Happy New Year!
As usual, before I jump straight into 2020, I will take a look back at the last year. The highlight of my year was getting to visit Seoul and experiencing The Joshua Tree Concert of U2 there. This trip allowed me to see some city sights that I hadn't seen before, visit Nami Island and the Morning of Garden Calm, interview a North Korean defector during our DMZ Spy Tour, and go on an incredible street food tour that allowed me to enjoy a lot of amazing Korean dishes. It was also the first time that I got to travel internationally with one of my best friends Michele and her husband Ferg.
Seoul wasn't the only place I traveled in 2019. I also spent a night my high school friends in Sinagtala Resort in Orani, Bataan. I also revisited Club Balai Isabel during our company outing.
One really cool thing I did last year was perform travel agent duties for my mom who took a trip to Bali. She knew she wanted to go but she didn't know what to do there. I created her itinerary, booked her hotel (which she said was really nice), found her a driver with whom I aligned the itinerary, installed WhatsApp in my mom's phone and set up a WhatsApp group so my mom and I could communicate easily with the driver, rented a Smart Travel WiFi device for her so she would have mobile data when she was in Bali, then drove her to the airport and picked her up when she returned. It was the first time I did all this and my mom's trip turned out great. I was so proud of myself. :)
On the cultural side, I got to see quite a few stage shows. I took my family to see The Phantom of the Opera (it was the third time I got to see it). I took my mom to see Swan Lake by Moscow Ballet La Classique at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao. My mom and I also got to experience Van Gogh Alive in Manila. My family watched the 33rd Sampung Mga Daliri Atbp by the UST Conservatory of Music because my nephew was in the ensemble. Finally, I saw Beautiful: The Carole King Musical with a couple of my friends.
On the more mainstream side, I got to see quite a few movies in the last year. My favorites: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Alone/Together, Godzilla II: King of the Monsters, Knives Out, and Avengers: Endgame.
It wasn't all hunky-dory though. I had a health scare last year that triggered the need for a lifestyle change. I managed to lose about 10 kilos and so far, I've managed to maintain that weight. Hopefully, I can continue eating better and exercising whenever possible. In line with trying to having a better future for me and my family, I also got PRU Life policies for my nephews.
Back to more positive stuff. I managed to read four books last year, including the second Dan Wells trilogy. This is the most I've read in a single year and I'm hoping I can keep on reading this year. My family celebrated my grandmother's 92nd birthday. I played bowling for the first time in years as part of our department bowling tournament and I ended up winning highest men's score and my team was awarded best scoring team. My friends and I also visited Mystery Manila twice to try the Mr. Moriarty room and the Sorcerer's Stone room. I attended a few weddings and I sang in a couple of them. I went to a karaoke bar with friends on six separate occasions, the most times I had been in a karaoke bar in a single year in maybe a decade. I tried several restaurants for the first time, including Raging Bull, Salta!, La Mere Poulard, and Downtown Cafe in Pampanga. And of course, I got to play board games a lot.
2019 proved to be an amazing year that brought with it some rich and memorable experiences. Hopefully, I can continue to have more of them in 2020.
As usual, before I jump straight into 2020, I will take a look back at the last year. The highlight of my year was getting to visit Seoul and experiencing The Joshua Tree Concert of U2 there. This trip allowed me to see some city sights that I hadn't seen before, visit Nami Island and the Morning of Garden Calm, interview a North Korean defector during our DMZ Spy Tour, and go on an incredible street food tour that allowed me to enjoy a lot of amazing Korean dishes. It was also the first time that I got to travel internationally with one of my best friends Michele and her husband Ferg.
Seoul wasn't the only place I traveled in 2019. I also spent a night my high school friends in Sinagtala Resort in Orani, Bataan. I also revisited Club Balai Isabel during our company outing.
One really cool thing I did last year was perform travel agent duties for my mom who took a trip to Bali. She knew she wanted to go but she didn't know what to do there. I created her itinerary, booked her hotel (which she said was really nice), found her a driver with whom I aligned the itinerary, installed WhatsApp in my mom's phone and set up a WhatsApp group so my mom and I could communicate easily with the driver, rented a Smart Travel WiFi device for her so she would have mobile data when she was in Bali, then drove her to the airport and picked her up when she returned. It was the first time I did all this and my mom's trip turned out great. I was so proud of myself. :)
On the cultural side, I got to see quite a few stage shows. I took my family to see The Phantom of the Opera (it was the third time I got to see it). I took my mom to see Swan Lake by Moscow Ballet La Classique at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao. My mom and I also got to experience Van Gogh Alive in Manila. My family watched the 33rd Sampung Mga Daliri Atbp by the UST Conservatory of Music because my nephew was in the ensemble. Finally, I saw Beautiful: The Carole King Musical with a couple of my friends.
On the more mainstream side, I got to see quite a few movies in the last year. My favorites: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Alone/Together, Godzilla II: King of the Monsters, Knives Out, and Avengers: Endgame.
It wasn't all hunky-dory though. I had a health scare last year that triggered the need for a lifestyle change. I managed to lose about 10 kilos and so far, I've managed to maintain that weight. Hopefully, I can continue eating better and exercising whenever possible. In line with trying to having a better future for me and my family, I also got PRU Life policies for my nephews.
Back to more positive stuff. I managed to read four books last year, including the second Dan Wells trilogy. This is the most I've read in a single year and I'm hoping I can keep on reading this year. My family celebrated my grandmother's 92nd birthday. I played bowling for the first time in years as part of our department bowling tournament and I ended up winning highest men's score and my team was awarded best scoring team. My friends and I also visited Mystery Manila twice to try the Mr. Moriarty room and the Sorcerer's Stone room. I attended a few weddings and I sang in a couple of them. I went to a karaoke bar with friends on six separate occasions, the most times I had been in a karaoke bar in a single year in maybe a decade. I tried several restaurants for the first time, including Raging Bull, Salta!, La Mere Poulard, and Downtown Cafe in Pampanga. And of course, I got to play board games a lot.
2019 proved to be an amazing year that brought with it some rich and memorable experiences. Hopefully, I can continue to have more of them in 2020.
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