Happy 2014!

Happy New Year! :)

It’s amazing how many things happened in 2013. As I read though my blog, I realized that certain experiences that feel like they happened a couple of years ago actually happened in the last 365 days. Here’s a quick look back at some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the year that was.

Family time
My grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday, my aunt and uncle celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and my nephew graduated grade school.

Travel
A couple of firsts: I traveled to Russia with my mom and I also took my family to Legoland Malaysia. We revisited Singapore and Universal Studios Singapore. I also went to the Hundred Islands for the first time since I was a little kid.

Entertainment
I watched The Killers, OneRepublic, Cecile Licad, the Philippine Madrigals, and the Little Singers of Monaco. From classical to pop to rock, it was a pretty eclectic set of concerts that I got to see and I enjoyed each and every one of them.

New experiences
Apart from visiting new places like Russia and Legoland, I also got to try several new things. Food: Pistachio Sans Rival of Delize, Dutch Bread Hauz, Opus (for dinner, not for drinks), the Wildflour Croissant-Donut, cupcakes from The Royal Touch, and Nomama Artisanal Ramen, among a whole lot of others that I didn’t write about. Services: Zalora, Big Bert’s Auto Detailing, and Kimstore. Hotels: Fraser Place, Crosswinds Tagaytay (which I have yet to write about), and Hotel Stotsenberg (which I also still haven’t written about yet).

Random experiences
I was forced into a ballroom dancing competition for the first time in my life, our bowling team won first place, I had a photobook party with my friends, I organized and participated in Tree Planting and Tree Nursery activities, and for the first time I got to write one blog post per day for an entire month (January).

Of course, there were things in 2013 that weren’t great. My aunt and my cousin passed away, we lost our dog and I had stomach problems and also back problems. On a bigger scale, the Philippines was beset by major calamities: the Visayas Earthquake and Yolanda. With the PDAF scandal and the Zamboanga siege, 2013 is probably a year that the country would love to say goodbye to.

The great thing about having a blog is that it also serves as an online diary. I can always look back at stuff that happened during the year and remember in pretty good detail the cool experiences I had. I’m definitely looking forward to experiencing and writing about more great stuff in 2014.