Codswallop 2013: The resolutions, the review, the wishlist, the promises

  I always make it a point to have a bit of a review of how my year went during these times, as it is a time for reflection and all that deep stuff. This is probably my last post of the year, but I'm already gearing up for 2014! More posts about writing, social change, health, and my topsy-turvy-ness next year! Thank  you, dear Readers, for being with me on my journey. I would also like to thank the Philippine Health Bloggers Society, which has served as my inspiration and a driving force for me to keep writing. 

  And now that that's been addressed, let's get the ball rolling!  

The Resolutions: How Many 2013 Resolutions I Broke

     Last year, I made 13 resolutions that I planned on keeping for 2013. As I am not Super Woman, I wasn't able to fulfill all of them. I mean, who is really able to keep all of the New Year's Resolution one makes, right? 

     Anyway, let's see the damage.

     1.      Have more time for my family, despite my oh-so-busy schedule. This kind of happened. I was at least able to go to our annual reunion this year :)

     2.      Write more. Write fiction. Write blogposts. WriteWriteWrite! Definitly fulfilled! Dear Readers, we got to 40+ post this year! Thank you for reading my Codswallop! I also wrote some fiction, although not really as good as I want it to be. Check them out here.

     3.      Eat healthier, do more activities, and lose 20 pounds. I mean, I’ve seen myself in college: I was healthy thin! Broken! I blame stress and Erick Bernardo.

     4.      Up my activism and advocacy. Slightly fulfilled. I'm still as active as I was before, although I did resign as officer from the Alliance of Young Nurse Leaders and Advocates. I'm now part of several other organizations. 

     5.      Get my photo taken by a pro-photographer friend. Slightly fulfilled. He wasn't a pro, but it was a photo shoot. Even if it was just me having toast :P

     6.      Visit more places. Go out of town. Go night swimming in the beach and lay down on the sand to stare up at the night sky. Seems like a lot of things for one number but, really, they go hand in hand. Slightly fulfilled! I haven't been able to lay down on sand and stare up at the night sky. it was raining pretty hard when we were on the beach. Maybe next time :)

     7.      Get back to painting. Buy a large canvas and transform my doodles into frame-worthy artwork. Slightly fulfilled! I'm painting something that I have yet to finish but it's just on a piece of paper.

     8.      Take up my masters (Education? Women and Development?) or take up law. Broken because I'm broke.

     9.      Have the guts to send my babies (stories) out there. Have the heart to accept that I am not (yet) good enough. Broken. I have yet to write a story that I really like.

    10.  Pursue my nursing career. Get a certificate of competency from the Nursing Certification Program of the Department of Health in Public Health Nursing. Expand my horizons as a Reproductive Health Nurse. Slightly fulfilled. I now belong to the Philippine Society of Sexual and Reproductive Health Nurses. I am an RH Nurse :D

    11.  Heal someone broken. Broken. Broken someone and myself in the process.

    12.  Help organize charity event. Shed sweat, blood, tears, and sleep to make it successful. Slightly fulfilled. It sure wasn't a charity event, more of resource mobilization for charity.

    13.  Touch someone’s heart. See that person/those people smile. I don't think so?

   The Review (If I haven't been fulfilling my resolutions. what the heck was I doing?)

   
   So if I had not been fulfilling my resolutions, what exactly have I been to?  

   A lot of things, as usual. Here are the highlights and lowlights of  my 2013. Warning: 

Really sappy stuff below.

  1. I was able to to out of town! Yes, because I am poor and busy, I rarely ever enjoy the splendor of being away from my usual routine and into something different. This year, I went to Tagaytay (which is really close) and also to Iba, Zambales (which took 6 freaking hours one way). The Iba R&R was only for a couple of days, but the trip itself was wonderful, and the time we spent surviving the suicidal waves of Iba's beach was nothing short of awesome.

Not the most flattering of pictures, but who cares? I was next to the beach, with suicidal waves!

   2. I did NGO work and went fulltime as a safe, satisfying sex advocate and trained under one awesome lady.

   3. We launched the Philippine Society of Sexual and Reproductive Health Nurses and the Philippine Health Bloggers Society.

PSORHN's Foundation Course attendees

   

PHBS at iBlog9

   4. I was able to train as one of the Emerging Youth Leaders for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.  

With other EYLs. Thank you, guys, for attempting to murder me during our photo shoot. Photo by Pareng Alvin Bernardo.

   5. I was able to participate in the Million People March in the wake of the PDAF scandal.

A group of protesters at the Luneta Park. Behind them, the iconic Manila Hotel.

   6. I left the Alliance of Young Nurse Leaders and Advocates as an officer.

  7. I broke someone's heart (and broke my own in the process). But I believe he is happier than he ever was with me, and I'm glad. And me? Let's just say that I have yet to learn what Tina Siuagan, Likes Manglal-lan, Ruth Allen Braga and several other more  experienced ladies have tried to teach me... I should write a blog post about that.

   8.  I lost friends. 

   9. ...And found and loved new ones (even if, technically, I found some of you before 2013). Thank you: Likes (we've been brought together by what should have torn other girls apart - our crushes on really hawt writers); Ate Joanne (for listening to my stupid love stories, which is solid proof that I should stick to telling tales about man-eating mermaids); Yzak (for the infuriating emoticons -_-, etc.); Julius (for the memories); Ma'am Ria (for being one of my inspirations, for believing in me, for being our older sister, and for being a true Super Woman); my PSORHN-mates for being awesome advocates; my PHBS co-members, especially Ate Grace , for helping me become a better blogger; my bhebhes: Drei, Erick, Raim, Anthony (even though I see you once in a blue moon);Joey-baby-bear (for being the cuddliest, most scheming mentor evah) ; my one and only Kuya Dave (for being a true Gryffindor. I love you); and Sir A (for teaching me magnanimity among other things). People. I fucking love you (not the other way around, you pervs -_-). Please don't disappear in 2014.

10. I still have my best friend Krissy after all these years. And we kick zombie butt well together. I also still have my other best friend, Sayori (why the hell do we NOT have pictures?) 

BIYBF! (But I'm Your Best Friend!)

    11. I am part of the youth steering committee for the Asia Pacific Conference for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (APCSRHR, dubbed as "apcrasher". The conference is on January 2014! See you fellow SRHR advocates =3




    12. I was able to post in my blog every month! Hurrah! ^_^ Thank you, dear readers, for reading my stuff. ^_^


   The Wishlist (coz it's the Holidays)

    1. An owl plushie. 

Isn't it CUTE?

   2. Books (of course!), specifically the Hunger Games series, the Game of Thrones series, the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, and a bunch of new stuff from Filipino writers, please. You can also get me Manila Noir, Demons of the New Year, The Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction, and any Visprint-published stuff.
   3. An SLR camera.
   4. The opportunity to go back to school and study.
   5. A/more trip/s out of town.
   6. A charity event I can help out in. 
   7. A decent Filipino horror movie.
   8. More raket. 
   9. Change.
   10. These really cool stuff for book lovers. 
   11. Arts and craft stuff. Acrylic paints. Paint brush. Canvas. I recently acquired a canvas bag and I would like to make it one of my little projects this year.
   12. Paper lashes. Although I think I can make my own :P

Delicate and beautiful, paper lashes are actually kind of a luxury item.

   13. Accessories. YES! I've developed a penchant for weird accessories over the last few months.  
    I recently acquired a couple of dragon ear cuffs and a snake one. I was born on the Year of the Dragon and I have a pet snake so I thought that would be appropriate.

Here are some of the stuff I already have.

Here are some of the stuff that I want: mermaid ear cuff, nail and gladiator rings, and dream catcher earrings.

  

So as to not sound ungrateful, I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the people who dished out stuff for material things to give me. Thank you to the following: Darion, for an Anne Rice book about werewolves; Krissy, for the teddy bear; My brother and sister-in-law for a different kind of book - one filled with lovely eye shadows from ELF; my office mates for the accessories and key chain; Raim for the incense to ward off bad vibes; Joey, for the cute blue house key chain pasalubong; Sir A, for the watch; Sayori for coming home for the holidays and the accessories; and lastly, the people who gave me money, without which I wouldn't have been able to buy this miraculous little potion called Physiogel.

     Thank you! <3 comment-3--="">

Special mention to Krissy, the first guy who gave me a teddy bear! ^_^ This little guy's name is Duesberg.



As of December 29, 2013:

Kahit wala na yung mga nasa taas. 'Eto nalang:

The health and happiness of my precious ones.

 

  

   The Promise(s)

     For my 2012 end-of-year post, I wrote down 13 promises I hoped to fulfill this year. To be blunt, it wasn't effective, so this year, I'll make it simpler for myself and write just one promise. Here it is:

I promise to live my life to the fullest, which means I shall live a healthy life because I deserve it, I shall not be afraid to try and learn new things, and I shall love others and myself without expectation and condition.

I hope you had a good 2013. Happy New Year, everyone. I'm looking forward to 2014 with you. 

^_^ 

A/N: I have been writing this post even since mid December, and there have been several things that happened since then. This is one of the most significant: Right now, one of the friends I've mentioned in this blog post, Ate Joanne Oliveros, is recuperating from surgery. If you're one of my friends who believe in God, then please pray for her. Regardless if you're a believer or not, I hope to ask for your assistance. Ate Joanne is in for a long recovery and she needs all the help she can get.

Let us start the New Year right, everyone. Time and people are precious, after all.