I am currently in a maze. Three hours left to 2017 and I am supposed to complete a year-ender blog entry. 2016 isn't really favorable to most netizens who expressed anxiety over the death of several notable celebrities from Muhammad Ali to Prince to Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds ...and even the World's Oldest Panda named Pan-Pan. Re-counting my own, here are a sum of how 2016 went for me.
Corporate Life.
I was promoted on the last quarter of 2015 to Talent Acquisition Supervisor. While there were major adjustments when it comes to leading people, handling tasks, 2016 brought more headaches (negatively speaking) and more learning experiences (to put it positively).
Our Company acquired another BPO company so there were several changes to the process. Despite the change, we met our new sites' Leadership Team - who are all awesome.
You lose some, you gain some. Some of our accounts pulled out due to varying reasons and yet we gained newer programs to replace what we have lost. Our beloved Boss resigned (sad) and we gained new leaders for a time.
I worked with young, vibrant and competent folks -- incredible people who made our team's goal happen.
Outside the four corners of our corporate lives, we bonded over beer, over Korean food, out of town, out of the usual grind. Who can ever forget our summer outing to Nasugbu Batangas, overnight stay at Linden Suites, Talent Acquisition night at Metrowalk where we met our counterparts from Lipa and Alphaland, cocktail drinks with our HR VP at the top of Seda Hotel - a trip which was followed by a fun, fun night.
Four Weddings & Then Some.
We witnessed four couples plunge into eternity with their Beloved Ones.
We attended a Baby Shower and some adorable nieces / nephews enjoy their 1st Birthday Parties.
Getting Lost In Between Chapters.
Moving out of college and starting my corporate life, I would say that I haven't been picking up books to read. Well I bought Maitena and Garfield - both are comic books which you can toss after indulging on it for a couple of minutes. Magazines piled up and are eventually disposed because they tend to take up too much space.
This year saw me grabbing books like The Girls With All The Gifts, Emma Donogue's Room, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Haruki Murakami's Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki And His Years of Pilgrimage and Wanga's My Heart And Its Other Black Holes.
Health Is Wealth.
One theme: Unsuccessful Diet. Another dietary pattern: Seefood (I eat when I see food). I tried GM Diet for five days (pfft) and had meals delivered in my office hoping to maintain 2000 worth of calorie intake. I went back to doing yoga for a week but due to schedule conflict, I slipped out of the activity again.
I stopped my food deliveries when I fractured my ankle and had to rest for a week. I suffered from gastritis too and was an outpatient at one point. I didn't really limit myself to a strict diet but I veered away from coffee, soda and milk for a time until I can slip a glass or two without any pain. I still can't handle wine though (boo).
Wanderlust Mode On.
I have travelled a lot this year. More probably more than I ever did during the past years. Intramuros - biked within the old historic walls, climbed some fortresses, entered some museums. Baguio - we celebrated our 3rd anniversary as bf-gf in the City of Pines, toured La Trinidad, dined in a bit of style (hello, Canto, Café By The Ruins, Good Taste and the list goes on), entered the known haunted house - Laperal House, had our sketch done in Tam-Awan Village, explored Ben Cab's museum. Stilts Calatagan - enjoyed the day by the beach (the place is IG-worthy by the way). Tagaytay - we discovered a comfy place to stay in - Jeda Hotel and our tastebuds partied in Sofia's Garden. Nasugbu Batangas - we cannot get enough of the South can we? I joined BF's family when his cousin went home from the US and dipped in Kawayan Cove's Infinity Pool (pure bliss, pure heaven). Then there's Rizal's Mount Lubog - had myself hugging the muddy trail and hanging from a tree at one point when I slipped. I can't help but laugh at the experience.
Separating a paragraph for my first out of the country trip - Singapore. Best birthday by far! Saw Pandas for the first time, got a taste of how it is to walk in a pollution-free, first world country. Imagine how fun it is to celebrate my 35th birthday at the Marina Bay Sands Sky Park with the bay and the bright city lights in full view.
I may not be sipping a glass of wine, sightseeing fireworks rip the sky with vibrant colors. Still I would like to bid 2016 grateful and to give a toast to the upcoming year - 2017 - with a hopeful heart.
PS. Pictures to follow. My site is acting up. Lol. Happy New Year.
