2006 in Retrospect

I think 2006 was a year of the biggest changes in my life...both personally and in my surroundings. It was a dizzy year for me as events seemed to whip by one after the other, and it's only in retrospect that you really get to re-live the lessons of those moments.

Getting Married.

What else can be said? If this isn't one of the biggest changes anyone will ever experience, I don't know what else is. I think one of the reasons also why this year zipped by was because of the preparations that started in 2005, the spill-over to 2006 and the big event of moving in together and starting out. To this day there are moments when the quirkiness of it hits me: wow, I'm not by myself anymore. There's someone else with me now. Sometimes it feels like I'm watching a tv show and I realize I'm in the show and the events that happen are all of my doing. But it's all good, and getting married was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Going to Europe.

After the wedding, Benc and I traveled to Europe for our honeymoon. It was one of the best trips ever, if not the Best! UK, Paris, Italy--the rest of our year was filled with memories and longings to return. The better part of the year was also spent assembling our scrapbook... something we have yet to finish, ehehe. But I guess the more time it takes for us to finish, the more time we have to re-live those three weeks.

Moving.

My family moved out of our long-time home in 2006. We spent a good eight years there, and it was almost second nature for us to consider that our "real" home. But some onerous individuals just had to make their presence felt, so they left. It was a big move, having accumulated so much stuff and memories. It was a bit heavy to bear, but we survived. We moved on. The funny thing is, all but one of my siblings (the "sensitive" one) believes that we are all to return there one day.

Divoy

Diva Alma, married for 12 years, finally got pregnant and gave birth last year to a gorgeous baby boy. It's yet another monumental change, and beautiful one at that... it was great to be a part of her life, and experience all of us growing up together.

Diva

Joy moved to Bangkok and has started working there as the Asian regional brand manager for Olay. It was a big step for her, and for us. We miss having her around but the reunions only become more precious and more meaningful now that she stops by for visits several times a year.

TV

I decided to make a big comeback to the TV world and restart my career in the media. I figured, now's a good a time as any to try. I'm not getting any younger, my opportunities are not exactly endless, and so many younger people are better than me at this job that I was at their age. The competition never lets up. So I decided to just dive in and share with my tv friends what my plans are.

Sure enough, an old friend picked up on my signals and offered me a part-time thing that I am finishing up this month. It paid pretty well, and it was a good way to get my feet wet again. It was an interesting experience because not only did I get to be EP again, I also got to do stuff on cam...something I always wanted to try. Now that I have, I firmly believe I belong behind the scenes, where I am happier too!

Diet

Because of my almost-completely sedentary lifestyle (and because work and racket-ing has taken away most of my exercise time) I decided to try dieting. So I researched and read up on the South Beach Diet, and whaddaya know? I lost 8 pounds in two weeks! I gained back about a couple or three but that was because the Christmas season overtook my resolve. But if anyone asks me, I can tell them honestly that it works!

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It's been a memorable year. Though challenging. At least this New Year's Eve, I was happier than I was last year: it was my first New YEar apart from my family last year and the adjustment was tough. They were over in Bugasong while I spent the new year with my then in-laws to be. But this year I think my system has come to terms with it. We went to my mom's for dinner, spent New Year's with my in-laws then rendezvous-ed with the family near midnight for our traditional exchange gifts. Then we had lunch on New Year's Day with them again, this time with my dad and the Aquinos.

It was a happier welcome for me, and I was glad things turned out the way they did. My heart is full, my soul is calm. I'm ready to meet the new year and its new challenges with a healthy spirit.

Happy New Year everyone!