Looking Back: 2006

My colleague said that 2006 was a good year for those who were born on the year of the pig, myself included. She claimed that contrary to popular belief, it's a not-so-good year for you when it's your year. So you might as well grab all the blessings that come your way because when it will be your turn, fate will not be on your side. I am not a believer of astrology and horoscopes, but let me take this opportunity to look back and check if 2006 has indeed been an above average year for me.

Here are the things that I did in 2006:

* Swam in an almost freezing river

* Went spelunking, 4 caves in one afternoon

* Bungee jumped. It's one of the most thrilling moments of my life. Imagine having to conquer your fear of heights, control your bladder from too much nervousness, convince yourself that you're not hitting the roof, and keep from cussing because of the presence of children -- all in a rough 15 minute fast yoyo ride. Whew!

* Snorkelled & aqua biked in the middle of South China Sea

* Rode an airplane for the first time. And ALONE. I am a natural jetsetter. Haha!

* Went to Boracay. My social status is now elevated by a tinge. Sosyal na, pa-bora-boracay na lang. Haha! I am not so surprised why it's famous. It is indeed a beach lover's paradise. And being a natural but tame jologs, I never enjoyed seeing much celebrities in my entire life. The song "I knew I loved you before I met you" kept ringing in my head when I saw Borgy Manotoc and Marc Nelson, oh and Richard Gutierrez too! Fate will make a way to make you guys mine. Haha!

* Ok, call me whatever you like, but I always dreamt of lying on the sands of a clean beach staring at the stars and having sensible conversation with somebody. I can't believe I didn't do it with any of my ex's! Well we preferred doing other things back then. Anyway, good thing I did it with my two close girl friends last April, and I say it's worth the wait. It's still as magical as I imagined. Looking forward to doing it again.

* Braved a strong water current. Picture yourself in a hollywood movie with a bursting dam and you run for your life. Well not that scary but something to that effect. Kala mo naman... Haha!

* Went to Putipot Island, a small nice island south of Zambales. It is like Boracay without commercialism.

* Played with a gay guy's nipples 10 x a day. Nothing special. He's still gay.

* Turned down a scholarship to Spain. I had to. Waaah!

* Went to work overseas. I think this is the most important thing that happened to me in 2006. It started a new phase of my life - a phase filled with struggles and successes. And I never regretted it. I guess I never will. Bitches and assholes may abound and challenge me everyday, but what's life without them? They may say bad things to me every 5 seconds, but do I really have to care? Well they bother me at times. But when I fight back, it's really a breaking moment -- confidence at an all time high. A colleague yelled at me saying she hates me right to my face (she meant it, fyi), and I said plainly "The feeling is mutual".

* Went to China alone. Amazing Race should hold an "Amazing Race China". It's really a challenge to get by in China. I am sure it will be one hell of race. They do not speak English, not even their hotel receptionists. But my Chinese tiangge experience will always be memorable. I never thought that you can haggle by writing.

* Painted my very own plate! This was when I visited our ceramics factory. Guys, please be careful with the ceramics at your home. Producing a plate is really a laborious task.

* Bad experience: got interrogated by very unfriendly HK immigration officials. I opine that they are the most self-centered people in the world. They see themselves as gods prying on a helpless lowlife. My experience was like a dramatization of the local movies where policemen torture a suspect and make him admit something -- minus the big light.

* Lived in a standard ladies' dormitory. I used to call them "filthy and inhuman bunkers". I still do. (Sorry Dette and Reah!) But I'll never regret staying there for 6 weeks. It's where you form true friendships. Having the best roomies make you forget the filth and hopelessness.

* Tried Hotpot dining...in China

* Cried on a Nora Aunor song. Curse me! It's the natural sentiment of a Filipino expat. We're not called Modern day heroes for nothing.

* Realized that two hot people in a room all by themselves do not necessarily equate to a kiss then eventually make out like in movies. It's like one in a million chance! Believe me, I learned it the hard way. Or I'm just not slutty enough. Haha!

* Went sightseeing in Hong Kong. I do not have to enumerate them, do I?

* Went hiking with Chinese acquaintances. I braved the 2nd highest peak in HK. I will conquer the highest soon, I swear!

* Went EB with two PEXers. They are my good friends now. I used to believe that looking for a meaningful relationship online is for desperate people only. Well it can be dangerous, but if you know how to handle things, you can still meet interesting people.

* Skywalked Macau Tower. Refer to my previous post.

* Become a meantime girl for somebody who used to be yours. Pero ikaw pa rin ang mas mahal nya. Sad. But ending everything was one of the best things I did in 2006.

* I almost forgot the treadmill accident!

* Different types of yoga, jazzdance and meditation classes

* I can't believe I haven't mentioned yet about almost getting arrested by HK police! To make the story short: My window fell when I was closing it, caused damaged property, and almost killed somebody.

* Watched an International Ballroom Dancing competition. Such a bore. Give me back my 200 dollars!

* Ruined two phones in 5 seconds

* Saved enough money to shoulder my sister's and mother's trip abroad. I am broke now.

* Made a blog. I never liked writing. I was almost deprived of my grade school medals because I made senseless and bad sulating pormal and formal theme. Things change. Having nobody (physically) to share your experiences makes you a wanna-be writer.

I will edit my post if I remember more 2006 moments. Overall, it is a very good year for me. A few misfortunes came my way, but blessings outnumbered them.

So I'm fine if 2007 will be a bad year. It's just the 2nd week of January and I'm starting to feel the curse. Darn. But that's how life is -- sometimes you get your fair share, sometimes you don't.