Hits and Misses of My 2013 Part 2: Highlights of the Year

This is a continuation of the post Hits and Misses of My 2013 Part 1: Learning the Hard Way. This post is inspired by Wanderrgirl.com's Year-End Review Part 1 and Part 2.

As mentioned in my previous post, 2013 wasn't so bad. In fact, it was a turnaround year for me because of reaching that quarter life age and probably the quarter life crisis that came with it. I would say that this was the toughest year of my 25 years but it's all worth the heartbreaks. People usually go for the sad part first before the good part that's why I wrote the other post first. Looking back, here are the highlights of my year.

1. I quit my stable job of almost 4 years.

I know this sounds like bad news but it was a very big event of my life that it had to be a highlight of this year. I never would have experienced the things I experienced if the decision to leave the company I loved to work with never happened. People usually see it as a wasted opportunity but to me, it was enlightenment. I was able to see more opportunities now, appreciate the small things in life and value money more than ever. I'm not saying to quit your jobs and be merry, I'm in the process of finding a new one right now (and please keep your fingers crossed as I'm expecting offers early January). And can I just say that printer problems always happen when you're on the job hunt??

I just realized that the saying "To be old and wise, you must first be young and stupid" is true in the context of where I am right now. And I'm really thankful for the learnings and experience I obtained along the way.

2. I learned a foreign language.

This was a bit of chance. If my mom didn't bugged me to quit sleeping and being a bum for my first month of unemployment last June, I wouldn't have learned a new language. You see my mom is an advocate of continuous knowledge and in my line of work, which is Information Technology, it changes every year. Good thing I never entered programming, ha! Anyway, I enrolled for Basic Chinese Mandarin last July until September. I still remember some but it's hard when you don't have a legit Chinese speaker to practice with. Got in touch with my inner Chinese ancestors whom I do not know. We do have Chinese blood but we don't practice any Chinese tradition. Nevertheless, it was a fun experience and given the time and resources, I would enrolled for the next level. Thanks mom!

3. I acquired a new hobby.

Now this should be new hobbies. The past years I was into beading and the pressure of getting every work sold was tiring. So I stopped and did more personal satisfaction. I revisited crochet and attended a workshop of papercutting. Both, I find really therapeutic and extended my patience big time. You see, if you did a wrong crochet stitch or missed one stitch, you have to untie everything until the wrong stitch even if you've already did a whole lot. Same goes for papercutting, you have to make sure each stroke is sharp and you cannot just pull stray paper else you'll get and ugly edge which ruins the whole piece. Okay I'm getting a bit technical but I'm sure you guys get my point. Planning to do more this coming 2014 and I'm excited!

4. I gained new friends.

Leaving the old ones means you'll gain new ones and that's what happened to me this year. I got to meet a lot of people and became close with some of them (hi Renee and Anne! :p) And I'm glad that I met wonderful people through my second job journey. I was never a I-keep-to-myself person and I can go on talking for long minutes (my boyfriend can attest to this, haha!) and it was fun that I found people the same as I am whom I can laugh really hard until my elastics snap. I have braces by the way and I'm currently in the fixing-bite-stage hence the elastics. Snap!

5. My second most favorite guy in the world (my dad's number 1 :p) and I reached our second year mark.

Okay this is gonna be a bit cheesy but it's a highlight because not every relationship lasts long. Others would probably say I'm overreacting but get in a relationship with me yet then you'll understand, lol. But kidding aside, I really feel blessed that we've been together this long. This guy who put up with my hardheadedness and ever changing interests is also my best friend, my confidant and my support. 

I love you. :* (cheese ends here)

6. I traveled to South Korea.

YES for traveling! South Korea was a long time dream destination and I'm so happy that we were able to go there this year AND came back alive, lol. December is winter, brrr. And having a tropical country like the Philippines makes you really unprepared with the weather. But next time, we'll now know how to deal with it! Aside from that, it's also the first time that I got to travel with the boyfriend and the place was perfect for cheesy couples like us, HAHA. I'll be blogging more about this trip soon. :)

7. I learned how to be truly patient. 

This year was a test of patience in all aspects. I'm a bit persistent to know things direct to the point but this year, God made me realize again, though I've already proven it before, that good things come in God's perfect timing. I might not know what's in store for me but I will know it for sure. I'll just have to have a patient heart and mind. I know that everything will unfold when everything's ready and it will all be worth it.

2013's ending in one day, I hope you're spending it with your loved ones and having a great time together. Cheers to 2013 and to a great 2014 ahead! :)

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Hits and Misses of My 2013 Part 1: Learning the Hard Way

WARNING: LONG POST! :3

We only have two days left before 2013 ends so I'm dedicating this (and another) blog post to look back to where I was and what made me as I am today. This post is inspired by Wanderrgirl.com's Year-End Review Part 1 and Part 2.

I went through my planner (which doubles as my journal so I don't let other people read it) for this blog post. The start of 2013 to me was tough (which was mostly work related) and sadly, it affected more than the work I do. My planner/journal entries says how heavy I felt. The middle of the year was a bit slow paced but I started regaining my equilibrium and the end of the year took about two notches up from there. Not my usual pace but I'm sure I'm getting there and hopefully, get back on track early 2014. Here are the 5 major things I learned (the hard way) during 2013.

1. Work smart > work hard > working too hard

Really guilty of the last one. I was way too busy for anything else. I can't remember how many social gatherings I declined with friends and family. It's a consistent feeling of burnout, like the whole universe is up against you. It's really draining and you even get tired of being tired at the end of the day.

I realized that working hard is actually different with working smart. Working long hours accomplish something but NOT everything and I had to accept that that's the reality. I have this bad habit of no-stopping until-finished especially if I'm in the mood to work. And if I don't finish right on time, I start worrying and then it messes up my sleeping pattern. I started to have shorter shut eyes and longer worrying time which was actually one of the big causes of my burnout state. It lasted for months. Then one day I woke up and realized I have to stop this crap and burn that "no pain, no gain" saying for the first time. I always remember that poem Don't Quit and really hated it because I look at myself as a coward for not standing up until the end and shouting "Never say die!" But I remembered the times I somehow disappointed my loved ones, and one phrase came into mind: "It's not worth it." I needed a fresh start and leave everything else behind. As selfish as it sounds, it was my freedom.. which led me to lesson number 2.

2. Selfish acts do have consequences.

I quit my stable job for almost 4 years.

Sure, I was burnt out. Sure, I convinced myself that it was for my well being. Sure, staying is just going to make things worse. But then I realized it's not just about me. Having a stable job means you get to have your expenses taken care of and not having a regular monthly salary really drains your wallet AND your savings. Unfortunately, two months after my resignation, I got hospitalized. It was a bad and good experience which you can read about here. Same goes for the extension of my health card to my parents which right now, they don't use anything. That also includes having your boyfriend pay for everything in every date which makes me really feel so bad cause it makes me look like I'M draining HIS wallet (although to him it's no biggie, but you get where I'm coming from). I was too busy thinking of myself that I realized this is not JUST about me. I was 24 years old that time and looking back, I don't even think I thought of my decisions as a 24 year old. I promised and vowed to myself that that would be the first and last time I'm quitting my job without an offer from another company. I was just lucky I had enough savings to sustain me for six+ months. But seeing my savings being drained is not a pretty sight to look at.

3. A goal without a plan is just a wish.

Aside from the fact that I was so burnt out with work, the other reason I wanted to quit my job was to explore my artsy side. I was considering getting a second degree somewhere in the lines of Interior Design.

But it never happened because I was too undecided, confused, fickle minded and scared to go with it. Sounds like quarter life crisis eh? Besides, the practical side of me thought it was too impractical to get another degree and so I did a different track. I started going through online tutorials and classroom workshops. I went back to crocheting, tried paper cutting and other crafty things which is the reason I sort of "re-branded" my blog. Goals are always there but plans do make them happen. And I hope I carry on this practice until forever. Yes to making lists!

4. Nobody will pick you up from falling down except yourself but others will help you along the way.

Going through tough times usually remind you that a lot of people support you all the way. But as I mentioned, the keyword is support. 

My family, friends and especially my boyfriend have been very supportive of the decisions I made and I couldn't thank God enough for it. I had to make decisions and I had to make it for myself. I was really down with low self-esteem during those times and their support has provided me strength to pick myself up and carry on.  After all, the world will not stop turning for me to catch up. (Cue Stonefree's song Ikot)

So it seems that it was a VERY bad year. I guess it was and as described in Wanderrgirl.com, 2013 was heartbreaking. But these obstacles hone us to be stronger and better people than we are before. 2013 was not really THAT bad so I've posted part 2 for the highlights of my year. :)

Photo credits: Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3| Photo 4

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