Wonderful 2013

....be grateful and more good will come =)

of course i want all the good things 2014 has for me and if i can have it all by being grateful then here's my gratitude lists for my 2013...so 2014, please be very good to me =) thank you! (with beautiful eyes)

January

• hurrah for the strength during the 10-day fasting and all the prayers uttered to me
• the promise of abundance at the start of 2013 and in deed it was a year of abundance
• the joy of witnessing friends tie the knot, it was such a joyful wedding of EJ and Rona; the renewal of vows of Tatay Nick and Ate Aileen (me as the host)
• went back to being kids when we attended the first birthday party of Andrei, he is a source of joy!
• I just needed to include this, the revision of FLAMES in two versions; I love that moment with friends!

February

• ooooooh the Valentine's day.....the flowers! the chocolates! the dinner with candle lights! the cheesy sweet nothings...bwahahaha yeah! not in 2013, perhaps in 2014 =) coz this year i had a grand vacation with my favorite traveling buddies Bing and May and that's something to really be grateful for. We started in MOA (my first with J.Co...donuts that is!) then to Tuguegarao - witnessing the million bats came out of the cave and head to the forest for food, that's awesome! Who wouldn't be grateful for that? and then the road trip continues, we went to one of my favorite place in this awesome country...SAGADA - the sunrise, the sunset, the lake, the chill, the cold breeze, the spelunking, the serenity, the foooooooooooooddddddddddddd! I love this month, it's love month that's why =P then to Baguio to spend the actual VDay, 3 single lovelies spending VDay away from commercialism...what a relief! hahaha
• friends extending blessings such as Big's house/mansion's warming; went back to Hacienda Macalauan with the Petiks, Bart's sinigang! Ysa's birthday celebration with the Babols.
• had a lot of alone-after-office-time-but-feeling-lonely during this month, made me outgrow it and for that I’m glad
• movie watching at home with pamangkins, thanks Mamajo, Tatay Otep, Vic, Maco who provided the movies

March

• lost my phone..huh? grateful for that? yes!!! coz that gave opportunity for generous friends to be….well,  generous; Pogs gave me his iPhone 3G, Bart lets me borrow his Samsung even Donald and EJ offered phones too.
• met new pipz in the person of Paul Langlois and Ana Cadiz thru my first and only hike for the year in Mt. Cristobal; the mountain is sooooooooooooooo beautiful, I almost died there =P if not for Paul's dried mangoes!
• trolley ride with IRRI friends, 'twas fun! plus the balut eating
• was a speaker in the VIP encounter of the professionals
• Holy week vacation with family in La Union and Baguio and Pangasinan...the usual yet so memorable.

April

• went to my happy place....the beach with the Waterists, summer outing in Quezon
• a bit of introduction to stocks with the pro's seminar series
• two dear people to me passed away, not something to be thankful for, I know! but it’s the moment that I was able to spent with them before they go, that’s what I am thankful for

May

• I'm already getting used to this, another hosting stint for Ana and Roger's wedding
• bought a yoga mat and started joining Sofie's yoga sessions, turned out....i like it!
• election was peaceful
• times with friends; went to Pahiyas with Bally, Man and Naveen; Budz Arlyn's visit
• for some unresolved issues, i felt so alone this month, so i decided to tackle the issues and came up with this- if I am not happy alone then I will never be happy with anyone else, so i need to be comfortable on my own..with me as company
• spent quite a number of lunch times with Ibyang and Mahlie...fruitful chats

June

• went back to the my happy place, the beach, this time with the Petiks in Burot beach..such a lovely place
• everything violet debut of Gie Anne, never had my debut like that so it's refreshing to see kiddos partying all night
• had my first "nanakawan" experience =( iphone from Pogs was stolen in my office desk, really felt bad about it that I had to pray for conviction for that person but learned to let go and just think it's an opportunity again for new one
• MVP for my first cricket game for Bally's cup with no less than gwapong James as our team captain, so that is how it felt to be an important player...it's just nothing bwahahaha, this is my ultimate #yabangmoment and I so love it, especially when those people i don't know smiling and waving to me coz they are there during the match....that's more like superstar moment I guess =P
• from time to time i get to live like I'm on the top of the world like going museum hopping with my sashal friends Rochie, Bing and Man then I get to experience eating in a sossy restaurant, who would have thought I'll have that chance and the money to spend (I'm so kuripot kaya! hahaha as if that's my ultimate reason)
• my standing up for myself was tested this time when my Boss some sort of demoted me, I reasoned tho i wasn't able to convince her, just by my mere reasoning I felt good!

July

• all the meet-ups with friends who came home from abroad; Grace, Faiga, Omar, Dennis
• get to learn how to deal with friends who made me feel trashy and not to take it personally
• hard lessons on accepting and forgiving but God's grace is so evident so can't really be angry, love melts even the hardest heart and heal even the painful hurts, such an amazing time for grace
• the launch of Historymakers, a chance to be an agent of change in someone's life

August

• day spent with the lovely ladies of Destiny, sharing princess's moments thru reflections
• went to Bangkok to attend ICPM; great time with Destiny Internationals and also bonding time with Wilbs and Joseph, I'm privileged!
• moments with so many friends; Sonia (who fondly termed meeting with friends as our social responsibility), Tonette (who welcomed me warmly in Bangkok along with new friends Boyet, Neil, Theo  and Yna), Socka and the brothers and sisters from Cambodia

September

• my month =)
• no birthday trips but since i am a pampered princess i had a lot of surprise trips and for that this month was sooooo happy month
• went to the beach (my happy place) to tour Mr. Ko (wink wink) and Gonzalo
• another round of museum hopping with my sashal friends 
• CESD team building in Club Balai Isabel
• birthday eat-outs with so many friends in different batches
• shared about purpose with the Historymaker’s scholars
• had to take note of this, i have a fan (hopefully she will multiply) in the person of Karen/Yack she calls me idol, the reason? i don't know!

October

• fun-breakthrough-day with the professionals, hurrah! we went ice skating in MOA and just spent the whole day hanging around
• a day with my favorite traveling lovelies May and Bing in Tagaytay
• Subic with my Destiny family, ohhhhhhhhhhhh the dolphins, love love love this trip plus the amazing company of Merc (my beloved), Gian, Yasah and Cherry; the going to Subic ride with Doc Olyn's and Sir Arnold's new Starex plus the company of the lovely “yamming” couples of Destiny, they are so awesome people; felt so LOVED =)

November

• airport is already home to me, I’m already used to sleeping there, not that I’m a frequent flyer it's just that I really don't want to be late for my flights and I don't have the means to stay elsewhere hehehe and NAIA terminal 3 was a very accommodating room for me already, it's fun sleeping with so many roomies and if you have insomnia they have free wifi so you can find on-line company =P
• trip with May to Siargao, my long awaited trip to the surfing capital; get to ride the waves once more and even tried the waves of the open sea, hurrah! met the stingless jellies, the many islets and caves of Sohoton, from surfer to angler experience, spent a day in a beautiful paradise, met Jaimee, Steph, Val, Carlo, Ken, Rhoda, Jesa and her uber welcoming warmly family
• we got hit by a strong typhoon, not something to be thankful about but because of that storm it exposed the very core of the Filipinos, it made the world turn to caring for humanities again despite differences, in deed the worst storm brought out the best in all of us.

almost done 2014...be ready to shower me with blessings coz i'm expecting a lot from you!

December

• ofcourse, this is the time of year for parties here and there; Chistmas party with Destiny leaders, with the Professionals, with the Waterists, with the Petiks, with the Historymakers, with small groups, with big groups, party everywhere.
• attended Val and Barbs wedding and spent time with the Destiny pipz

as in all life's events, 2013 was a roller coaster ride but I already braced myself for all these so, I just enjoyed the ride. And having said that, I’m so ready for a new adventure in my 2014! 

I am ready for more good things; new levels of relationships with the people I already have in my life and hopefully meeting new ones to add colors and glamour. I want more itineraries to prepare, more dreams to weave and unfold. Have more opportunities to bring out the best in others, more lives to touch, closer relationship with myself and with my maker.

Thankful =)

Ako

31 December 2013