the year that was

looking back, i could say there were a lot of things that i should be thankful for. not only for what i received and experienced but also for the things that happened to my friends and loved ones.

almer, raf, sheryll, jent and grette all tied the knot with the love of their lives. the last four in the list are all from my college barkada so it's no question that this is our barkada's "wedding year". every wedding was an experience to behold, definitely a concrete profession of their love for one another.

it's a year of new opportunities, with me having a new role at work. admittedly, at first, i didn't want to leave my old role. i was comfortable there. i knew what i was doing there. i was confident in what i can do there. and change was nowhere near my plans. but this new work led me to new opportunities and new places to see. i was able to travel to vietnam, canada and china and soon, to united kingdom as well. it gave me opportunity to meet influential people within the organization and it helped me realize that i still have a lot of things to learn. it forced me to challenge myself, forced me to believe in myself knowing that other people would not believe in me if i did not.

it's a year of relationships being broken, forged and renewed. i have seen how love has the ability to change people and heal past hurts. i have experienced how friendship does not depend on space nor time. and in this day where communication is so accessible, it doesn't compare to seeing your friend once again. i witnessed how hard it is to overcome heartbreak but also i saw how a friend managed to come out of it with more strength than ever. life trials like these make you realize that you can go through so much. never unscathed but always fighting. and though there may be times that you fail, those battles are still worth it. the one thing we have to remember though, is to make sure that we never question our worth whether we fail or succeed.

it's a year of life-changing decisions. on the crossroads of life, we would never know what decision is better for we only get to choose one path. we just have to believe that what we have chosen is the best one for us. sometimes, we choose a path more difficult, but hardships are part of our life journey. they help us learn the lessons.

it has definitely been a year full of milestones, full of memories both good and not-so-good. but whatever may have happened, it's already in the past and there's nothing much i can do about it, except to learn from my mistakes and move on.

welcome, 2005! here's hoping that it would be even better than the year that was.