Happy 2011!

Happy 2011 to everyone! I am sure this new year will bring with it a lot of great new experiences, but before I fully get immersed into it, here's a quick look back at some key moments in 2010.

Family
Family time is important so I am happy to have spent a lot of time with my family. From our trip to Intramuros, to my birthday lunch in Adarna, to our wonderful Christmas celebration together, I can't help but be extremely pleased that four generations of my family have so many great experiences together.

Friends
From all the parties and reunions with friends, to trips to bars and clubs like Distillery, Republiq, Encore, and Hai Bar, to the game nights with different sets of friends, the year definitely brought a lot of quality time with friends too.

New places
I visited two new places this year. I wrote extensively about my trip to Brunei in November, but I also had a local trip earlier in the year, to beautiful Bolinao in Pangasinan. I'm happy that despite my incredibly busy schedule this year, I was still able to take a couple of holidays and visit new places.

New experiences
2010 marked the first time in my life that I was given a surprise birthday party, and it was great! I also started consciously bringing my own mug or tumbler to coffee shops so they could serve me coffee in reusable containers and reduce my usage of paper cups. I had a picnic in La Mesa Eco-park for the first time for Aya's birthday. I also discovered, played, and completed Plants vs. Zombies (albeit after the initial craze). My blog has also never been busier, with a total of 156 posts in 2010. For me, that's a lot! :)

Food
It's quite surprising but last year was the first time that I went on a food trip all over Metro Manila. I also got to try a lot of new restos, like La Cocina de Tita Moning, Ye Dang, Blacksoup Cafe and Artspace, Romulo's, Cav, Hangover, Charlie's Grind and Grill, Earle's Deli, Mr. Jones, Restaurante Pia y Damaso, and Panciteria Lido. Toss in a couple of new dessert finds in Dulcelin and Kitchen's Best and mix in trips to some of my favorite restos and you could say that 2010 definitely brought a lot of joy through food.

Arts and Music
A lot of my more cultured experiences came in the middle of the year within a span of one month: Cats in July, and Panasadiyaw and Master Class in early August. I didn't get to watch any concerts this year (I would've if The Killers' concert was not canceled). Some of my favorite personal performances include getting to perform "Dynamite", "Club can't handle me", "Don't Stop Believing", and "Somebody to love". A first for me was getting to rap in front of a crowd - I bungled up both "Billionaire" (slightly) and "Empire State of Mind" (lost the timing and missed one entire line LOL) but at least I can now say that I have rapped in front of a big crowd. :)

Sports
Manny Pacquiao cemented his place in history by beating Antonio Margarito, making him the first boxer in history to win ten world titles in eight different weight divisions (he earned the record with a title in his 7th division, so this just puts more space between him and everyone else). Nadal also made the record books by being the youngest person to achieve a career grand slam, and his wins in the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open put him head and shoulders above everyone else. Kim Clijsters stakes a claim to one of the best career comebacks ever as she wins her 3rd US Open and 2nd after coming back from retirement.

Helping out
I ran my 7th marathon for charity, while at the same time building our corporate social responsibility at work even more. We strengthened our partnerships with ACED, Haribon, GILAS, Habitat for Humanity, and Virlanie Foundation and organized activities like tree planting, Habitat builds, orphanage visits, and a Coastal Cleanup.

Here's hoping that 2011 brings more fun, experiences, and quality time with family and friends.