2006 in Review: Highlights of 2006

2006. What a year it has been. I've been trying to look at previous blog entries for clues about how I thought this year was going to turn out. Keysi did mention that I said "this is going to be our year". And by "our year", I think we were indirectly referring to what remains to elude us up to this day.

Highlights of 2006...

January-February 2006, November 2006 - Four Weddings and a Debut - The Palomeras, the Eusebios, the Favises, the Castros, and Mau Mina - My wedding business did ok this year. Mostly referrals and friends. I remember the Favis-Torres wedding the best. The groom with his tear-stained cheeks and that touching speech from his mom. I did attend a couple of weddings too! Latter part of the year... Mike and Pia's wedding (beautiful wedding, and they're one of my favorite couples), Beegee and Shierwin's wedding (d best bridal shower by of course, d best maid of honor! The couple's love story... ahhh... all about certainty). A major wedding I missed - Paragua-Puno. Poo... I will miss Ate My and Erick. Now for the debut... 18th and Manhattan! Macky pulled it off! And Mau was just beaming. What a fun audience, those Assumptionistas.

Feb 2006, Welcome to the JB club, Irving! - Karina finally found her beau in the very sweet, ultra nice guy, Irving. Or as we fondly call him, P.I. (for Papa Irving). Clarity and certainty finally set in. It's nice that Maan got to meet this dude before she left. Syempre, with the Mina seal of approval. Irving and I have had several animated conversations ourselves. We both adore The Killers and Coldplay. And our baby Karina! Haha!

March 2006, Goodbye Dow, Hello MTS - After five years of project work, I was finally rolled off! Of course, there was the matter of saying goodbye, tear drop after tear drop. My new home was with MTS, a guild of Testers. I was with my peeps. I transfered to UBP in Ortigas. This gave Kars and I the chance to hang out some more. Starbucks was a 15 minute walk (quite a big diff from the usual elevator ride in 6750). The first few weeks were difficult. I was missing my old teammates and the magic that was ERP5. Life in MTS slowly became routine. And I was meeting so many new people, teaching testing concepts. I think I relived my dream of becoming a teacher.

April - June 2006 - Fontana, Bohol, Cebu, Baguio adventures with the family - Wow Philippines! It was a jam-packed villa in Fontana. All 21 of in a two bedroom villa! Wahaha! Sounds impossible? I recall playing poker, all the food we ate, and the pseudo-tan I got. Bohol and Cebu... This vacay we had with special guests Lola Juling, Tita Myrna, Nanay, and Tita Marison. I recall the very laid back 15 minutes we spent on the hammocks in front of the Bohol Beach Club. Baguio was super fun too! The road trip was a dramedy of errors! Weather was perfect. In a nutshell, time with the family is always a fabulous time.

June 2006, MBA Dreams - It was probably because of bench, the subtle cajoling of my cousin and friends, my dormant Marketing spirit, and the promise of a great change, that convinced me of my long term goal to pursue further studies. After five years in IT, I was still not completely convinced that I made the right career decision. My parents supported my new goal (a major plus), and I was pretty excited about the life which could be. I enrolled in Kaplan, but unfortunately did not finish. The months which followed tested my personal conviction. And the results of that test? Haha. Still unknown.

August 2006- Sydney, Australia - Finally, after five years of an on-shore-less track, I catch a break. We all left for Sydney July 31st and returned the 13th of September. I knew so little of the folks I went o Australia with, and that six-week-period was a bonding experience like no other. My best of Sydney blog entry summarizes my trip highlights. Off the top of my head: Ben Folds Concert, Hunter Valley, rediscovering my love for cooking, laughing till my sides hurt, magic tricks, long distance phone conversations, being thrown out of a bar! I wouldn't mind returning to Sydney for second servings. Not. At. All.



September 2006- Promotion- Being promoted is always a blessing. I had my own doubts of the career move. It was a nice way of acknowledging the efforts and time I spent working my a** off. Haha.

December 2006, Bangkok - Trip tres to the land of shopping and the best cuisine in all of Asia! Haha! My partner in crime, Keysi and I flew to Thailand the first week of December. It was surreal, because both of us were super busy with work, and we could hardly believe we were going to BKK again. Everything was super familiar! And it was amazing how we still remembered the nooks and crannies, ins and outs, of the shopping districts. Things we did differently... Visit Khao San Road (hello hotties!), the Grand Palace (Oh. It was quite a hot day then!), and finally get an authentic Thai massage.




December 2006 - Christmas - Christmas is always a fun time! I look forward to Christmas every year. Meeting up with old friends, going out with new ones. Eating until the pants' buttons pop out. Giving gifts. Family games and pictorials. I think Christmas 2006 might have been one of the more hectic Christmases in more recent personal history. I wish I had more time to relax. Hehe. I had a blast hanging out at Ate Love's newly renovated Casa Marias home. The Tanquilut Family reunion at home was a hoot. MIS Block Dinner! Old friends. What a hoot.



I think I said this in one of my previous entries. Life doesn' turn out the way you think it would. Not exactly. Sometimes that's not such a good thing, and other times, it is. 2006 surprised me in a lot of ways. It was year of change and progression. Some digression. But progression as a whole. I think I ended the year with a lot to think about. A couple more things still hanging. I do hope to resolve my uncertainties as 2007 progresses. Made a lot of new friends. Got to know some awesome people better. Kept my old friends close.

I did pray for a better year (2006). It was. Most definitely. As compared to 2005. I continue to pray that 2007 will be an even better year. I hope it surprises me with a few fast balls. I hope I surprise myself!

**I'll post more pics soon**