I remember the last day of 2010 crying in bed because I was alone at home while my family is spending New Year's Eve out of town. I may have been lonely on the first few days of 2011 but over all it has been a good year and there's so much to be thankful for.
January. Mom's family from the States spent the whole month of January here in the Philippines. I got to spend quality time with my cousins who I haven't seen for years. There were reunions, out of towns, dinner outs, etc. For that, I am really thankful. It is rare for us cousins to bond because we live thousand miles away from each other.
February. We went to Singapore for our annual family out of the country trip. There may be inisan during the trip but nothing beats family bonding abroad.
March. My favorite month which also happens to be my birth month. I spent it with family and stayed in Sofitel overnight.
April. Summer is incomplete without a trip to beach. So I tagged along with my sisters and their friends and went to Anilao. This beach trip is special because it was my first time to cliff dive and fall into the coral rich waters of Anilao and being careful not to get bruises by hitting the corals.
May. Another beach trip but with my officemates this time. Last week of May was not a good idea to go to Anawangin in Zambales because of big waves and typhoons. We were supposed to spend a night in Anawangin but there was a typhoon coming. We didn't let that ruin our trip and spent the night in Subic instead.
June. My good friend Yeye and I went to Iloilo to see the famous sandbar in the town of Concepcion. This trip brought me closer to nature as there was no supply of electricity and water in the island but we had the whole island to ourselves.
July. Another out of town trip with the family to a place where we didn't want to leave. The first weekend of July was spent in Siquijor where the beaches were all postcard worthy.
September. To celebrate my sister's 20th, the whole family went to Malapascua to witness how gorgeous the beach is at the Northern side of Cebu.
September. To celebrate my sister's 20th, the whole family went to Malapascua to witness how gorgeous the beach is at the Northern side of Cebu.
October. Mom's and Wowa's birthdays. Two surprises for the two lovable ladies in the family.
November. I've been praying for November to come sooner because it has been a longtime dream to see with my own eyes how picturesque the Petronas Twin Towers are. I've experienced many firsts during this trip like traveling with friends, missing the flight, staying in a hostel and meeting a lot of interesting people whom I share the same passion - traveling. It's during this time that I realized how I want to explore, get lost, learn other cultures and meet many interesting people.
December. Every weekend of this month was spent at the beach catching up on my sleep, eating a lot or doing nothing but still enjoying. One weekend was spent with college friends when I invited them over for some catching up and quality time.
I will never ever forget 2011 because of all the lessons and experiences I learned, places I have been, people I met, traveled and spent time with. For that, I'm really really grateful. Looking forward to a more fruitful year ahead.
