Last, last year, I made a similar report out of too much excitement on the new year ahead. Originally, I attempted making a list of the top stories which made it to the news in the year 2010. But since I haven't really watched news then (is staying in the dorm enough of an excuse?), I got nothing to write about. Hence, this list. Turns out it was something good. A summary of my year's highlights. And knowing myself all too well, I just love 1) lists and 2) looking back at the fond, and even the not-so-fond, memories of the past. Here goes my year-end report for 2011.
1. This year can probably be dubbed as the start of my social networking activity. And when I say activity, I mean "super active." I have been in Facebook since 2008 or 2009, I think, but this year, this website just became one of the default sites I visit whenever I get hold of the internet. Then there's Tumblr, which I joined in 2010 but really became a part of my life this 2011. In fact, I was so often visiting here--liking, reblogging, and posting stuffs--that I gained followers I never thought I would've gained! Plus over the hundreds of notes I received from posting photos, etc. I was so absorbed in Tumblr that during summer, I barely left the computer, doing nothing else but scrolling the day away. Also this year, just recently actually, I signed in at Twitter. Tbh, I fought so hard so not to join another social networking site because it's already eating up so much of my time. But the temptations are too strong, I finally gave in. It was at first boring. I did nothing but read updates from celebrities I follow: friends Georgina Wilson, Isabelle Daza, Solenn Heussaff, Liz Uy, and Anne Curtis, among others. Then I went to a phase where I used this site as my news source: I followed ANC, Inquirer, and Maria Ressa. And finally, I entered the phase where I actually followed and been followed of friends and people I know. There are other sites I visit too, such as Google+, Gmail and Ymail (of course), Youtube, 9gag, Inquirer.net, and some fancy blogs I follow--all bookmarked in my laptop. Had I been super OC again, I would've accounted all the hours spent surfing the net, whether it's on social networking, reading, or artsy-fartsy sites. (Hmm, nice idea there!) Approx one-sixth of every day, perhaps? GOOD GOD.
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| Got this from Tumblr! |
2. I
may have spent too much time in the worldwide Web, but I just made a
breakthrough in the aspect of books, as well. This year, I read a total of six
books!!! Yes, I am not big on books, then all of a sudden, this?! To think
that's four of them are even included in the BBC list of books to read! What is
this sorcery??! I read The Count of Montecristo and The Three Musketeers, both
classics from Alexandre Dumas; Smaller and Smaller Circles, a great detective
story from Filipino author F.H. Batacan; The Hobbit, prequel of the infamous
Lord of the Rings Trilogy adventure, all written by J.R.R. Tolkien; The
Undomesticated Goddess by Sophie Kinsella, first tween-y (but surprisingly
about adults) and girly book I've read; and Bridget Jones's Diary which is soooo
funny and kilig by Helen Fielding. I
counted all the books I've read in my entire lifetime (school text books
excluded) and I counted just a total of fifteen! (I told you I was serious
about not being fond of reading!) And this year's total comprised nearly
one-third of the grand total. How great this year is for being intellectual.
Haha.
3. Next
on the list are the series which provided me much of the entertainment I
need to balance out my stressful academic life. There are the ones I
already watched in the previous years: How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang
Theory, and Modern Family. Then there are the ones which have just been
introduced to me and others which I watched just recently: Nikita, Downton
Abbey, Hot in Cleveland, Awkward, and Once Upon A Time. There were
mini-series too like Sherlock (its second series coming up this month! *can't
breathe*), and Any Human Heart. I tried watching New Girl but I guess it
didn't click to me that much. I have also seen the first two episodes of
Suburgatory and 2 Broke Girls but wasn't able to download the succeeding
episodes anymore. And oh, I almost forgot the All-Star Cycle of America's
Next Top Model where I was rooting for Laura or Allison. Too bad they
didn't win, but at least they made it to Greece! 2011 had also been the
year where I developed a love for period dramas (Downton Abbey is one
proof, and maybe Any Human Heart?) particularly to the Austen Classics. I
finished Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle), Emma (Romola
Garai), and Sense and Sensibility (whose Edward Ferrars is Dan Stevens),
all BBC mini-series, in no time! I also loved Lost in Austen, spin-off of
Pride and Prejudice, which I heard is going to have a film version.
*excited, hope it won't disappoint*
Maybe I watched a little too much? :p
4. Aside
from knowing a whole lot of new faces (to me) in the entertainment
industry because of all the new shows I've been seeing, I also got to know
more people in the UP College of Engineering as well this year after I
became part of a new family, the UP Career Assistance Program for
Engineering Students or UP CAPES, under the Publicity and Publications
Committee. My friend Jona urged me to join so that we'd still get to spend
time together now that we won't be classmates in most major subjects
anymore. So I did apply, and imagine my surprise when I got accepted!
Joining UP CAPES was timely, too. After UP Catandungan failed to be
recognized as a university organization due to its lack of members, UP
CAPES became my new avenue for challenges and work experiences, alongside
my other org, UP KEM. The twist with this new org is that it taught (and
is teaching) me a whole new lesson foreign to me: design. It has somewhat
made me realize that I also have a thing for the arts and design. Also, I
have learned how crucial practice and inspirations are in gaining the
skill. I know I still have lots of work to do to come up with greater
ideas and better output, but I can say I have done quite of an achievement
this year.
5. Another
new experience: I lived in a boarding house for the entire first semester.
All these time since high school, I have stayed in dormitories, so the
feeling of living in a boarding house or apartment outside school never
failed to make me curious. I bet freedom's great--no curfews or general
assemblies to mind, I used to say. Then, this happened. I did not get
accepted in any dorm for AY 2011-2012. Luckily, my sister Elvy is staying
in a boarding house in KNL while she's still hunting for jobs back then. I
was very glad, at last I will finally have to live with my Ate. The first
month of freedom was truly great! But it only lasted until my sister
decided to transfer to an apartment in Shaw, nearer her workplace. I was
left in the room. I had housemates, but we were never close. Just imagine,
the solitude almost drove me mad. Although there is internet connection to
keep me busy, it was the fact that I cannot talk to anybody whenever I got
home which made me succumb to depressions. I really started to feel sad
all the time, I don't know why. Plus I became so clingy! Yuck. Thankfully,
I got accepted in Ilang-ilang Dorm when I reapplied for the second sem.
Now, I'm happier. (Bonus: Ilang-ilang Dorm already has good wi-fi
connections now relative to that of last year's! Even comparable to our
internet speed in the boarding house!)
6. My
sporty nature--I know I have (somewhat of) it in me but I never thought
2011 will troll on me like that. I played Ultimate Frisbee for Batch 08
during the ChE department inter-batch sports competition, and I was the
only girl. It was my first time to hold a disc used in frisbee and I did
not even know the rules. I joined anyway because, well, if you're already
on the venue for the game and the opposing team has the chance of winning
by default just because your team doesn't have any other girl player
present, I don't think you can say No to playing, right? You ask me why I
was there? Because of friendship. Lol. Riuji, our batch coordinator who
persistently called me and asked me to join, telling me "basta 'wag
lang ma-default," is to be blamed for all of
this! Haha. But you know what, that experience was really fun, I even
consider it a milestone. In case you're wondering, I served as cheerer on
field, but was able to become a real player when I caught the disc and
gave us one point by the end of the game. We did won. Against the
freshies. Hihi. Another sporty moment was when I accepted to be a
substitute player, this time in swimming. (I join the difficult games
because I'm great like that. ) Same person who got me into this: the
almighty Riuji Sato. My friend, still. >:D Well, I thought it was a
non-serious game of swimming, where participants' favorite stroke is the
survivor stroke or 'yung basta makatawid lang sa pool. I even considered wearing
white shirt and shorts since there was no prescribed swimwear. Imagine my
surprise when I saw that the girls wore one-piece, complete with goggles
and headcap! One of them even competes for national triathlon events.
Golly! I was the only person who only knows survival stroke. I swear I can
see all their faces while I was swimming in the pool, too concerned I
might drown halfway. But hell yeah, our ChE team (this time, the
sportsfest was inter-department instead of inter-batch) composed of Kuya
Chix, Karmina, Van, and I, still got the third place. Not that we're fast,
but because only three departments were able to send participants. Haha,
what luck! Finally, to complete my sporty streak for 2011 is my first ever
5K marathon! My first marathon, in fact. It was held in Naga, and I ran
with Kuya Win and Ate Yeth. Great bonding moment!
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| Finish line! |
7. Just
like any other year, 2011 has its share of both happiness and tears. But
in 2011, I experienced something I never thought would happen in my
college life--a death of a dear friend. Bryan Diano. Friend, classmate,
batchmate, and orgmate. His life was claimed by a jeepney accident on the
dawn of Sept. 11. It was so sudden it took me a long time before the truth
sank in. Someone so awesome can't die too soon, I kept convincing myself
it was a different Bryan Diano I heard on the news. But when I saw my
other batchmates and orgmates crying, I just knew it wasn't a joke he
loved pulling on us. It was real. He was gone. For some days, I had
moments when I just laid on my bed, staring at nothingness, and tears just
flowed out from my eyes without me knowing it.
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| Sad, sad news :( |
Although there was too much grief, time heals. Now, all
bitterness is lost, only the good memories remain. We love and miss you, Bry.
Until we meet again.
8. Since
I became a resident member of UP KEM in 2010, I was given responsibilities
and tasks to hone my skills. This year, it's been an honor to be part of
KEM's major events both for first and second semester. National Chemical
Engineering Congress or NCEC (Inter-U part) and Awitan. Held last August,
NCEC (composed of two parts namely National Chemical Engineering Symposium
or NaChES and the Inter-University Competition or Inter-U) was a big
success (and I mean, BIG!) I worked for the Technicals Committee of
Inter-U, under Ate Kat, and we were in charge of making the rules and the
questions, consulting it with our judges, making the necessary revisions,
as well as scoring and entertaining questions raised during the contest
proper. To be honest, it was a committee I never dreamed of joining. The
Inter-U technicals for me must be composed of the brightest people. And
there I was, outlier of the group (not being emo here). It was hard for me
to adjust especially it was my first time working with all the other
members (Ate Kat, Kuya Karl, Ate Maricar, Jake and Jay) who were really
topnotch in their respective batches. I was only a substitute for Riuji
(not again!) who won't be able to perform his tasks then because he was
busy with ESC work. Turned out, that committee was my most loved group of
people I have ever worked with in KEM.
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| Inter-U Tech team but without Jay |
Just this December, Awitan was my next big project. Dyan invited
me to be part of her Logistics Committee which I gladly accepted. I had my
share of experiences for this event too. I got lost in Camp Aguinaldo trying to
find their Aguinaldo Theater. I frequented Divi and learned how to use a map to
find the things I was looking for i.e. gummy bears. I asked for every trophy
maker's calling card in Recto. I became active in fundraising projects (FRPs)
but only the simple ones like taho sale, jelly milk sale, Sonny's Donuts sale,
and every other sale of goods imaginable. I can say I am a different person now
after having done all that. And I am proud to be part of Eng'g Week 2011's best
night event!
Aside from these two major responsibilities, there were still
other jobs I have done for KEM especially as part of the Socio committee such
as becoming LMK mommy (our contestant won the title), joining the Project Balay
Aklatan of UP Prime, among others.
9. On
February 8, 2011, Bennard and I celebrated our third anniversary. It still
comes as a surprise for others that we were able to endure three years
together, when all the panliligaw moments feel just like yesterday to me. And the better
part is, as years go by, we get to know each other well and we become more
than just the couple. We became best friends.
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| Cheers to three years and counting! |
This year had been greater
than ever since I got to spend time with Bennard's family as well! Last
summer, I joined their Holy Wednesday (Lent) procession, a family
tradition. It was the second time I went to their place. Also this year,
Bennard and I joined Tita Becky, his aunt, once in jogging around
Bonifacio High Street and had dinner afterwards. I was really nervous of
seeing Tita Becky, let alone converse with her, because I thought she's a
snob. She wasn't. She was very approachable and I haven't had difficulty
in talking to her. It was a lovely
evening, after all. Lastly, my another encounter with Bennard's family was
on Dec 27. Tita Dandan, his mom, and Tita Becky went to Naga to rummage
"Zara." Bennard, Leo, and Shenina tagged along. Since I was
still in Naga, Bennard asked me to join them. Most afternoon, while the
two titas spent hours and hours looking for the best bargains, the kids
went to SM. We tried the Speed Coaster 4D in exchange of a movie. We ate
and looked through shops and boutiques then ate again. By dinner time,
Tito Jojo, Bennard's dad, joined us in the SM Foodcourt. They dropped me
off at home after that.
Although he did not get to spend much time with my family, he
got to see Mama and Papa in Manila before we went home for the break. He also
saw Ate Glad and family, first time, when he dropped me off at home after a
pre-Christmas date. Also, he accompanied Joy in her first Lantern parade and
Midnight Mercato. He always get to see Ate Elvy often.
10. Last
but not the least in this list (tongue twister!) is our December
celebration this year. The first part of the happenings which started when
Papa, Mama and Joy went to Manila was already mentioned in my previous
post. The second part which I will just tell you about is Raph's
christening and our noche buena together. John Raphael or Raph, my second
nephew, was christened on December 21 and I was a proxy ninang for my sister Ate Elvy. It's
my first time to be one, and my second time to ever attend a baptism
(first one's Gwen's). So yeah, you can expect my excitement. Plus Raph is
sooooo cute in his barong tagalog!!! At reception, I did more videoke
singing than eating. Haha. But of course, only at the hearing range of
very few people, namely Joy, Ate Let, Ate Yeth, Ate Glad, Ate Ling, Gwen,
Maine, Zye and Lianne. During Christmas eve, our family was almost complete in our noche buena salo-salo. The Pillogo siblings, my
cousins from Mama's side, were there too after we've invited them when we
bumped into each other at midnight mass. Just almost because Ate Glad, Kuya Nel,
Lianne and Justin left for Legazpi on Dec 24 to attend Kuya Nel's family
reunion. On Christmas Day, the kids opened their gifts. So many gifts for
them which I can't recall I have ever experienced in my entire childhood.
I felt slightly cheated. Hahaha, joke. I totally understand that time's
different now, 'nubers. We're richer now, perhaps? Lol. But seriously, this I
think is my most commercialized Christmas, whether you see that in a good
or bad light. As long as we are together and everybody's happy, it’s still
Christmas to me.
