embarked on a day-long visitation of several churches in the pine city. They started their journey back to Laguna at 5 p.m. through Marcos Highway, now called the Aspiras-Palispis Highway." --Yahoo News
First, my sadness for the misfortune of the people who suffered in this accident.  No one should be allowed to suffer this way.
But my attention is diverted a little bit more towards the phrase "Marcos Highway, now called the Aspiras-Palispis Highway"  Call me a loyalist (of someone I've never met) or whatever you want, but I think one of the biggest mistake the Philippines, my beloved country, is doing is trying to erase history.  We are known for changing road names as if it will matter.  But years later, we realize that in articles written about the place or the road, the other name will still be mentioned.
Seriously, if you ask me, I wouldn't really remember it as the Aspiras-Palispis Highway, and I highly doubt that I will teach my future children that's the name of the road.  I'd tell them that it's called Marcos Highway and when I was younger, there was this bust of the former President/Strongman Marcos on the mountain.  A little bit of Mt. Rushmore vanity in our very own little country.  I'd do that because I wouldn't know what to tell them about Jose Aspiras and Ben Palispis.  I can try googling it, but as I try now, all I ever came up with are articles that say "Aspiras-Palispis, formerly known as Marcos" and a bunch of irrelevant Facebook pictures.  So, there is no point.
There would be more color and excitement as we go up the winding road and tell stories of how the road has evolved and how the Lion on the other road brings people good luck.  The funny thing..we don't change the name of Kennon Road (not Filipino at all), or Burnham Park or whatever American or Spanish named road we have.  But we changed Marcos Highway probably simply because we felt oppressed and maybe by changing the name, we will forget to tell the story, and from forgetting to tell the story, it will be shoved to the back of the shelf and be forgetten forever. (Yes, that's the way to do it, let's bury 20 years by changing the name of the road)
Whoever Jose Aspiras and Ben Palispis are/were, I don't have disrespect for them. It is always a feat to have a road named after you. My only thought is that in a country like ours, there are more roads to be built and more roads to be named. If we probably spent more time building and naming roads, instead of renaming them, we would probably be a more progressive country by now. 
But even if I know this entry might make a shallow point only, or no point at all, I just hope it made you understand that to me, it will always be Marcos Highway... or that little road in downtown Manila will always be Nueva.  I'd be devastated probably to find out that when I go home, my street where I've lived for 23 or so years would be named something other than Yale...I dunno. I'm just airing out little bits of thought.
Bye now.

Thinking About It..

Why is there a lack of loft apartments in Hong Kong? Given the small space, this is a great way to create one!

 

Another Restaurant to miss

http://www.contis.ph/

 

Farewell to Crystal Springs

My brother has sent me reminiscin'.

Mom was telling me the other day that my brother wanted to go to Crystal Springs Resort in Calamba, Laguna last weekend, only to find out that the resort has been closed down for 5 years already. It's quite a shame, really. In one of those moments that I think of home and travel, I go back to early childhood days when my parents would take us out almost every year to Crystal Springs and some other resorts in Southern Luzon.

All decked out in summer gear, the help would prepare lunch and we'd fill the 28-seater mocha brown colored Mitsubishi Rosa. We'd go and pick up my uncle's family and grandma, then we'd head out. Some years we'd have a guest or two.

It had 7 pools - 4 warm, 2 cold and 1 super hot if I remember correctly. That particular area of Laguna is known for its hot springs so hot spring resorts weren't uncommon. I just don't know why my family chose to stick to that one, but I guess familiarity gives you a certain comfort.

It had a big parking lot, and you need to walk up the stairs, pay your entrance fee and go to your assigned cottage. We'd change, and I'd have my handful of flaoties, ready to jump into the nice warm water. Little caterpillars falling from trees and leaves falling occasionally are part of the deal but it really never deters us from having a good time. All you had to was swim away from the creepy crawlies and everything is alright. Starting with the warm pools, it brings you to the cold ones. You can go up and try the slides. The set-up was quaint if I may call it that. We usually end with the hot water pool and go for a shower, ready to go home smelling like chlorine.

For some reason, I still remember what their brochure looks like and now that I think about it, there were quite a lot of memories made there.

Tried looking online for a pic and found this one (thank you google), since I don't have our old pictures from Manila here in HK.
Goodbye Crystal Springs. It was a good run.

Long Weekend

List of things I want to finish (or to force myself to finish)

 

- THAT laundrybag full of handwashing

- read at least 1 book

- uphold all prior commitments

- watch Avatar & Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

- again, that laundrybag full of ironing

 

*urk*gag*

 

A Prayer :)

My Will

DC Talk

I'm setting the stage for the things I love
And I'm now the man I once couldn't be
Nothing on earth could now ever move me
I now have the will and the strength a man needs

It's my will, and I'm not moving
Cause if it's Your will, then nothing can shake me
It's my will, to bow and praise You
I now have the will to praise my God

Complexity haunts me for I am two men
Entrenched in a battle that I'll never win
My discipline fails me, my knowledge it fools me
But You are my shelter, all the strength that I need

It's my will, and I'm not moving
Cause if it's Your will, then nothing can shake me
It's my will, to bow and praise You
I now have the will to praise my God

I'm learning to give up the rights to myself
The bits and the pieces I've gathered as wealth
Could never compare to the joy that You bring me
The peace that You show me is the strength that I need

It's my will, and I'm not moving
Cause if it's Your will, then nothing can shake me
It's my will, to bow and praise You
I now have the will to praise my God

We've got to be children of peace
Don't you know we've got to be children of peace
(repeat chorus & bridge simultaneously 3x)

It's Your will, It's Your will [4x]

wake up

Kailan pa ba ko gigising?

 

gah

you know what i miss? bursting with JOY. all of a sudden today seemed to be such a big stuffed up ball of cholesterol in my heart. i feel soooo drained without doing anything. *choke*choke*puke!*blech*

again, i miss bursting with JOY.

Beginnings and Endings .. (yet again)

About 2 years ago, I posted this quote, popularized by the graphic novel Sandman (by Neil Gaiman)

 

"Can't say I've ever been too fond of beginnings myself.
Messy little things. give me a good ending anytime.
You know where you are with an ending."

- The Kindly Ones, Book 9,
Neil Gaiman's Sandman-

 

And today I come across this song. Life is full of beginnings and endings. 

Curtains have to fall, after every show.

Sometimes, the comfort of living is sometimes knowing that things will end.

:)

 

The End

by:  McFly

Kicking off is the hardest part
Nothing's certain at the start
Letting go, so something can begin
Figure out how to get a life
Leave tomorrow, live tonight
Gotta throw, throw your heart right in

Cause we all fall down

Everybody knows the end
When the curtain hits the floor
Everybody knows the end
Don't wanna get there wishing
that you'd given more
It's not over, till it's over
So how do we begin?
When everybody knows the end

I need to live with nothing fixed
Don't tell me what's gonna happen next
I'm alright, I like the way this feels
Leave behind all the things I miss
The next stop isn't where you think it is
Cause tonight I'm riding off the rails

Cause we all fall down

Everybody knows the end
When the curtain hits the floor
Everybody knows the end
Don't wanna get there wishing
that you'd given more
It's not over, till it's over
So how do we begin?
When everybody knows..

The end is were you hope you never say
"I coulda done it better"
I'm gonna keeps what counts
& throw away what doesn't really matter
& I wanna die (& I wanna die)
On the highest high (On the highest high)

It's not over (it's not over)
till it's over
I wanna stay here forever

Cause we all fall down

Everybody knows the end
When the curtain hits the floor
Everybody knows the end
Don't wanna get there wishing
that you'd given more
It's not over, till it's over
So how do we begin?
When everybody knows the end

Everybody knows the end
Everybody knows the end

>_>

Hay.

 

10 weeks?! OMG

And I'm leaving soon.  And it's something that's unavoidable.  Mother, a month ago, when I was deciding whether or not to take a step and look for a job in Hong Kong defined my remaining time in her sermon as: "Just count how many weekends you spend lazing around and that's how many weeks you have left to be responsible and shape up in Hong Kong."  Weekends.  The two days in a week that we savor so much.  The days that we get the rest and the days where I spend it lazing around the house. 

 

What's next?  Waking up a bit, I've started looking around for opportunities, but nothing's quite fully opened up yet.  As of now, I officially have 10 weekends to go.  Sh*t, that's not much is it?  That's 2 and 1/2 months and everyone knows that runs by pretty quick. 

 

Is it time to close the Hong Kong book?  Or do I write on?

 

What is there to go back to in Manila?  I don't know really.  There MUST be something, right?

Test Blog via Email

It works? or not?

 

apples & fairy tales

-and at your most vulnerable moment, you just want to reach out, and ask for your own poisoned apple.-
-hoping, that beyond that, someone will come along and wake you up with a kiss.-
-just like in those fairy tales.-

Sleepless

It's back to sleepless nights for me once again. Just before I want to doze off, an unwanted, unimportant thought for the moment comes zoning into my brain and it starts working overtime. Last night, it was 'diving'. I was going to go out of my mind. I needed sleep. I was tired and all I could think of was that I haven't been under water for almost 2 years. It's a sort of fear I guess. The other night, I don't know what it was, but it was twice as bothersome as well.. Ugh. I gotta stop eating late at night. Bah

yum

a wee bit of happiness when i managed to cook decent beef salpicao today. :) and also a happy weekend. i feel so rested. it's insane. :) i hope i maintain the endorphin high till tomorrow.

left behind.

Been looking around the net lately and have noticed quite a few changes. I'm getting old and it seems funny now to realize that no matter what happens, "mapagiiwanan ka parin ng panahon"

Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr...As applications and sites develop and evolve, somehow, we are left behind somewhere. I've been trying to customize my blogspot for sometime now, but since I never got around to learning advanced HTML, CSS and Photoshop, I don't even know where to start!

Sigh.

When will I get on with the groove? :p

Terribly miss

Dulcinea Paella Valenciana right now... :(

A Girl Can Want

2-Oh-1-OH!

01 – January - 2010

I got a call last night and couldn’t help but manage a small smile at the irony of history repeating itself.

Here we are again. Another 365.25 days have passed and we ushered in 2010 under the brightness of the Blue Moon. (The 2^nd full moon of the month) Despite it shining above in the sky, nothing can beat the brightness of fireworks sprouting and shooting about from every household.

2-0-1-0. Who can believe that it has been 10 years since the famed Y2K where everyone went out to hoard supermarkets and department stores for supplies and waiting for the end of the world.

10 long years. But that’s looking back a bit too far isn’t it?

2009 in itself was already a basketful of memories and events to look at already.

So, what am I saying goodbye to? Or, to be more grammatically correct, what have I said goodbye to?

I think at one point, 2009 was a year of death and catastrophe in general for a lot of people.

In the Philippines, there were Ondoy & Pepeng, twin supertyphoons that hit Metro Manila and left people in the city immobile. I still remember the phone call I received in Hong Kong with my mom on the other line. She mentioned that both rich and poor were not spared from the floods. Exclusive villages were wiped out, as well as the shanties that fill Manila streets. Many people died saving others, while others survived at the expense of other peoples’ lives. Artists were stuck on top of their roofs, people were stranded. Even my sister had to walk in thigh-deep water.

There were the deaths of the famous(both local & international): Michael Jackson, Brittany Murphy, Johnny Delgado, Francis Magalona, Farrah Faucett, Mary of Peter, Paul & Mary (yes, Puff the Magic Dragon singers), the 52 (?) people who were massacred in Maguindanao due to Philippine political wars… (RIP) the list probably goes on of the people I can’t remember anymore…

There were various natural disturbances all over the world happening one after the other. Tsunamis, earthquakes, typhoons, early snow, major flooding (even in places that never experienced floods before), and recently, volcanic activity (an eruption is expected in Mayon, Bicol).

16 – January – 2010

I guess I’m getting worse and worse by the year. Half a month has passed and I’m back in Hong Kong. 2009 is long gone in people’s minds and here I am, still trying to recollect what has happened over the past year.

I guess it’s not worth it anymore. On a personal basis, 2009 was a bit of a journey of discovery. Despite the catastrophes and natural disasters that have been happening left and right, I was left to live a normal life, thank God. I discovered little things about myself and knew myself more. Can’t say I love it, but it’s a process, I think.

So let’s get on with the journey. And walk on 2010’s streets of adventure.

XXX