Tag Archives: 2009

Big, Fun and Scary Things, Dear Diary

2009 Goals: Looking Back

So, onto my third post for 2010. Hah. This is what I get for cramming. :P I will be spamming your RSS readers and overwhelming you with another one later, just because I feel like these two posts need to have one of their own. So…sorry for that. :D

It’s the first day of 2010, and it’s time to look back at my 2009 goals and see how I did last year. :)

BIG, FUN AND SCARY THINGS TO DO FOR 2009

  • Write a piece of fiction everyday for 2009. I lasted…for 78 entries, I think? I set up Wordplay just for this, and was going well for January, but February got me tired and cranky and stressed about this goal, until I finally gave up. I told myself I’d settle for 200 pieces, but I didn’t reach it either. I did try to write consistently for 30 days in this blog, but failed that because of Ondoy, too. I realize I should have gone down a smaller scale on this one. But I also learned that I can write stuff when I put my mind into it. :) I’ll still keep Wordplay up to put my shorter pieces in, so watch that every now and then. :)
  • Lose at least 3 inches and/or 20 pounds. I am proud to say that I did this! Okay, I don’t think I lost 3 inches, but I did lose 20 pounds — from 154lbs (haha surprise), I’m now down to 134lbs! I’m really happy about this, but I’ve got a long way to go — 10lbs to go on my overall weight, and still a bit on the total body fat, but I’ve started on it, and I’m happy. I’ve never felt so good physically and I can’t believe it took me this long to do this. :) So yay for this one. :)
  • Finish my 2008 Novel. So I didn’t get to do this, either, but I got started. I promise to get this done this year. :D
  • 100 Nanowrimo winners for our region in 2009! This is was one thing I didn’t really have any control over, but we tried. It was a difficult year for the region, but if it’s any comfort, the region doubled this year. It should be easier to get to 100 winners next year, right? :)
  • Read 50 books in 2009. Another yay! I reached 50 books by the third quarter of the year, I think? I finished a total of 70 books last year, which is probably the most I’ve read in an entire year. :) I didn’t get to read 50 classics, but I finally finished Pride and Prejudice! :)
  • Watch 25 movies in 2009. I’m proud of this one, too. :) I got to 44 movies last year, which is the most I’ve watched in an year, too. 13 of that were watched in the cinema, and I look forward to watching more this year. ;) My movie buddies and computer’s video card better be up to it. :D
  • Travel. Batangas, Hong Kong and Palawan, check! :)
  • Bake a double layer cake and/or apple pie. Unfortunately, I took time off from baking this year. Plus Ondoy threw us out of whack again, and I lost some of the ingredients to the flood. :(
  • Drive by myself. ARGH. This one. Ack. I suck at this. I don’t think I even sat in the driver’s seat this year. :(
  • Submit a written work somewhere. I think the only writing thing I submitted this year was for a small contest. Tsk tsk.
  • Enroll in some classes — either writing or anything web related or even something entirely new. I didn’t get to do this on my own…but I did attend a leadership training for work that helped lots.
  • Prepare for graduate school application. I think the only thing I did this year about this was think about it. I wanted to start school again, but finances and the new role at work took my time, as well as working out. I don’t know if I can manage to do that this year because the latter part of the year is going to be busy with our family, so…this might have to wait again. :(
  • Pray more. I tried, really. But I’m always so stubborn. :( That doesn’t stop me from trying again this year, right?
  • Go to work early and leave work early. I think I managed to do this? Being on midshift did wonders to my working hours — it never tempted me to stay in the office too late. :P
  • Take care of myself more. I did most of the shopping at the end of the year because I can fit better in the clothes I want. :D
  • Be healthier. Yay for this one. :D
  • Keep in touch/get back in touch with old friends. I think I managed to do this too. I got in touch with my high school friends, met up with my college friends and made time for a lot of them, I think?
  • Better time management. I think I was pretty consistent with my big rocks every week, and my planner was very used, up until Ondoy. Heee. I love planners and this year, I’ve got a power planner to help me out.

I think I did pretty well because I managed to cross out some of the long standing goals off my list, and push myself to reach some of the goals that I didn’t get to reach before. I don’t see any use in crying over unreached goals, because the new year meant I can try reaching (and exceeding) them again. :)

Goodbye and thank you, 2009. I didn’t like you, but in a way, you were still a bit good to me. :D

Dear Diary

2009 In Review

Whew, finally.

It’s just like 2009 that I would have a minor argument with my mom last night. And I’m all, Please, give me a break. And then I heard of my teammate’s mom passing away and it’s just…sad. Quit it, 2009.

Maybe it’s silly of me to be blaming it all in the year. A couple of days ago, when I was feeling feverish at work, I kept on muttering, “I hate 2009. I hate 2009.” My teammate asked me why, and I told him a lot of bad things happened in the year, primarily Ondoy. He asked me to name more reasons why 2009 sucked and as I tried to remember my other reasons, I realized that they’re all small things that just happened to converge at the latter part of the year, which made 2009 seem unbearable. I was trying to recall the good things in the year, and even if I still have a hard time remembering anything else that happened before the flood, I know there are a lot of good things in this year despite all the bad things. So now let’s try to remember that.

JANUARY

Dear Diary

2009 Year-End Survey # 1

I am officially on vacation again. :D I miss last year’s Christmas break, two whole weeks of no work. But beggars can’t be choosers today, so, I’ll take any day off from work. :)

As with tradition for the past two years (or so), here’s one of the year-end surveys that I do every end of the year. Let’s see how different my answers are this year from the past two years. :D

(And yes, I will still make a better recap. But answering surveys can be a bit mindless, requires little words, and I don’t have to have a health risk life insurance for this. So here you go. :D)

What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Read more than 50 books in a year. Watch more than 40 movies. I also started to sponsor a kid to school through World Vision. Go to Hong Kong and Coron, Palawan! Follow a diet, work out consistently and lose 20lbs! :-)

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I think I managed to accomplish half? A lot of it weren’t accomplished because Ondoy kind of threw us all out of the loop. :(

Did anyone close to you give birth?
No one I know. My teammate isn’t due until February.

Did anyone close to you die?
No one again, but a lot of people passed away in 2009. :(

What countries did you visit?
Hong Kong! I want to go back, if only for the food.

Continue reading 2009 Year-End Survey # 1 →

Itchy Feet, Say Cheese!

Coron, Palawan

I’ve dreamt of going to that province for the longest time. I remember, ever since seeing the place somewhere on TV or reading about how beautiful it is there (I can’t remember which, exactly), I told myself: someday, I will go there. And I did. Before 2009 ended, I was able to see a part of Palawan, Philippines.

View before landing
View before landing

It’s ironic how we got to book the trip on the day we got flooded. I remember coming out of my room that morning, totally jubilant, because I had just booked my flight to Coron, and then all that joy got wiped out when I saw the water rising up our street.

But let’s not talk about that.

It was a trip I looked forward to after the entire flood thing. It was a trip that I looked forward to after I suffered through major burnout last November. It was a trip that I wanted to experience to make  my 2009 a little bit better than it was turning out to be.

And what do you know, it was.

Now, I won’t be able to write down every single detail that happened, so let me put them down in bullets and photos. :)

  • Coron is a province. I haven’t been to Puerto Prinsesa yet, which is a city, but Coron is far from being a city. I don’t think I saw any cars, save for the vans we rode, and everything is walking distance. And don’t expect to see anything like Minka Aire there, because there’s none. I almost thought we would be landing in the middle of nowhere as the plane descended when we got there. This was my view:
    The view WHILE landing
    The view WHILE landing

    It was a bit unfortunate that while we were there, the island was having electricity problems. Then again, we were always out of the house, so it didn’t matter anyway. :)
    Continue reading Coron, Palawan →

Dear Diary

2009 in Sentences

First off, Merry Christmas! :)

6 days left until 2010, and I honestly can’t wait. But before 2010 comes upon us, it’s just right to look back, regardless of how 2009 was, right?

So here’s the first one for this year. I did this for the past two years and it’s kind of like a tradition already, so here we go. :D Good thing it isn’t anything complicated, so I don’t need any business plan consultants for this. :D

And here we go!

Instructions:
Take the first sentence (or two) from the first entry of each month and post it here. That’s your year in review.

  • January
    HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
  • February
    I should have made this post yesterday, but I was too busy with my sideline that I didn’t have enough juice to write at night.
  • March
    It’s been a long time since I have read a Ted Dekker book, and I have been eyeing this one ever since I saw it at National Bookstore.
  • April
    I love retellings. Ever since I read about this NaNoWriMo story about putting characters from Greek mythology into one story, I’ve always wanted to write my own retelling of something.
  • May
    And finally, I got to read this book.
  • June
    I haven’t exactly blogged it before, but to those who care (or not haha), here’s some news: I’m not exactly a Twilight fan anymore.
  • July
    I’m writing this down on TextEdit because my Internet connection refuses to cooperate (of course by the time I post this online, my Internet is obviously better), and I just need to let these thoughts out or else I wouldn’t be able to sleep thinking of all the things related to this.
  • August
    I was born a little less than a month after EDSA People Power Revolution, so I never really had much of an experience about that revolution.
  • September
    Am I the only one who’s kind of bewildered that it’s September already?
  • October
    It’s been five days since that day that I saw our house submerged in the flood, and sometimes I still wonder if everything that happened was just a dream.
  • November
    With all the hoopla of the flood and all that, I almost skipped National Novel Writing Month this year.
  • December
    Ah…December. How excited I am to see you.

Interesting. Some of them are first lines of a review.

Once again, I can’t wait for 2010. :D

My Two Centavos

Heroes

I want to take this moment to post this speech that made me shed tears last night while I procrastinated on writing my novel:

Efren Penaflorida“Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry. Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need. So to each and every person inside in this theater and for those who are watching at home, the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed. Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve. As I always tell to my co-volunteers … you are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be.”
РEfren Pe̱aflorida, CNN Hero of the Year 2009

This is truly a proud moment for all Filipinos, really. It’s true, what Efren said: all of us are heroes. Regardless of where you volunteer, or what you can do, or what you have or don’t have, we can all be heroes in our own way. Like what we used to say in Gawad Kalinga: Bawat Pilipino, Bayani!

Mabuhay ka, Efren Peñaflorida! Because of you, a lot of Filipinos have been inspired and have found their purpose. :) May we all have the same dedication and conviction as you do.

Dear Diary, In His Steps

On Stepping Up

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For the past few weeks since work started, I’ve been thinking. The difference between 2008 and 2009 (so far) is that when 2008 started, I was all excited, all ready to jump into whatever adventure there is that the year has in store for me. I was the “DO IT ALL” woman. I think my teammates nicknamed me “The World is Not Enough” at some time. :P

Anyway 2008 was certainly a year where I tried to do everything, work wise. Name an event, I know it and is probably a part of it. I was so active in everything and was trying to do them all that a lot of things got pushed to the back. Well, not exactly “back”, but I know that my performance wasn’t as stellar as it used to be. Plus I know I put myself on second place.

So when this year started, I told myself I’d go back to basics. I’d put myself first, I’d focus on the things that matter. What are those things, I’m not yet so sure, but I know my weekends are more or less sacred, and I want to focus on my writing too. Eventually, I arrived at some kind of extreme where I’d rather do stuff for myself and put other things in the backburner again. I always seem to have that kind of problem.

Anyway, so this week, I learned of my rating for my 2008 performance. I gave myself a rating before 2008 ended and I really thought that was the one I deserved, but what I got was…surprisingly good (and by good it means I can probably afford to buy tv lifts if I want to — which I don’t). Of course, I was thrilled, but the rating came with a postscript: “This is the time that you have to prove you deserve that rating.”

Okay, so maybe it’s not exactly said in those words, but that has the gist. I’m happy and humbled to be able to get that rating, but yes, it’s challenging me too. I’m at this point where I know I should step up and I’m trying, really, but at the back of my mind, I don’t know if I can do this while still giving time for myself. I know it’s possible, I just don’t know how I’m going to do it.

My team lead is currently focusing on me and giving me tasks and situations where I can develop my leadership skills to train me so I can be ready for a leadership position sometime soon. I’m grateful for it, but in a way, I am also scared. I was a leader back in YFC, but leadership in the corporate world is different. My company is generally nice, but it’s still the corporate world, and I have been told that I need to be thick-faced and immovable. Something like that, at least. I tell myself I can do it, but honestly, I’m not really sure if I can, you know?

There’s this certain resistance I feel when I am asked to do things like reports, or talk to someone or do something or attend late night meetings. Maybe it’s because I’m not yet used to it, or maybe because I don’t know if I will be able to handle it. Maybe I’m just looking for an easier way out, a way that is not stressful. But what is life without stress, yes?

I need to step up. For how long, I don’t know. But I know I must.

Last night I was talking to Ramie and I was telling him about this entire thing. One thing that I’m kind of grateful for this is there’s this certain feeling of cluelessness, the kind where you really have no idea where you’ll be going and what you’ll be doing, except maybe for a few steps ahead. And with this cluelessness is some kind of comfort, the one where I know that no matter what happens, I know there’s Someone who is with me every step of the way.

I like that this is making me pray more, that having to step up is making me realize that I am totally dependent on God, and without Him there’s really nothing I can do.

Let me quote my favorite verse once again:

Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. (Philippians 4:13, The Message)

By God’s grace, I can do this. :) We can do this. :)

Here’s to stepping up. *cheers*

P.S. Prayers will be appreciated. :)

Big, Fun and Scary Things

Big, Fun and Scary Things to do for 2009

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HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I spent the first day of 2008 in Ortigas, where we watched Manila being covered in smoke from all the fireworks as 12 midnight approached. My parents and I headed to the condo’s roof top to watch the fireworks at midnight and the people who were with us were singing Auld Lang Syne as we stood in the slight drizzle.

Yes, that’s me trying to be descriptive. I suck, I know.

Anyway, as with what I did last year and as with what I posted yesterday, it’s time again to set goals and resolutions for 2009! I’m naming this one the Big, Fun and Scary Things to do for 2009. I’m using this post to make it official because this year I intend to join the worldwide challenge (click that link to know more!) that Chris Baty, NaNoWriMo founder started two years ago. Nothing like having an entire group of people doing the same thing to motivate me to actually do these things. :P

  • Write a piece of fiction everyday for 2009. I figured at the end of 2008 that I really missed writing, and I felt that I can only be better at writing if I practice. So to help me with that, I have started wordplay, my writing blog for this purpose. It’s proving to be a difficult challenge already — I’ve been trying to write my first piece in the past hour and it feels like pulling teeth. T_T
  • Lose at least 3 inches and/or 20 pounds. Ah yes, the weight loss goal. I figure to support this, I’ve got to be more drastic: I’ll be writing down what I eat everyday in my planner, and will be really serious with my boxing/exercise. Cors! Game?
  • Finish my 2008 Novel. I really want to do this, I swear. This is one novel that I knew I should finish. And besides, I promised Julie. Now if only I can finish that outline…
  • 100 Nanowrimo winners for our region in 2009! Last year, I wanted to increase the participation of the region. This year I want to get 100 winners for the region. :D We can do this, right?
  • Read 50 books in 2009. I managed to reach 44 last year, and I think I would have been able to reach 50 if I didn’t stop reading in the middle of the year. This year, I swear I’ll get that number. I also added a twist to this goal: 25 books should be books I’ve never read before, and 5 should be classics. :D
  • Watch 25 movies in 2009. I’m not much of a movie watcher, so most of the time I feel left out when people talk about movies. This year, let’s try to change that. :D Fireproof movie seems interesting; I wonder if this will be shown here.
  • Travel. This is a given. :P I’m eying Baguio this February (the last time I’ve been there was when I was 12!), another beach place in the summer and hopefully Hong Kong within the year. :)
  • Bake a double layer cake and/or apple pie. Self-explanatory. :D
  • Drive by myself. Again, for the nth time. I swear, I should do that this year.
  • Submit a written work somewhere. I’m not so sure how I’d do this, but I’m going to try. I hope this gives me courage to enroll in writing classes. And speaking of…
  • Enroll in some classes — either writing or anything web related or even something entirely new.
  • Prepare for graduate school application. I’m seriously considering going back to school (see previous bullet), so I’m going to start scouting this year. I can start by the next school year, God willing, but if not, I can start preparing this year.

My dad told me yesterday that these were goals and not New Year’s Resolutions, but I told him having goals seem easier and I can form my resolutions around them. But just for kicks (and for old time’s sake), here are my 2009 resolutions (which might be the resolution of other people too haha):

  • Pray more. 2008 was a rollercoaster for my spiritual life and I know 2009 will e the same, but still, I’d like to revive my prayer life again. I just have to keep on trying no matter how hard it is. This includes the first Wednesday and Friday masses and confession.
  • Go to work early and leave work early. I was known as the office girl last year because of all my commitments at work. This year though, I’m going to cut back on that. I enjoyed them, yes, but this year, I’m putting myself first. I’m going to stop going to work at 10 and start going to work at 8, so I can go home at 5 and have enough time to work on my other goals and to-do’s outside of work. I need to start taking care of myself again, you know. I will only stay at work for more than 8 hours if I absolutely have to, otherwise, I’m out of there.
  • Take care of myself more. This is quite ambiguous, but I figured I’d have to start taking care of myself because…well, I need to. Which means, more time for myself, my family and the things I love to do. Yes, this involves pampering and shopping. :P
  • Be healthier. This supports my second bullet up there. I swear, I’ll do better this time.
  • Keep in touch/get back in touch with old friends. I’ve mentioned this a lot of times: I suck at keeping in touch. This year I’m going to try (yet again) to catch up with old friends (so friends, let’s go out!).
  • Better time management. With all these commitments and, I’ve definitely learned that I need to manage my time more wisely!

I think that’s it? Goal-setting has always inspired me, and I find it really fun (yet intimidating) to do. But I love the feeling of being new, regardless of how much I accomplished last year. The important thing is that we try, no matter how many times we fail. After all, He makes all things new. :)

Happy 2009 everyone! May this year bring more blessings and make all of us the persons we want to be. :) *cheers*