~* ONE HELLUVA LONG YEAR-ENDER POST *~

'Been seeing year-end surveys all over blogland. I combined Abbie's and Mika's year-end posts (I tweaked some questions though) for this year-end entry of mine...

What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done?
Gone reggae-dancing wearing tank tops/sleeveless tops all the time

Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yup, Ajie with her twins (one of 'em is my godchild)

What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
THE ONE

What date/s from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory?
Not too good with dates. Anyway, since I'm a big music fan (NO MUSIC, NO LIFE!), it was ecstacy for me to watch such big foreign acts like Jason Mraz, Incubus (ULTIMATE!!! BRANDON BOYD ROOOOCKS!), and Linkin Park

Okay, one date... quite recent: Dec. 4/5. Basta.

Did you suffer an illness or injury?
I will forever be asthmatic. Dang. If not that, it's upper respiratory tract infection. gaaaah. my lungs are too depressed to breathe nicely.

What was the best thing you bought?
thingS.... My Nokia 6230 kicks ass! I love personalizing it with my mp3 ringtones.
DVDs (albeit pirated mostly. so sue me.): El Crimen del Padre Amaro, My Life Without Me
CDs: Love Actually soundtrack, Maroon5's Songs About Jane
Great kikay find: Body Shop's Born Lippy strawberry lip balm

Where did most of your money go?
DVDs, CDs, prepaid internet card, books bought from Powerbooks, insane sporadic shopping splurges in Mango and Terranova, shoes, bags

What did you get really, really excited about?
CERTAIN weekend gimmicks during the latter part of the year

What song will always remind you of 2004?
You Won't See Me Crying by Passage

Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder? still a friggin drama queen
ii. thinner or fatter? thinner. huhuhu. I WANT to gain weight please!
iii. Richer or poorer? richer, I guess

What do you wish you'd done more?
Save moolah; Smiling, laughing and being genuinely happy

What do you wish you'd done less of?
Going shopping when feeling depressed; Crying and being in drama queen mode; Having my heart broken

Did you fall in love in 2004?
I think that's why I AM like THIS now.

What were your favorite TV programs?
Sex and the City (I will always be a fan of the Aidan, Big and Berger - Carrie stories), Punk'd, Amazing Race (I had a crush on Colin and Brandon!), That 70's Show (Ashton's adorable but I am strangely attracted to Wilmer Valderama after seeing how hot he is when he is NOT being loser "Fez" (sp?) )

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No. But wonderfully, I DON'T hate now this someone whom I hated last year.

What was the best book you read?
By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho

What were your great musical discoveries?
my beloved AKAfellas, Brownman Revival, Stonefree, Maroon5

What were your favorite films of this year?
Before Sunset, Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason, Love Actually, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, My Life Without Me, 50 First Dates (some of these are probably not 2004 films but I got to watch them this year)

What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I think I just blogged my miseries that day I turned 26 (CHECK MY APRIL 2004 ARCHIVE). I remember my birthday song was Alicia Keys' If I Ain't Got You. Oh, but at least there's a happy part... I went to the 'fellas' gig in the now closed-down Dish in Power Plant. Teena, Lucia, Mika were with me that night. And holy cow, Robi and the rest of the guys called me and my co-birthday celebrant Maika to the stage that night. And therefore, my birthday song that night was a makabagbag-damdaming Bongga Ka Day. *bow*

Who/what kept you sane?
My Forces of Nature gals: Abbie, Charo, Tin, Mitzi and Ivy; blogging; the AKAfellas gigs and the Brownman Revival gigs at Xaymaca; my drama queen soundtrack CDs/mp3s

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Brandon Boyd, Gael Garcia Bernal and his art films, Scott Speedman

What political issue stirred you the most?
I am shamefully apathetic. So sue me.

Who do you miss?
Right NOW? Ask my Forces gals, they'll give you one name.

Who was the best new person you met?
personS: the AKAfellas, the AKAkadas

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004:
Love with caution.


****PLACES:

PLACE YOU HUNG OUT MOST IN THIS YEAR: most of the time I vegetated in my room in front of my PC; Dish; Xaymaca

FAVORITE NEW PLACE YOU DISCOVERED: Xaymaca

FAVORITE VACATION SPOT FOR THE YEAR: Plantation Bay, Cebu


****PEOPLE:

PERSON WHO TAUGHT YOU A LOT THIS YEAR: Abbie

AN OLD FRIEND YOU REDISCOVERED THIS YEAR: Kaloy

PERSON WHO TOLD YOU THE NICEST THING ABOUT YOURSELF: my AKAkada friends who said that I'm a sweet person in their Friendster testimonials to me. I am actually surprised coz I didn't really consider myself to be sweet!

PERSON WHO DID SOMETHING REALLY GREAT FOR YOU AND WHAT: Abbie will always back me up and cover my ass whenever I stupidly fall in/out of love.

PERSON YOU SPENT THE MOST TIME WITH THIS YEAR: the AKAkadas in the early part of the year; my sister during our reggae Friday nights during the latter part of the year

PERSON YOU DID SOMETHING REALLY GREAT FOR AND WHAT: hmm. my drama queen answer would be: the person(s) whom I love(d) and silently suffered for.

SOMEONE YOU WISHED YOU TALKED TO THIS YEAR: Maco

SOMEONE WHOM YOU STARTED A GREAT NEW FRIENDSHIP WITH THIS YEAR: the AKAkadas: Teena, Tere, Mika, June, Sybil, Lucia, Hogi, Peachy, Mic, Rommel, Kuya Baloux, Glenda, Anne, Sarah, Arlene; the AKAfellas (more of Robi, Reubs, Pau, Jhett)

OLD ENEMY/S YOU MADE PEACE WITH THIS YEAR: "Peace na kami DAPAT dba?" quote from last night ;)

SOMEONE YOU LOST THIS YEAR: gaaah. How can you lose someone who was never yours in the first place?

PERSON/S YOU KISSED THIS YEAR: ayayayay.

PERSON WHO MADE YOU LAUGH THE MOST: Tin during our YM chats; DJ Myke and his crazy antics onstage

PERSON WHO MADE YOU CRY: two guys for ALMOST the same reason

****STUFF:

CLOTHING ITEM YOU WORE THE MOST THIS YEAR: hello, business attire 5 days a week. gaah. 3/4 sleeves, cardigan and tank tops, butt-clingy pants;)

NICEST PRESENT YOU GOT THIS YEAR: 64MB i-omega USB flash drive whatchamacallit from my officemate

FAVORITE SONG FOR THE YEAR: She Will Be Loved by Maroon5

COOLEST EVENT OF THE YEAR: Incubus' A Crow Left Of the Murder tour- Manila leg

NEW HOBBY YOU PICKED UP THIS YEAR: digital photography and Adobe Photoshop brushin'

FAVORITE FOOD OF THE YEAR: The Original Jamaican patties (beefy tomato or beefy mushroom)... the one in old Greenbelt

****LESSONS

WISEST THING YOU DID THIS YEAR: stuck to my work and delivered my best; saved a bit; did not go into a relationship just for the sake of having one

STUPIDEST THING YOU DID THIS YEAR: i'm always a hopeless romantic. i'm a stupid slave of love. i fall in love easily and I love too deeply. ay such drama!

BIGGEST CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE THIS YEAR: I think I've learned to be braver... I guess I deal with emotional stuff now better than last year. older and wiser as they say...

BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF THE YEAR: controlling my spending and trying to be "financially-responsible"

SOMETHING YOU LEARNED THE HARD WAY: that sometimes, when men go into their so-called caves, they never come back. they're not always like a rubber band that comes back to you after spending time away from you. So much for the MARS AND VENUS theories :(

GREATEST LESSON/S YOU LEARNED THIS YEAR ABOUT:
A. LOVE –Loving someone can be such a battle but you should know what you're getting into in the first place. Thus, you should be prepared to fight, to surrender, to be broken, to be scarred.

B. LIFE – Not all Delamar wants, Delamar gets. Same here!

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR: the non-existent, lifeless love life *LOL*

BIGGEST BLESSING OF THE YEAR: my friends - for the emotional support

BIGGEST THING YOU DISCOVERED ABOUT THE WORLD: that the world doesn't stop for your grief sistah!

BIGGEST THING YOU DISCOVERED ABOUT PEOPLE IN GENERAL: music can bring people together!

To my dear friends (old and new), I'll always be thankful for you are a blessing in my life. Each of you has a purpose in my life --whether grand, life-altering lessons or simple little things... you have been a part of my 2004 and I hope we'll all remain friends for all the years to come... :)