As with all years since I started my blog, here goes the year-end review of 2009.

This year didn't really start amazingly as I want or expect. With zero progress in thesis and other life aspects in general, it was as one might put, an off-year for me.

There were lots of strange things happening left and right and it seems like 2009 is one roller coaster ride after another. But amidst the darkness and hopelessness, there were bright spots in 2009. So yeah, sifting through all my LJ entries back then here goes 2009 in review.

1st Quarter Report:

Goodbye, Tatay!
The year started by saying good bye to my grandfather. He had lung problems with lots of complications and in the end, it was too much for his 97-year old body to handle. We weren't there in his final moments but we were able to say good bye during one of our visits. :(

January and February was very stressful with lots of recruitment work and Pacsiklaban training but I was able to escape all the stress because of fun-filled February weekend of theater: Sinta, Stages of Love and Zsa Zsa Zaturnah Ze Musikal Marathon. Woot!

March was a busy month with the last leg of recruitment: Open House. It turned out to be a huge success with Tito Mon as guest speaker. I loved his insights which I also shared with my Chem 12 Class. Speaking of which, they were of course another note-worthy happening in my year. But most of the happy stuff with this class really happened when I had them in Chem 22.2 something to be elaborated later. I also got my driver's license last March, so this is also the beginning of me having a car! woohoo!

Tash also had to leave early because of some family health issues and I took over her class which means I got to meet the whole BS Psy batch 2011. They were great people although not the brightest bunch. I guess, because they were my first lecture class, I felt I had to be the best when I was with them. I especially love the effort they put in the class and I guess the class attitude in general.

March was high-lighted by a new love (Elle) and letting go of someone (Joule). After a fateful weekend of supposedly fun moments, realizaiton struck me that I need to move on. Then in my moments of moping, without realizing it, I came across someone below the radar... that proved to be anything but boring and uninteresting. He is smart, adorable and a good conversationalist. We have a lot of common interests including sports, subjects and dogs haha. but all of these was thrown out of the window because of ethical issues. haha

March showered me with another theater moment with Bare the Musical by BlueRep. Haha! Winner ito, promise!

2nd Quarter Report

April started with the finalization of grades and the greatest dilemma I had was giving a failing mark. I was sort of nudged from my comfort zone and began to question myself as a teacher. For me, giving a failing grade is not simple. It means that I was branding a student for life. And with that comes a question and a reflection: have I done everything I could to help a student? Of course, with prayers and consultations with senior faculty, I was able to feel at ease with my final decision.

April and May gave me a chance to feel young again by dealing with high school kids through ChemCamp 2009. It sort of re-ignited my passion to teach. Back when I was in high school, I sort of decided of doing teaching as a profession because of both exemplary and horrible teachers. Haha I got to meet a bunch of rowdy yet inquisitive kids from different schools who still remain to be friends till now. (albeit the failed attempts at a chemcamp reunion! haha.. at tatlo lang sila nung Christmas party Kebong, Gabby and Elvis... boo Jowi!!)

However, June was somewhat weird in more ways than one. Because of the Influenza A (H1N1) virus, there were lots of adjustments that happened to the school calendar which was both a blessing and curse.

With June 2009 also came the start of a new role for me in the department as undergraduate coordinator. A lot of stress involved in this job that I don't even want to go back to it. The Boom batch just made it crazier. shet. haha But of course with a new school year also comes new students, and perhaps one highlight of the 1st sem is meeting the whole BS HSc batch of 2012. I love this class super, even if they make me crazy or at least some of them do. Haha.

June was also the Graduation Recital of my sister from the UST Conservatory of Music as a Bachelor of Music Education Major in Piano. Yey!! A musician in the family!

3rd Quarter Report

July-August-September was the weirdest quarter ever. SOSE was busy as hell because of the Philippine American Association of Scientists and Engineer (PAASE) conference in July. And because everyone was so busy with the PAASE week, Ate Mila and I were left to man the fort. It was really mild on our end I just needed to attend the Academic convocation in behalf of the other faculty who were left behind manning the PAASE. One thing good about your institution hosting a conference though is you get free food! (LOL)

August was major fail because of some boss issues. It was just frustrating and devastating that to get something like that. Shet. I just don't want to remember na lang. Also this was the time I left the church choir because I felt that there were too much issue going on with members and stuff like that. I feel that I'm not growing anymore as an artist and as a servant.

This was also the quarter of the great exodus. Oui, Chinggay and Gilbert left us to pursue higher studies. David left even earlier. So yeah, lack of teachers, good thing we had new additions the following sem! Yey! ADMUChem-Europe! ADMUChem-Japan! ADMUChem-NorthAmerica! WE MISS YOU ALL!! (susunod na si Carole....=()

Then came rolling was September with supposedly lots of promise. Ateneo got a 100% passing rate in this year's Chemistry Licensure Exam which was a major yey for the department! Then Ateneo placed 1st runner up in the UAAP CDC which was also a major break through haha. And it couldn't have been any better because each week with my Chem 22.2 guys was just something I look forward to. However, with September came to saying good bye to Ate Mila who has been a trusty Department Secretary to us. I would surely miss her and her nagging because without it, walang direction ang Department. Ate Mila! WE LOVE YOU!! Also as September was ending I almost did something stupid which coincidentally came alongside with Typhoon Ondoy.

Because of the devastation caused by Typhoon Ondoy, I was sort of a refugee at the Ateneo for a month.

4th Quarter Report

So September ended on a sour note with Ondoy, but with this ending also came hope. I wasn't able to visit Task Force Ondoy because I was still getting my bearings with the dorm life, but since I got to finish my syllabus early and with just an optional exam left to do, that gave my students lots of time to join in and help with the University efforts of rebuilding what was left by Ondoy.

October came in fast and before I knew it Ateneo was back-to-back UAAP Champions! Woohoo! haha And also, I'm 24. Celebrated my 24th birthday with the Blue Eagle bonfire so it was fun. My blockmates and I just stayed at the dorm picnic area and chatted till early morning. They left and went to Eastwood to go drinking but I stayed behind. Over-all my birthday was fun.

With the adjustments in dorm life also came close dorm friends. I was touched with my Chem 22.2 students who went up to my room during midnight of my birthday. I don't get to talk to them much na and I miss them haha. Special shout out to Stacey! Kaira! Moy! Ren! Vino! Jovitte! Mae! Pauline! Eljohn! Lolong! Lawr! Jaycee! Audren! Khalil! Arra! Robi! Misha! AR! haha I was able to go home after 1 month of staying at the UDorm and it was refreshing to say the least to be able to sleep in my room again and yeah I did miss my family too! haha. although I would surely miss dorm life and living alone.

The second sem scheduling task wasn't also that harassing because I sort of knew what I was supposed to do (thanks Ate Mila!) So over-all the October-November transition wasn't that bad. We had a peculiar parent coming in during the enrollment period which I would not elaborate anymore because it irritates me haha but I guess, new semester = new beginnings. I got closer to the freshman batch and some seniors because of plurk and their life rants in general and my new and not-so-new students were all fun to be with (haha I got the ES majors for Ch 35!!)...

As Christmas season was winding down to December, everyone gets excited.. well everyone except me. I was in knee-deep curriculum work and not feeling all Christmas-sy with all of life's drama which is highlighted by Thesis/Work/Boss stuff. But then again, during the break I realized that I just need to choose to be happy and contented with my life and to just continue on sharing my blessings and Christmas wouldn't have lost its meaning.

Recommendations and Outlook

So as we start 2010, I still say that 2009 was indeed an off year for me. Really.. but without it I wouldn't have this treasure throve of experience and lots of good friends that I met this year. I wouldn't have met one of the greatest guys ever and of course I wouldn't have appreciated life's ups without its downs.

Outlook? well hopefully, new year means new thesis topic and hopefully, getting that elusive MS (and love life) haha. It also means I'll start to be more active and exercise more so that I lose some weight. 

So yeah, as the Rent song goes.... NO DAY BUT TODAY!

God bless everyone!

-Joe

I'm spending the new year evening without Garion (my PC) today. At around 7:00 pm, while I was playing a new game I bought from Steam called 'Trine', the monitor just blacked out and went on to 'no signal' mode. It turns out the CPU had turned off and no amount of pressing the power button could bring it back on. I'm thinking the power supply must be busted, so I'm bringing it tomorrow to Cyberzone to have it checked.

PC or no PC though, I've resolved to go on with the tradition of ending/starting the year with a post. So, for the first time, I'm writing it on the work laptop (I'm still undecided on it's name).

I think the holidays was pretty great this year, and that surprised me since I wasn't feeling the holiday spirit early on in the month - Heck, not even after the Simbang Gabi started mid-month - but all's well now ^_^ I'm not sure what put me into the mood, but I think seeing my friends when the vacation kicked in had something to do with it (Cheeese!!). That, and getting great gifts helped too XD I pretty much got the top things on my wishlist (Thanks to the people who gave them to me! *hugs you*).

All in all, I enjoyed my 2-week vacation. And I plan to make most of the 3 days I still have left. Christmas week was pretty busy. I was mostly out of the house for much of the week, meeting friends, buying gifts and also getting my driver's license (Yes, I'm now a licensed driver. Woohoo!) and then going to Lucena to visit my mom's side of the family. In contrast, New Year week was pretty laid back. I spent almost the whole week in the house watching series, playing PC games and sleeping.

The last day of 2009 was spent at home, as usual. All of us in the family are in agreement that it just doesn't feel right to leave the house empty at the turn of the year. This is the second year we're celebrating without having our own fireworks, which I think is just fine. Besides saving up on money, it also made us appreciate the fact that we're practically living on a hill. Going to the back of our house gives you a great view of the parts of our area with an elevation lower than ours (which is pretty much majority of our village and probably the 2 adjoining ones too) and all the fireworks that will be lit up there. The result is a pretty wonderful fireworks display, which we would have missed if we had our own to light up since we do that in front of our house - the side without a view.

I don't know what is it about fireworks, but watching all of the light and color burst in the sky has always made me feel a mix of emotions. It's just the sort of thing that triggers memories of the year that had passed with all its ups and downs, and at the same time leaving you giddy and inspired about the new year that has come.

Looking back, I think 2009 was the year of learning to let go. It's learning how to come to terms with the fact that things will not always stay the same no matter how much you want it to, and that's fine because these changes are the things that make us grow and move forward to become a better person. For me, letting go meant saying goodbye to a person, changing roles, and handing over the reins of my team to another. It's not easy. In fact, it's rather painful because I've given a part of myself to all of them, but I believe it's going to be all right in the end. As said in one of my favorite fics - everyone loses a piece of themselves in someone or something, and it isn’t about ever getting back that piece. It’s about coming to terms with the fact that that one piece you don’t have doesn’t make it lost. So, even if things aren't the same anymore, everything I've had to let go of will have an indelible mark in my existence.

Having said that, I'm looking forward to 2010. I think a big decision is on the way for me. It's a bit scary, because I know it will probably set how my life will go for the next few years, maybe even more. But I know I need to face it. And I know with all the people who love me and support me, I will make the best out of whatever choice I will make.

I can't believe that it's already the 31st. 2009 just seemed to sort of fly by me, with my days defined by the amount of work I finished, and the amount of work I still had to do. And yet there were still times when time seemed to move very slowly--those times when I was sitting at a particularly boring conference, or those times when I was waiting for my turn to present a case to a consultant (and then be yelled at for being so darn incompetent). *sigh*

It's good that I still had still had friends, both online and IRL, that distracted me enough to keep me sane. :) So thanks, everyone--only a few more months left, and pray that I don't have to be delayed one year because of that one final oral test we all have to take in February. *gulp*

So, 2009 was mostly a good year, although it could have been better. I've lost count of the number of times I've been made to feel as if I was the worst clerk in the entire history of UST (which just may be true), and the number of times I've been disappointed, in old friends and the people I work with (and with love nyehehehe me ganon). But there have also been times when I could actually feel some of my hard work paying off, and when good friends pleasantly surprised me in a lot of ways, and because of them I didn't give up completely. The publications this year also made me very happy (thanks to you especially, touyatouya-san).

But I still feel, well, dissatisfied. Probably because there were a lot of goals that were not attained this year, and some things that I really wanted to happen still didn't happen. I don't know. I still wish the next year could be much, much better.

So here's to a better year ahead, for all of us. :)

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And so, the year in review, based on my fandoms! XD (Copying from blissery and ekmisao)

Favorite books of 2009:

The Dresden Files ("Storm Front", "Fool Moon", "Grave Peril" by Jim Butcher)
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
A Time For Dragons edited by Vin Simbulan
The Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones
Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Thief by Maurice Leblanc
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Trese: Mass Murders by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo

Favorite movies of 2009:

Star Trek
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Up
500 Days of Summer

Favorite TV shows of 2009:

Harper's Island
How I Met Your Mother
Glee
Big Bang Theory

I did watch the fourth season of Supernatural, and though I like Castiel very much (I do have this thing for er, holy characters), recent spoilers about the show is making me doubt if I should keep watching, and I do miss the old episodes of Supernatural, when they were only fighting demons and not, well, dealing with God and the devil and the apocalypse all over again.

Favorite anime of 2009:

Toradora!
Kuroshitsuji
Nodame Cantabile
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

I thought I'd put Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini, but I'm still unsure about this. On one hand, I like how the plot is a bit smoother now than the first one, but...I'm not sure I like the amount of abuse I see in the series. I know Hei could be a jerk even in the first series, but this much? And Lord, can Suou not fight back even just a little bit?

Favorite manga of 2009:

Perfect Girl Evolution
Beast Master
Pandora Hearts (the little I've read of it, at least)



( Longer commentaries under the cut. )

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Oh, and some shameless plugging (for a good cause!):



Due to the recent typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng which left the country in its wake of devastation and destruction, Paolo Chikiamco (touyatouya) put out a call for submissions for Ruin and Resolve, a charity speculative fiction anthology. It is now up for sale at Smashwords. It includes stories from me ("Strange Salvation" and "Cutis Marmorata"), blissery and ekmisao, as well as other authors. Proceeds will go the Philippine National Red Cross. :) Do support? :D

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Shout-outs:

lilacfield: Thank you for the coupon! :) I'm not sure how to use it though, because I don't have enough money to purchase a paid LJ account. But thank you so much anyway. :D
ekmisao: Happy New Year to you too, and good luck with the new job! :)
manghahabi: I still owe you a package. @_@


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So that's all for this post, and for 2009. ^_^

Happy New Year, everyone!

(Ooh there's a blue moon out tonight. Pretty. I hope it's a good omen?)

ETA: How could I forget Big Bang Theory on the list? Sheldon is awesome. And Up, too! That movie made me cry three times.

Can I just die now?

-J.

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