my 2013 in a nutshell

The Year in a Word: Blah

My 2013 was rather drab compared to all the color of the past few years.  I thought 2012 was steady, but it's got a lot of drama and excitement compared to 2013.  I wouldn't say the year was entirely uneventful, but when I reviewed my year through my Facebook posts, I didn't find much to review. :p  I actually thought of nixing this yearly practice of summing up the year in a blog post, because I feel like I won't have anything interesting to say about 2013.  But yeah.  For the sake of personal tradition, and for the sake of keeping this blog alive, voici.

My Hugest Joy

Hmmm.  This is a hard one.  I'll come back to it later on. Not that the year was an unhappy one.  In fact, I was rarely sad or depressed.  It's just that nothing stands out.

I suppose that's the biggest joy of the year - not having any deep or prolonged depressive episodes.  

My Biggest Blessing 

Gaining regular, decent-paying clients for my ghostwriting stint.  

My Largest Frustration

The results of the 2013 elections.  Most of the people I voted for didn't make it, and some of those candidates I hoped wouldn't win did. I'm pretty sure it was an immense frustration for a lot of Filipinos too.

Spiritual Principle for the Year

Abraham moments:

1 -  Allowing a promised dream to die and continuing to trust in the Lord, whether He chooses to resurrect it or not.

2 - Trusting in what God has previously said, despite not having constant affirmation.  

Nicest Place Visited

Las Vegas, Nevada

Best Personal Project

Repainting and rearranging our room.  It's so nice and clean now, and we were able to make it look like a studio flat. =D  I love it.  That alone alleviates a lot of stress and frustration.

Best Personal Accomplishment

Learning to cook various kinds of sinigang from scratch, using different natural souring agents and absolutely no flavor mixes.

And reaching my goal of reading 50 books.

I told you it was a boring year.

Worthwhile Contribution to Society 

Repacking relief goods and volunteering as a stress debriefing counselor for survivors of Typhoon Yolanda / Haiyan.

Best Decision Made

To go for better-quality stuff.

Best Find

A small, nameless church of sorts with lots of potential.  Thinking of it makes me real happy.  ^_^

Warmest Fuzzy

Reconnecting with old friends from high school and college.  And meeting some new ones.  That was really nice.

Prettiest Thing I Made

A painting requested by Mama.  It now hangs on her wall. 20 x 23.  Acrylics on canvas.

Greatest Encouragement

Painting again.  It made me want to keep making pretty things, but for other people, not for myself.

My Best Reads for 2013

Nonfiction:
Epicenter: Why Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future by Joel C. Rosenberg

Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dahl

Fiction:  

The Kite Runner by Kaled Hosseini

My Fave Movies for 2013

Les Miserables.  It's really a 2012 movie, and I watched it in Vegas in 2012.  But it was released in Manila in January 2013, and I watched it again then.

Man Of Steel.  Best Superman movie ever. 

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Now You See Me

Fave TV Shows

Downton Abbey

Doctor Who

Fave Gifts Received

- A bunch of amazing make-up, from ate Wing. 

- A cool souvenir coin from the Louvre, from Tita G.  A personal reminder that I will visit there someday.  Soon, I hope.

- A good-quality leather bag and a special Starbucks tumbler that I bought for myself.

Fave Food for the Year

Odd.  Monggo soup.  0_o  I haven't eaten monggo in a long while, but I started cooking it when I realized how cheap it was for something so filling, nutritious, and easy to prepare. And I've come to love it so much that I make some every other week.  But it's not the traditional monggo guisado.  Rather, it's a flavorful, chunky vegetable soup with lots of tomato, sometimes celery or carrots, then an abundance of rosemary, cumin, and a hint of cayenne.  No pork or fish or anything.  Just the veggies.  And instead of kangkong or ampalaya leaves, I use fresh basil.

Worst Month:  Can't say there was one.

Best Month:   December. That's when we repainted our room, joined a non-stuffy life group, and we got to see some cousins over the holidays.

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