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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Fruit Salad and Brain Mush

Wow.

Define hiatus. I have been quite a busy bee lately because of work. Yes! I do have work now but it's a project based work. So many things to do these days and it's quite refreshing to do things, have deadlines and other stuff. That's why I need to put a disclaimer here that my blogging skills are kinda rusty right now so please bear with me. :p

I received a certificate for the completion of a class cycle for Basic Chinese 1 last September 7, yey!

If you've read through my posts, I'm inserting some bits of pinyin stuff here and there, practicing sentence construction. In one of our classes, we talked about how Filipinos tend to answer questions way out of context and how two things could mean the same in Chinese. The topic of discussion was birthdays (insert birthday memes here).

This one looks like Ron Weasley, eh? Yes? Yes.

And this one reminds me of my boyfriend's dog Asgard. :p

And who wouldn't forget that birthday song?

Okay, got carried away there, back to that Chinese class I was talking about.

Question: When is your birthday?
Possible Answers:

1. Today, tomorrow, next month, next week, next year
2. December 25, 1988
3. December 25
4. 1988
5. On the Nth day of this month, next month etc.
6. Sunday of December

So because of a lot of answers above, how can you narrow down to that one answer you want say number 3? The Chinese has the answer for this which is "Ni jiyue jihao shengri?" where rough translation is ni = you, jiyue = what month, jihao = what day and shengri = birthday.

And there are other questions that we Filipinos do not answer directly or out of context but is acceptable in our culture. (RA = [supposedly] Right Answer)

Q: Nasaan ka na? (Where are you now?)

A: Malapit na. (I'm near.)

RA: I'm at <insert specific place here>

Q: Gutom ka ba? (Are you hungry?)

A: Kumain na'ko. (I've already eaten.)

RA: Yes / No.

Q: Kamusta na ang nanay mo? (How is your mom?)

A: Nasa Baguio siya nagbabakasyon. (She's in Baguio having a vacation.)

RA: She's fine / She's not fine.

Some answers above I'm guilty as charged.

Sooo..... now I cannot remember why I've written this blog. -_-'

Shout out to my friend Kei, it's her birthday today. Happy birthday tsong! :D Andddd my bucket list has been updated :)

*Pictures taken from Google images

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Concert Pet Peeves

I'm not really into skin to skin contact with people I don't know but the urge to watch an artist live is stronger. Evey thing might sound whiny after this and you'd probably tell me not watch anymore, but I will definitely watch more concerts, lol. I thought about this list after posting about FOB in Manila and might as well share it to you guys.

List of my concert peeves, not in order:

1. Laking-Aircon Kiddos (rich fussy kids): I know I should expect them because the ticket prices at standing patron is not cheap but sometimes it's really annoying to hear them exaggerate a story so simple. 
   
2. Annoying Concert Get Up: If you're going to a rock concert, I wouldn't expect you to wear high heels and complain that your feet are getting hurt already because the concert's taking too long to start. Also, slashed tanks are cool but not when you look like you met an accident before the concert.
   
3. Bouncing Hair (Especially curly ones): I like my dinner and I've had my dessert. So I wouldn't want your hair inside my mouth for a midnight snack. Head banging is okay, but head bang within your personal space. And oh, that includes jumping up and down. 
   
4. Sticky Floor: Some folks bring soft drinks inside the venue and NOT finish it. It tends to get spilled then your shoes will feel like there's sticky gum under it. Not fun.
   
5. iPads: I reallyyyyyy hate them during concerts. They take up too much air space from other people's views.
   

Anybody here share the same thoughts? LOL.

Anyway, back when we watched Paramore, I was wearing ballet flats. The reason was, I did not expect any pushing or crazy crownd. The first time they came here and I watched, it didn't happen. In the middle of the first song "Now," I lost my right shoe and stepped into the slimy floor. This FOB concert, I was prepared. Good thing I did prepare, haha. Check out number 4's evidence on boyfriend and I's picture below. :p

*All images except the last one are Googled.

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Back to Reality

I suddenly had a week long hiatus because unfortunately, I was hospitalized for 3 and a half days :(

Aside from it being a mandatory diet, it was actually an eye opener.

I was moved to a semi-private room because there were a loootttt of patients in line waiting for the private one. It's probably a month of sickness because of the changing weather and other factors. Inside the room, I was with another woman who's of my sister's age. She was rushed to the hospital by his father on a motorcycle because of a severe stomachache. On the second day, she was visited by her stepmother and stepsister who's about 10 years old. Being a little girl exploring the big world, she was constantly observant and opinionated.

"Ate, ang lamig naman dito. Sana ganito sa bahay." (It's so cold here. I wish our house is the same)

It earned a little chuckle from her sister and her parents.

"Nabubulok, di nabubulok. Ang daming basurahan. Ang arte naman pala dito ate." (Biodegradable, non-biodegradable. There are so many trash cans. It's so fussy here.)

She obviously does not know why trash should be segregated at hospitals. But what really struck me when she was asked by her mother to flush the toilet after use. She went out of the comfort room without doing it and called her father to do it for her while she watched.

"Eh wala naman kasi tayong ganun sa bahay." (We don't have that in our house.)

It reminded me how some people live life simply and still get by day by day with a smile. It reminded me that I should be thankful for everything that I have right now and be contented. As humans, we are always wanting more than what we have. I don't blame humanity because that's how it is. We want a good life for ourselves, or our children and for our children's children. But sometimes we forget that we are provided for, we are blessed, that we have  enough, that we should be thankful.

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Time Flies Whether You're Having Fun or Not

Saturday was fun and nostalgic.

It was my first class in Mandarin Chinese provided by the Confucius Institute inside Ateneo in Katipunan. I studied high school in St. Bridget so it's really good to be around the area again. Being a Makati or Ortigas girl surely keeps you from the other side of your other world.

Walking around the campus and looking for the building or room was surely a familiar experience. Many students want to graduate as soon as possible, I was one of those way back college. To me, studying is much better after all, the only worry you need to think of is passing exams and project deadlines, dormitory curfew, peer pressure or if you still have enough money to last you for the week. Everything is provided for you unlike when you graduate, take a job and apply what you learned. Time comes you need to worry about  your career path, whether your salary is giving you enough, performance reviews, office politics, paying the bills and other "mature" stuff.

Maybe that's the reason why Avril Lavigne's Here's to Never Growing Up song was made.

But put all your worries aside, having to stand up on your own is freedom. One of the things I really enjoyed when I got a job was being able to buy the things that I "need" and I "want." Aside from that, you get to decide what you want to do, where you wanna go, what you want to happen. Of course not everything is in your control, but the freedom to choose and think for your own, I think that's the needed control that you want.

And deciding for a lot of things has consequences, good or bad. We all make bad decisions, we sometimes tell ourselves "I should've done this, should've done that." But the moment has passed and the only way to go is move forward.

So yeah, Saturday was fun and nostalgic. And it reminded me of reality.

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