My kind of 2013 = A mixture of Sugar, Spice, and everything Nice.

My kind of 2013 = A mixture of Sugar, Spice, and everything Nice.

In less than an hour (GMT+8), we'll enter a new year full of expectations, goals, and reflections. 2013 has both been good, not-so-good, and life-changing for me. This was also probably the year where I updated my blog lesser than all the other years, because I was actually LIVING in it. Life has been busier and I had less time/energy to blog even if I wanted to. After all the progress I made with my photoblog, I suddenly fell into MIA status. Which may left some of you, my dear viewers (if there are any) thinking, "What's up? No more updates?" Well, let me recap this once and for all, with the main events that are worth sharing. Click "read more" below! (Loooong post ahead!) =)

BTW, I'm hoping to be back for good! Even if it means once/twice-a-week post!

I don't really celebrate the New Year's, but let's all say Hello 2014 in a few minutes!

January

• Immersion. 
  • My life as an ongoing student nurse occupied most of the first quarter of the year. The immersion helped me to realize a lot about the simplicity of life.
• I had my 2nd car accident since I got my license. This was a major one, which costed (almost) my life, if not for my slow speed. A truck full of hens cut my lane as I was about to turn right on the corner and... the rest was history. (I had trauma for almost a month that time.)
• Duties in special areas such as San Lorenzo Hospital, Philippine Heart Center and the like.
• Fed my photography-camera hunger with pre-loved Film cameras!

February

• Duties still piled up!
• Since my car couldn't be used for a while, I had to share with my mom's. I slowly overcame my fear of driving alone....and parking! Come on, every student driver hates parallel parking, LOL.

March

• We finally finished the line-up of duties!
• Grand Case Presentation for the whole batch.
• Went on a 3-day vacation in Singapore and Malaysia with the fambam...to visit, well, their amusement parks. LOL

April

• Registered for PRC Board Exams with my batchmates.
• Practice and the actual Clinical and Academic graduation! YEEY.
• Had my 3rd (yet 2nd major) car accident :(. This time, it happened a few hours before my Academic grad. I was next in line for my hair and make-up at a salon when the guard outside told me that someone bumped their car on mine.... :'( I later found out that the driver lives on the same subdivision as mine so I got her contact details to talk later since I have a grad to catch.
• My batchmates and I started our gruesome In-house review in Tagaytay (which lasted until May!)

May

• My family goes on vacation to USA...without me T^T! I was stuck inside our review "home" that time.

 I realized that life is worth living if you have the right people around you <3

June

• I took the dreaded  2-day PNLE. =,=
• My life as an unemployed bummer starts here. I do errands every now and then.
• Renewed my passport
• Had occasional hang-outs with friends. My social life is back!
• Bataan trip 2013 with parents :)

July

• JOY - that feeling when I saw my name on the passer's list. :D Had Thanksgiving gathering 2 weeks later.
• Started taking up trainings.
• Reunion with some of my High school buddies (both locals and foreigners)
• I committed myself to becoming a sharer of the Good News, and started giving free Bible Studies :)

August

• Oath Taking and PRC License Registration.
• Reunions continue.
• Invited to be a judge at my High school alma mater's Nutrition Event.
• Faced Habagat rains... even during training in Imus =,=
• Training in Tagaytay.

September

• A close family friend's daughter, who's also a good friend of mine, came to visit the Phils from USA. She joined our ministry service and goes to Taiwan for ministry volunteering.
• Hong Kong - Macau trip with two of my college buddies. It was my first trip (overseas) without my parents or any guardian. The experience was unforgettable. We had good laughs, heavy luggages, were lost in the crowd, went to see attractions and up in towers, saw the spectacular "House of Dancing Water" show, and watched international pyrolympics for free :))

October

• The month I turned another year older.
• My piano was tuned again after so many years!
• I've started to enjoy the company of my fellow brothers and sisters in the ministry.
• My PRC license was delivered  *-*
• 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Bohol and other parts of Visayas. Thanks to Jah that my relatives were safe and sound.

November

• Typhoon Yolanda hits the Philippines :(
• Processed my car's 5 KM check-up. Yeah, I have so little mileage for a 1-year old car.
• I've started to enjoy the company of my fellow brothers and sisters in the ministry.
• I visited my dad's hometown in Butuan and Bunawan, Agusan del Sur with him, and brought home a puppy *^_^*

December

• My dad's Stroke Attack. This was probably the most challenging event that my family and I had so far. We never anticipated him to have that attack after having a great dinner. It happened at midnight, while sleeping. It was a good thing that he woke up, and we rushed him immediately to the hospital.
• Everything changed since then. Even though he regained movement with his left side, we had to monitor and keep him in check. He had to drop a few cases and stay at home, too. We were so thankful for the concerns of family and friends. 
• South Korea Winter trip 2013. A week before this event, dad's attack happened. We were torn between staying at home with dad or to go to Korea. The promo tickets were non-refundable and too big of a waste so we decided to just continue it...without dad. A few of my relatives from Butuan were more than happy to stay with dad while we were away.
• My first with snoooow! I had a great week's stay while we were in Korea. It's as if I'm a kid again with all the white fluffiness. I laid down and danced with the snow. I just had to scratch that off my bucketlist! But then again, it didn't help that the temperature were all in negatives. brrr, it was too cold hahaha. 
• The whole trip helped me to de-stress. My good friend Lea of antiherstamine once told me that "travelling can be a form of soul-cleansing". I proved that it was true.
• Reunion with my H.S. group FINALE buddies before the year ends in Tagaytay :D Had catch-ups with pizzas, good laughs and sweet Starbucks :))

I know that others still had it worse, but I think that I had a fair share of good and bad vibes this year. Even with all the ups and downs, I still consider myself blessed and thankful. I had my family, relatives and friends who were there to play along when I'm up, and cheer me up when I'm down. But most of all, Jehovah God was there, even in my darkest moments when I can talk to nobody but Him. "Jehovah is close to the brokenhearted; He saves those who are crushed in spirit." - Psalms 34:18

To everyone who has been with me, be it in person or in my photoblog and blog, Thank you!  I look forward to spending another year with new experiences and goals. I hope you do, too. Stop and think for a minute: Even if life gets dull, life still MOVES on. Challenges are bound to happen. What we can do is to cope up with them. There are things that you can still be thankful for. 

P.S. this was probably the longest and most personal entry I've ever posted.