Wednesday, January 12, 2011

What I've been telling myself all year (A last look at 2010)

I was in a constant battle on how I should get my year-ender message across. Choosing among per category, per month and just all in one blow took me almost the entire first half of this month. So, before this gets a little too late, I opted to do this in the most painless way.

Here is a list of all the sensible and not-so-sensible things I learned and un-learned the past year:

1. There are days that start with over the top crappiness but that doesn’t mean the rest of it will be a series of unfortunate events. It only takes a compliment from a friend, a hug from the boyfriend, a positive comment from the boss and, perhaps, a cup of warm coffee to turn it all around. But you will never find out if you choose to stay in the sheets and hide behind curtains feeling sorry for yourself. So, leave the bed, get in the shower and believe that something wonderful can happen everyday.

2. Saving up not only takes discipline, but a concrete, time-bound and realistic goal-setting. You cannot put aside money just for “something”. Resisting temptation from all the glittering stuff would be too hard that way. Rather, save for something worth splurging for. The goal is not to not spend, but to not spend foolishly.

3. A Starbucks a day costs P150 on the average. Mini Stop has Chillz that, although not as delightful as green tea frappe, tastes surprisingly good, charged with enough caffeine and costs only P26. Enough said.

4. As much as possible, do not listen to songs with lyrics that are familiar to you while working. You might be singing only in your head, but your brain cells subconsciously prompt your fingers to type random lyrics in queries and notes to reviewers. And there is no possible valid excuse to writing “The Company subjected it’s a love story to withholding tax” in any output or to any reviewer.

5. There will be trials that seem endless and merciless and pointless. Like the forever challenging annualization of wages, reconciling BIR assessments and settling whatever troubles government officials create just so businessmen will be confused with their taxes and inevitably seek the services of equally confused CPAs like myself. But, at the end of the day, nothing is more fulfilling than getting all of it done.

6. Missing deadlines is not the only negative result of lacking time management skills. For every extra hour you put into work, you steal from the precious few you have left for family, friends and loved ones. So master the art of efficiency and give the best part of your day to those who deserve it.

7. It is in your nature to always see the good side in everything. Some people don’t get that. Most people assume you just sugar-coat everything and simply lack guts. But you know you are being true to yourself because that is your sappy idealist self speaking. Although, you have limits, as well. You can be painfully honest, to the point of being brutally so, when the situation calls for it. That is another part of you, too.

8. There is a reason why it takes you 2 years to use up a faceshop face powder and a lifetime to replace your pretty when pinched cheek tint from Bench. You are the laziest when it comes to cosmetics and hair softeners and the rest of those “beauty products”. I get that you will never be the dolled up Barbie some girls are. But there is that boy who loves staring at you and your too bare of a face. It wouldn’t hurt to put a little powder, tint and gloss to make him stare longer.

9. It is worth shelling out hard-earned money for traveling. The experiences you get, the memories you build, those will stick to you longer than material things ever would. So, save up, book a flight and runaway with your favorite people as much as you can, while you can.

10. Live your dreams and wear your passion. You do not have to answer to anyone but yourself. It doesn’t matter if they don’t understand or they don’t give as much importance to the things that are important to you. In the end, it is about having the courage to live up to your very own definition of happiness.

Reading everything I have written at this point, I sincerely enjoyed looking back at the highlights and low points of the past year and gathering up words to sum it up in a couple of sentences. Seems like, I found another tradition to keep in the coming years. 2010 had been such a good year in a complete package. I look forward to 2011 with a big smile in my face and these words in my pocket:

Wherever I go, I’ll go there with all my heart.

That’s my mantra this year.

Cheers to a passionate year of making risks, reading books, surprising the world, making new friends, staying in love, saving then spending, learning from mistakes, writing my heart out and 365 cups of coffee (or more)!

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