Filipino Sojourner: New Year

Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts

2016 in Summary: What A Year That Was!

It is the last day of A.D. 2016!

This only means that it is the best time to publish the obligatory year-end post where I will look back to the year that was.

The Obligatory Year-End Post

2016 is the year when my second child – our Little Samantha – came to us and filled our home with fun.

2016 is the year where my firstborn – our Little Samuel – has plenty of milestones. Our little boy is learning fast and he is advancing to the delight of his Lolo and Lola.

2016 is the year when this blog went to the backburner due to my busy days as a Father, Husband, Employee. The office-stress and the sleepless nights when caring for our children took a toll to my creativity. The result is almost-a-year-long Writer’s Block. I only published 24 blog posts, which is the lowest since I started blogging in 2007.

2016 is the year when I withdrew from other activities like my involvement with pro-life groups because I focused most of my energy in taking care of the family.

2016 is the year when I started my journey for financial freedom. I purchased a life insurance which I hope will help my family save and grow our money. I don’t trust life insurance companies in the past because of the issues with CAP and other pre-need insurance firms but a good friend convinced me to think otherwise.

2016 is the year when I finally finished my post about my adventures in Thailand. This is a major achievement for this blog since I was posting about Thailand since 2012. It took me four years! Now I wonder when can I post about my adventures in Malaysia, Indonesia, and other great places around the Philippines.

That’s the highlight of my 2016. I do hope that we will see each other again next year.

P.S.

Special thanks and mentions to the following bloggers to this blog who is always present in the combox.

Arthur Wee (a.k.a. Suitapui)

Arvin U. de la Peña
Jonathan
Lux G.
Milton Coyne (a.k.a. Bluedreaamer)
Nancy Chan
Steve

Thank you also to all of my suki (and those who are shy to leave a comment) and subscribers to this blog. Please continue patronizing my blog and I do hope that you start to leave comments next year.

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Read all of my twenty-four blog posts for 2016

January

Exploring Ayutthaya Historical Park (Part 5): Gruesome Skeletons of Portuguese Village

Exploring Ayutthaya Historical Park (Part 6): Good Bye Old City of Siam

Trying Something Different at Sunigbaan

February

Family Time at Nuvali Park in Laguna

Nothing Special at Uncle Cheffy Nuvali Park
The Issue of Tipping and Service Charge at Filipino Restaurants

March

Visita Iglesia 2016: The Ruins of the 400-Year Old Church of Vinzons, Camarines Norte
And We Will Call Them Sam-Sam

June

Malunggay Wars! TaiChi vs Natalac vs Mega Malunggay
The Return of Ishmael (I Hope)

July

Happy Toothbrushing Time with Tiny Fangs
5 Reasons Why Bangkok is Better than Manila

August

Enroute to Manila: Waiting A Little in Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok)
The Bear is Going Home
The Daddy Chronicles: 13 Things that Your Toddler Can Do that You Can't

September

It’s Cebu Again for the Nth Time!
A Foretaste of Cebu in Mactan Cebu International Airport

October

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 1): My Boat Ride Under the Bridges of Mactan Channel

November

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 2): Finding Consolation in Consolacion Church
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 3): Feasting on Consolacion’s Fresh Talaba
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 4): Bagacay Point Lighthouse

December

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 5): The Mysterious Church of Lilo-an
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 6): The Colorful Lighthouse of Lilo-an
#PaskuhanSaLRT1: Riding the Christmas Train to Carriedo
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I'm Back

(Source: Akinesis)

I am back to the blogging world and I'm just in time for the sparkly New Year.

It has been one month since my last post here in BTES. ONE MONTH!!! Imagine that.

I just intended to be gone for two weeks but December proved to be a busy month for me.

The visa that I am holding right now requires me to leave Thailand after three months' stay. So, I went back to the Philippines for a short vacation.

It was a happy homecoming because I saw my family and, of course, my Beloved. It was an exhausting vacation too. I was so tired that I became paralyzed by fever on my first day here in Thailand.

Thank God that the fever is gone.

By the way, I want to greet each and every one of you a...
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(Source: Lucky WP)

I hope that you welcomed AD 2013 with much rejoicing in your heart. I, on the other hand, welcomed the new year away from my love ones. It is my first time to experience this and it is sad...

...but it is not good to dwell on loneliness.

Today is a new day of the new month of the new year, which means that today is the day of hope and fresh beginnings. Today is also the day of gratitude and looking back at 2012, I can see that I have lot of things to thank for.

For this blog, I am thankful for those who were with me for all of these years. These people are the so-called “old faces”, who kept on commenting on my posts. Thank you very much:

Suitapui the Food Enthusiast

Arvin the Poet

Tin (a.k.a The Average Jane)

Foong the Panda

Anney the Artist

Tine Maarteh

Milton “Bluedreamer” Coyne

Tom Sower

Ate Faye

Rommel “Diamond” Diamante

Nortehanon

Fish O'Fishie

Lover of Pink Cookies

Patty Tappy

I hope that all you continue to being the “old faces” on this blog for this year. Your comments are the spice of my blog posts.

I am also thankful for the “new faces” that I met on this blog just last year. These people are:

Unsugarcoated Reviewer

I hope that all of you turn into “old faces” on this blog.

The people that I met here on my blog is just the tip of the iceberg. I met many people on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Some these people became my friends even if they don't know my face and just know me by my pen name “Ishmael Ahab”.

The friendship that I built with these people made me wonder at the mystery of relationships. How did I gain the trust of these friends whom I haven't met personally. I will contemplate on this next time. What matters now is that our Lord gave me the blessing of friendships with these people.

Let me say, once again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May all you have blessed AD 2013. May you grow, not only in prosperity, but in faith. May you have good health of both the body and the soul. And may you gain more friends so that at the end of this year you can say that you had “gained precious gems and treasures.”

Looking Back and Looking Forward

There is a reason why the first month of the year is named after the Greek god Janus. He is the only god that has two faces that enable him to look to the past and to the future. January is the month when we still remember the events of the past year. It is also the month that we have no choice but to move forward to rest of the year.
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It is just few hours before 2011 gives way to 2012. This day is the perfect moment to look back to what happened to the topsy-turvy events of this year.

2011 is a memorable year for me. I have met a lot of people, either online or offline, and some of them became my good friends. This is also the year when I clashed with many people when it comes to controversial issues like the RH Bill. Clashing with other people online helped improve my debating skills. The divisive issue also helped me know where some of my friends and readers are coming from. Unlike the last year, I am not alone in these battles. I have met so many like-minded people who understand how destructive the proposed law is. This is also the year when God poured in so much of His grace for the sake my of my spiritual well-being. There were times when I see everything bleak and hopeless but my God is persistent in pulling me out of the hole I put myself into.

2011 is also the year when this blog grew to “epic” proportions. My blog only has less than a hundred visitors per day last year. The numbers of visitors grew to around 300 to 500 per day readers this year. The increase in number of visitors resulted to an increase of income for me. My income from Google Ads improved and I get more paid posts. Thanks to all the visitors who dropped by my blogs. I do hope that they got the information that they are looking for.
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More important to one-time visitors of this blog are my suking readers who constantly comments to my posts. Special mention should be given to:

Suitapui who is known for posts of yummy foods that usually makes my mouth water.
Anney who is the master in making art works our of foods.
The diligent student Steve.
The always-hiding-behind-the-panda-face Foong. :-)
Dear maarteh and makulit Tine Rojas.
The super-mother Mommy Einz.
Ate Faye of Hollands.
Caroline Ng May Ling who always gives me ideas on the latest beauty trends.
Kuya Diamond in deserts of Middle East.
My good friend Frumpy Mom.
Blogger extraordinaire Bluedreamer.
The not-so-average Tin, who I first knew as the Average Jane.
The food blogger Pinkcookies.
The super-pogi Sendo and Jag.
The poetic Arvin.

Thank you very much for constantly visiting. You all made my blog filled with comments. Of course there are constant readers who don't leave any comments. Well, thank you very much for constant visits. Hope to hear from you in 2012.

A special part of this post is to be given to my beloved, who not only accompanies me to my travel but also accompanies me in my life. She is made my 2011 so colorful (and a little bit topsy-turvy too).

Now, I have dealt with “looking back” face of Janus. Expect more colorful posts from me in the year 2012. May you continue in visiting my blogs and be with me to look forward to the future.

A blessed New Year to everyone! It is time for fireworks!

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Visit Ahab Reviews and Tips and read about Jollibee party package brochures.

Thanks 2010 and Welcome 2011

It is about 6 hours before the dawn of year 2011 as I write this post of mine. Explosions are ringing everywhere as my neighbors and other people in my hometown are blasting one firecracker after another. I am also beginning to smell the good aroma of dishes that my Mom and Dad are preparing for our Media Noche (New Year's Eve Feast). I also prepared my own arsenal of firecrackers that I will use to welcome the year 2011.

Time sure fly very fast. It is as if just a few days ago that we had our Media Noche to welcome the year 2010. Now, we are here, saying goodbye to 2010 and welcoming 2011.

2010 had been a blessed year for me and my blog. I had met new friends through my blogs and through my Facebook and Twitter accounts. 2010 had also been a great year for me in learning new things about blogging.

2010 also had been an upheaval of sorts because I got enganged in fighting for the Faith that I believe for. I stood my ground in my belief that the Reproductive Health Bill will give more problems to the Philippines than its purported benefits. I became involved deeply in the fight against the RH Bill that I always argued and argued online, specifically on Twitter and Facebook (specifically on the I Oppose the RH Bill page).

This upheaval became an eye-opener for me. An incident fomented by a Rizal-impersonator pushed me to scrutinize my conscience to delve deeply into the Faith.

I am saying goodbye to 2010 and as I say goodbye, I want to say thank you to all of my good friends that spent their time on my blog reading and commenting. Thank you very much Mariel, Ren, Ate Liza, Ate Claire, parekoy Fiel-kun, Steve, LordCM, Poorprince, Sikoletlover, Nicxter, Faye, Leah, Aenid, Ate Bev, Rommel, Unknown Psalmist, Bluedreamer, Suitapui, Pen, Mommy Tots, Xprosiac, and the super-kulit Maartehin.

I want to especially thank these people:

Kashina - my newly found friend and a good sister. Thank you very much for the trust and the friendship. I am so glad to met you and even if haven't met personally, I feel your honesty and that you really mean well to me.

I want to especially thank my friends in I Oppose the RH Bill and 100% Katolikong Pinoy page. You help me to stand up, especially during the bleak times when all of the faithful were being mocked and assaulted left, right and within.

I also want to thank my beloved for making my 2010 full of love and happiness.

Finally, I also want to thank GOD for blessing me in the year 2010.

Lord God, thank you very much for all the blessings, love, and graces that You rained upon me. I am nothing yet You love me and continue to sustain me, my family, my beloved and all of my love ones.

Thank You very much Lord for 2010 and I am sure that You will continue blessing me in 2011.

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So there my friends! Have a blessed 2011.

Be safe during the celebrations!

Hope that you keep visiting my blog in 2011.
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Losing My Childhood's New Year Celebration

It had been my personal tradition to celebrate the coming new year with firecrackers. Since I was little, I let my imagination loose and pretend that I am a soldier during New Year’s Eve. The explosion in that day is good to reinforce my imagination of upcoming battle that intensifies as the clock gets nearer and nearer to midnight. In my childish imaginings, I use the “five stars” as my hand grenade and the “kwitis” as an anti-aircraft missile. Me and my brother always build a tableau consisting of pictures of hated artistas, corrupt politicians, and anything that represent the bad things of the past year. The tableau is rigged up with various firecrackers like the “five star,” “piccolo,” and “watusi” and is burned during the midnight of New Years Eve, amidst the tirade of explosions of the coming year.

My last New Year's arsenal of firecrackers.

Those were the days. Last New Year’s Eve, I still kept my personal tradition sans the tableau and the gusto of my childish make-believes. Maybe it is because the rain dampened my mood, or maybe because I outgrew my inner child and make me enjoy the firecrackers less. My focus in the last New Year’s celebration shifted from the celebration per se but to my family that is gathered together well and complete. This makes me look at passing year as a good year because my family is still complete and still a happy one. That is what I celebrated the most in the last New Year’s celebration.

A simple New Year's Eve feast.

A Lots of Thanks and Some of That Reminiscing Too

So here we are at the edge of the year 2008, which legally warrants us to reminisce about the good old 365 days that had passed us all. Ah 2008! This year had been a good year. This year had been a bad year.

But before I leave this wondrous year (and be drowned by the memories of my year end reminiscing), let me thank few people that I believe made my 2008 wonderful. I should have thanked them in person, but I prefer to show my gratitude in secret, and this blog is perfect hiding place.

First of all, let me thank my dearest SMS ally Grace. She had been a good friend even though we hadn’t saw her for more than a year. We vowed to be the best of friends and a bestfriend she did become. For a year of our friendship, she shared her joys and tears. She is more of a sister to me and I am glad to have her as a part my personal family.

May I also thank my buddy Mark. Though I don’t treat him a close acquaintance, he had been a valuable ally in the workplace. A wonderful part of a survey crew. Without him, maybe I had gone nuts during our first ever survey. It is good to have a topnotcher in the board to be at your side.

I give thanks to my bank buddies, especially Anjo and Tasha. Thank you for letting me join your circle even though both of you are in a different department than me. Sorry, though, because I left you early. Go strong and I hope to see you both together again maybe in Goldilocks.

And they are not the only bank buddies that I have. I thank another Mark, Annie, Lenin, Raymond and the other whom I forgot the name. Thank you for standing by me during the greatest crisis in life in this year.

Hey Maria Reina, don’t think that I forgotten you. Thanks for being my newfound friend this year. Your SMS messages delight me always. Hope to have a nice talk with you again. If you ever dropped by my blog, just post me comment so that I may know. Enjoy your 2009 mixing paint mademoiselle alchemist.

I also thank my brother. His sudden transformation from an atheist to a devout catholic affected my thinking about God. He brought the Holy Spirit to my heart. May you grow in faith brother. And I am sorry for the lost readings, we failed to track the “magbobote.”

I also thank my other brother my sister, my beloved mother and the great father of mine. Thanks again for being there. Thank you very much for making our home a wonderful place to go home to.

I also thank my college batch mates and friends who accompanied me during the board exam reviews.

I also thank my Beloved. We had not seen each other for more than a year, yet she is still there. I am so glad to have someone to trust and to be trusted in return. I hope to see my beloved this year. May the Lord guide her always.

Finally, I am thanking my Lord God for giving me the blessed 365 days. Although, I betrayed Him for so many times, I know that He is still with me, my merciful and loving God. Thanks for Your patience and love. May You always guide me for another 365 days. I also thank you for coming down to us to conquer death by dying on the cross. May Your kingdom come.

Ha! That’s so few for a whole year and I bet that many people had been left out. I am sorry and I thank you all to anyone who been with this past year. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all.

So Happy New Year to all and enjoy the festivities. May all of us have a wonderful year 2009. Ingat.

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