The Essence of Me

On my 24th birthday last year, I posted a wishlist here, one wish for each year of my life. Because it’s my birthday tomorrow (don’t forget!), I’ll be reposting my last year’s wishlist to see how many of them came true.

1. Be really good at my job. Well, I quit my old job so this is not applicable anymore. But I love my current job and I do try to meet the deadlines. (Hope that counts!)

2. Make new good friends. I can’t count how many new friends I made in the past year… the nice people I met at Jam, at work, in Boni, over the internet, or through my old friends. Life is good when you have friends.

3. Renew ties with old friends. Within the past year, I was able to see and catch up with old friends. Even my friends from elementary school have gotten in touch with me recently (thanks to Friendster). I went out and had fun with my friends, ending my three-year seclusion (the Dark Ages of my Life). Life is not just good… it’s great, especially with your good ol’ friends.

4. Have my brother back home again, and make up with my dad. My brother’s back and he made peace with my dad already. Although I still can’t decide if I’m happy that he’s home… he’s fast becoming a real a-hole. He even made me cry the last time we saw each other. I don’t know what to do with that kid.

5. Be less emotional and have a more pleasant disposition. I am still emotional, but I can control it better now. Also, I am happy to say that I do have a pleasant disposition (yeah, right!). No, really, I have learned to look at the glass half-full.

6. Get a big dog. (Not as big as a St. Bernard… a collie would be perfect!) I’m not ready for a big dog yet (’cause we need a bigger house for that), and Chubi is still with us, so everything’s cool.

7. Have voice lessons. (My first love was singing.) Sigh! No time for it. I’ll try to do it this year. My voice is deteriorating by the minute so I decided to quit smoking.

8. Learn to play the guitar. (It would be cool to sing and play the guitar at the same time.) I can play Yellow, Loving Arms, some Cranberries songs, and some other easy ones. I’m still having difficulty playing and singing at the same time, though.

9. Receive books as birthday gifts. I would love to get Memoirs of a Geisha, anything by Paulo Coelho and Nicolas Sparks, and Like Water for Chocolate.(*wink*wink*) =P I got these already! =)

10. Go to a Kitchie Nadal concert. People say she doesn’t do live performances well, so I’ll pass. I’d just buy the record.

11. Go back to Enchanted Kingdom. No one to go with, and no time to spare. Maybe this December…

12. Go to Baguio again. I’ve been planning to visit a close friend there for the longest time. I’ve had some good memories of Baguio with my Seameo + 1 (Pops) friends. Anyway, I’ll try to do it this December, too. (Hopefully, in time for your birthday, Eves =P)

13. NOT to fall in love again until i’m 30 years old. Or, since I’m in love already, not to feel the need to express that love until I’m 30. Why 30? By that time, I think I would have put my affairs in order, fulfilled my duties as a daughter and sister, and would have matured enough to be ready for a serious relationship. Well, if I’m just going to express it, then why wait until I’m 30? Not that it would make any difference, really. But the point is, this is a crazy world we live in. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or the next day. Our borrowed lives may be taken away anytime. This year, I plan to tell all the people I love that I love them. So, here goes… I LOVE YOU, all, my dear fans! (Kidding =P)

14. Be truly optimistic. I am what you call a realistic-optimistic (if such a term exists). It just means that I can look at the brighter side of things but not to the point of deceiving myself. I can hope, but not to the point of deluding myself.

15. Buy back our old house, the one I grew up in. (It costs around 1.5m) Give me three years. (Yabang ‘no?) My heart bleeds for that house =(

16. Forgive my mom. I already have.

17. Become kinder to myself. I already am.

18. Be independent again… be whole again. Again, I already am. Thank God that I was able to pull through. He helped me get over a dark phase in my life.

19. For my grandparents to live a long, healthy life, so I could repay them for their sacrifices and give them the best life this world can offer. I haven’t given them anything, yet, so this stays on my wishlist. I love my grandparents so much.

20. For my brother and sisters to have bright futures and achieve their dreams. Sigh! With the way my two younger siblings are acting, I am very scared for their futures. With Mae, I know she’ll be a great mother but I still hope she’d continue her studies.

21. Practice judo again. Nah, too old for it. But I do miss the workout and the people.

22. Buy a laptop and a really cool phone. Thanks to my uncle, I already have a laptop. I was able to buy a phone last year and though it is far from cool, it’s working so I’m not complaining.

23. Be happy, content, and fulfilled. This is so idealistic. No one’s that lucky. But I am most content, to borrow a line from Evangeline.

24. World peace. Hopeless…. I wish we’ll have peace in the Middle East. I have a lot of friends there. I sure hope they’re okay.