The Year That Was

It's a shame I only have one post per year for the past two years.. Haha I have started a few blogs, but apparently, the determination to go on fades away through time. My other blogs haven't received any updates for years now. hehe For this reason, I have decided to take the 365 challenge. (It's really "365 Project" for most, but I'm taking it as a challenge.) For the whole year of 2011, I'll be putting up one post every single day. I made a different blog just for this. I'll be counting the blessings, no matter how small they may appear to be. I've realized that life is truly full of surprises and it's the little things that make up life. So I'll be keeping my eyes open for the little (and big) surprises that may come my way, everyday, for 2011.

Speaking of surprises, 2010 was full of it too -- things that weren't exactly planned way before it happened, but it happened anyhow.

January 2010 was a month of contemplation. My boyfriend and I broke up, so we took a time off. Our communication ceased, with the hopes that one day, we may sit down and talk about all of it calmly and objectively. On the bright side, my siblings and I, along with some friends, partied til morning during New Years (we went home at 8AM!). We were obliged to be there, since my sister and her bf were sponsors of the event. We didn't expect it would end the way it did. What's more, we ate pizza for breakfast! :)

February had it's ups and downs. Me and a friend (Carla) went to Manila for a weekend getaway. She wanted to watch some gigs, I was hoping I would finally have a talk with my ex.. but it didn't happen. We went to Manila, alright, but we didn't get to watch any gigs (because of the conflict of schedules), and I didn't get to see my ex, either. Luckily, we did meet with Vero, a close friend from high school, and she gave us a warm welcome. She sent a chauffeur-driven car, invited us to stay at her very nice condo, and took us partying. We saw a lot of celebrities on the side. Tor, a good friend from college, also showed us around town, and offered a place to stay. It was a fun trip! It didn't exactly go as planned, but it got better somehow.

I also got the chance to model for some photographers back in Feb. It was a great experience! I never thought posing, projecting and smiling in front of the camera could be exhausting. hehe Nevertheless, it helped me cope with the recent breakup sadness. I met new friends and it helped me gain my confidence back.

Two of my sisters have birthdays that fall on March. The family had dinner with two of my sisters' bfs. I can't remember anything else that happened on March.. hehehe One of our cousin's birthday also falls on March - Ate Kaye's.

Speaking of Ate Kaye, she came over for her brother's graduation, and took all of us out on a day trip to one of the nearby resorts last May for her brother's graduation party. It would have been best if we stayed their for the night, but we saved that for next time. :)

On the same month, my siblings and I had the chance to watch a show again, and be reunited with the folks at the performing arts school we used to belong to. It was great to see them, especially our director. It has been years! Watching them perform made us want to dance again. :)

June was one of my closest friend's birth month. We had dinner on his birthday at one of his friend's restaurant -- who, that night, asked for my number. Surprising how the digits in our mobile numbers are almost identical.

July was a month full of celebrations. Two of my closest friends' birthdays fall on this month, plus, one of them got married! :) And, there's one other nice thing that started last July... :)

The end of August til the first week of September was a time to get away from all the usual stuff. Me and my brother, along with our cousin, and her workmates, went to Cebu and Bohol for a vacation. It was a grrreat time! We had our own villa at Bohol, we took a day tour, went snorkeling, ate A LOT of fresh seafoods, went partying at Cebu, also took a day tour there, and went to Plantation Bay (one of the top 100 resorts in the world), among others. I probably need a separate blog post to tell you everything. haha But I'd let the pictures say a thousand words....

October and November were also months full of traveling -- Cebu, Hong Kong, and Manila. The Cebu-Hong Kong trip was spent with friends. I was kinda hesitant, (because of the bus hostage case) but Dixie was persistent, and I really wanted to go... so at the last minute I decided to join them, and I'm glad I did. I would have missed out on a lot of wonderful things if I didn't. I encountered a lot of "firsts" during the trip, including a ride on a roller coaster! Did I mention I'm afraid of heights? HA! I thought I'm gonna diiieeee...

November was vacation time for the whole family. We all went to Manila, and met with our cousins and aunt. It was a short trip, but we made the most of it. We even went all the way to Pagsanjan Falls! :) A particular highlight was the boat ride, which passes through 14 rapids maneuvered by boatmen between rocks and boulders, leading to the main falls. Unfortunately, for safety reasons, we didn't reach the main falls. It was getting dark, and it started to rain.

December's always a great time. Why, it's Christmas time! :) 2010's special though. I had another "first"! :) And I'm super grateful. Truly, life is full of surprises. I wonder what's in store for this year, I'm excited to find out! Happy new year everyone!!