Major, Major 2010

2010 is the best year of my life. I wanted THAT to be the title of my first post for my year end review. But a very inspiring man thought and wrote about it earlier than I did so I make do with a lame one. See his exceptionally inspiring write-up here. But I promise you, THIS, will be a great post! Well, I'll try. So here it goes...

What makes YEAR 2010 the best one I've ever had in my 22 years of existence? What sets it apart? Well it had some highlights that beat the highlights of the rest of the 21. Know what I'm saying? Read on...(not in any particular order)

1. Turning 18. My sister turned 18 last year and so did the rest of her barkadas. Her highschool barkada had become one of mine since I've spent almost every other weekend with them since they all got involved in GK and YFC. I've seen them grow and bloom for more than 3 years now and I can't imagine my sister's life, and my family's too, without them. So I was present in every one of them, well except when I moved here in Manila for work last April. 

Lynlyn's bestfriend, Totot, turned 18 last January at Crown Regency.

My sister, Princess Lynlyn (in pink), turned 18 last February in VDR's Multipurpose Hall.

My sister's barkada in Deedee's 18th soiree in Waterfront, Lahug.

2. Finished college. And I finally did! Nightmares totally over! Woohoo! I hated that I have to wake up feeling uninspired and uneasy just because school days meant facing scary professors and difficult course subjects. But knowing that I need a diploma to pursue the path I want to take, I don't really have much choice but to keep on going. And having smart and witty thesis mates and batch mates makes school more bearable. It pushed me to fight the urge to just give up and skip classes more often. Teehee. I will never forget the feeling of hearing that I passed all my subjects and finished our incredibly cool thesis which is one of the major, major requirements to walk through that long aisle of our school gym for graduation. See our thesis story here.

With my thesis mates Mayang, Knyl, Me, Twinkle and Jorge  in our thesis defense get-up.

With my supportive parents during my graduation day.

 3. Working full time for GK. My life long dream. True story. When others dream of becoming an engineer, or a doctor or a celebrity, I dreamed of being able to touch and inspire people in a massive way, thus my choice and life long commitment. It was not really difficult for me and I thank God for supportive parents who never asked me for anything in exchange of the years that they took care of me, showered me with love and provided me with good education. I was blessed that I was given the free will to choose the path that I want to take. A path less traveled but I truly love and I know I would be able to give my best. Read about my adventures in the first few months of working for GK which brought me to Subic, Camarines Sur, Tarlac and Laguna.

Our Subic Adventure. Water and Rescue Training.

Our Laguna Adventure. Turning over of new GK homes and ended up that day trekking and riding rafts alternately.

Our CamSur Adventure. We ended up walking the 3 km run. Haha Long story.

 4. The Moving Out. This I have to do after I chose my GK path because I'll be assigned in the main office which is in Mandaluyong. It wasn't difficult than I thought it should be. I just have to keep reminding myself that I'll have long Christmas vacations to be reunited with the family again. The urgency of the work and the "biglaang" decision pulled me out from the comforts of family, friends and the familiar environment of Cebu which allowed me to grow as a person and as a Christian. I am grateful to my GK family for being always there to guide and watch over me as I dock on a new chapter of my life. And not to mention my roommates and my teammates/office mates. Thank you y'all!

My roomies, ate Melai, Joyce and Ate May.

Team GK Marketing (where I belong) and GK Partnerships Group.

5. Ultimate Family Time. I am super happy that in a span of one year, I was able to visit my Mama's hometown, which is in Iloilo, and Papa's, in Bohol, again. Haven't been able to visit Iloilo that much since we moved in Cebu 9 years ago. Our cancelled Palawan trip turned out to be a blessing in disguise (but at that time, I wanted to swim all the way to Puerto Princesa just to attend the Bayani Challenge). I miss living in my grandparents' farm and doing farm chores like feeding the chickens and ducks, sending the carabao and goats to their grazing area, climbing on our siniguelas, mango and santol trees to name a few. So ecstatic to see my Nanay Estelita in Iloilo after almost two years! We also just recently spent our Holidays in Bohol which made us spend time with the Balatayos, see my Nanay Odag whom I miss the most and reconnect with nature.

With Nanay Estelita, my mother's mom, who I haven't seen for 2 years already. It's great to be reunited with the rest of the Laridas.

With Nanay Odag, my father's mom, which we never fail to visit every year since Bohol is a P150.00 boat ride away from Cebu.

6. GK's 7th Anniversary! The culmination of the GK777 campaign last 10/10/10 which gathered about 60,000 people from across the globe. Happy 7th GK! I am very proud to be part of such inspiring movement!

7. Faith Journey. I am officially a member of SFC. Yes, I finally am. Thank you Kuya Fredney for the invitation and for SFC Makati for taking me in and allowing me to grow and deepen my faith slowly, but surely.

...those are the major, major reasons why 2010 will be majorly special and the best. But I wouldn't mind if 2011 could beat that! 2010 has allowed me to grow as I adapt and adjust in the many changes that happened and that will continue to happen. But I am grateful for everyday that I am able to say "thank you" to our Maker for sharing every waking and sleeping moment with me, for just abundantly blessing me. 2010 held lots of surprises, new learnings, many firsts, and a dozen adventures. A year of forgiveness and moving on. A year of taking a leap of faith, making sacrifices and making bold decisions. A year of conquering my fears and pursuing after a dream. A year of creating new and keeping the old relationships beating: meeting new people, having a new family away from home, being in touch with those who drifted apart, and keeping in touch with those who are miles away. Indeed, it was a year full of love, inspiration, hope and faith. And the greatest of all of these is...LOVE.