2023 is finally the year where I can at least say that my life is back on track, after the uncertainty brought by the pandemic. And what a year it had been! It started off hectic, what with January being my birth month and all (which meant birthday parties on all 4 weekends), maintained its rhythm as the year progressed, and rounded up SOOO hectic again. But I loved it ; I loved it all! This is how my years are supposed to be spent: tiring and downright challenging, but with so much payoff.
If I were to talk of any personal growth, I suppose I have grown so much this year given that I was taught by the best kind of teacher for someone like me. You know, the no-choice-but-to-deal-with-it kind. See, I have always been good at deflecting, which is a defense mechanism, or so I've been told. But this year, this option was not available because I couldn't influence the involved variables any longer. It turned out for the better, right now at least. We'll see later on. Let the future me handle it when the situation changes again. Hmm. I digress. My 2023 had been pretty eventful. I've reconnected with my grade school best friends in a far off place (the other part of the world, literally) and it comforts me to know that our dynamic has not changed despite subsisting only on the perfunctory exchange of birthday greetings this past decade ; some of my favorite persons have visited me in Manila including my favorite Ambassador whom I've last seen in 2017 and one of my college favorites, my Budabestie ; my closest friends from work have left, but completely understandable given that I was involved in their planning before they left ; my regular meet-ups with my college and High School best friends ; and all other social gatherings I attended this year. And they're quite a lot since I made it a point to limit my Sorry-can't-attend declines. All in all, I've been pretty out and about this year.
I've been on 7 trips abroad this year, 10 roundtrip flights including local in-country trips (for a total count of 63 days. I'm not sure how I was able to get away with it at work too hmm) but let me share a few photos from the 3 ones that involved the most planning: the 2wk trip in Japan (Tokyo and Fujiyoshida) last March, 2.5wks in Australia in June/July (Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Sydney), and the almost 4wks in Canada (Calgary, Banff/Lake Louise, Vancouver, and Canmore) in November.
I flew to Japan to attend my friend's graduation from her PhD degree in Economics. And what a feat! She's earned it before turning 30. Her parents, probably too tired from all of her graduation ceremonies, couldn't make it but as someone who gives importance to every milestones thus they all must be properly celebrated, I couldn't let her graduate without having anyone whose reason for being there was solely her.
Plus, I really really really miss the Disney theme park so the Japan trip was perfect to accommodate it wahahaha
Winter in Canada is different from the winter in other countries plus I knew that we're going to spend at least a week exploring the Canadian Rockies so I brought along several coats in varying sizes. I haven't experienced winter in so long so I'm not sure if I can still handle the temperature as easily I've always had in the past. Besides I'm no longer the pretend Elsa who can say "the cold never bothered me anyway" because it now does. It's never happened before but it happened 2x this year that I packed mid-length dresses to be paired with long trench coats, only for me to give up mid-day and buy stockings on the spot. It's so weird. I'm really bothered by the cold now. We were supposed to celebrate Christmas 2020 in Canada, as I've mentioned in previous posts but the pandemic foiled the plan. For this year, my younger brother couldn't join us for the Holiday season as he's busy fulfilling the demands of his internship while I've pressing matters to focus on this December so we opted for the next more plausible solution, spend our November in Canada instead.
My Mom celebrated her birthday at Aria Restaurant in Sydney over a 10-course meal and their best wine while "big boy juice" in a wine glass for my 10yr old cousin who insisted to be served like the adults. My younger brother has been doing his internship in Dalby, Australia for a year now which means that we've only seen him 2x this year: when we spent 2wks over there and when he flew back to Manila last October for his 2wk birthday celebration too. He did a similar thing in the past, when our parents sent him on a year-long internship before he graduated from college but I still feel uneasy about it. I've grown up with all my family complete, with the addition of my 2 cousins and my beloved paternal Grandmother, and now, our number is being reduced because of different reasons. My brother seems to be enjoying what he's doing that I've an inkling that he'll want to extend, indefinitely this time, then there's my cousin who's due for his year-long internship too this coming April. Of course, I'm a firm believer of progress so I am supportive of anyone's conviction to go for it but at the same time, I feel sentimental about it.
And to wrap up my I'm-growing-older-and-so's-everyone-around-me post, it's quite curious how my most streamed artists on Spotify (not counting my other account which is solely dedicated to my favorite KPOP artist whom I apparently dedicated 330 days of just streaming him and his band haha) are Ed Sheeran and Imagine Dragons, specifically their albums Subtract and Mercury Acts 1&2. My favorite songs were Life Goes On and My Life respectively. Hmm. Perhaps I knew early on this year that things are changing.
Hehehe I was in Tokyo so I had to try getting that Shibuya crossing photo. Still a fail!
Oh well, my life is changing and about to enter a new phase. I'm anxious but I'm excited for it. At the end of it all, growth comes only to those who are willing to leave their comfort zones. It's difficult to leave mine because I will never run out of excuses on why I shouldn't but I know that I must do this and experience things that I would otherwise never experience, if I want to learn something new. Let's see. 2023 was SOOO good and fulfilling. Let's make 2024 an even more impactful year.
Happy New Year, friends!
