The yearender special

And so 2005 is now officially history... let me recap the year that was:



January - Turned 22, didn't enjoy the celebration because I was right
smack in the middle of thesis revisions. I was turning in 2-3 hours of
sleep a night, and pounding away on my PC. My body was subjected to
intense abuse: whole pots full of coffee, MSG loaded instant noodles,
pansit and chips... did I mention that I sat in front of the PC for 18
- 20 hours a day?



Feb 2005 - While everyone was in red and engaging in the heavily
commercialized valentines celebrations, I was still stuck working on
the thesis... relocated to my dad's office where I bunkered on the top
floor for almost the whole month like an architectural hermit/monk. All
the hard work paid off, got one of the highest ratings during the
defence!



March 2005 - Run up to graduation, in what was supposed to be a free
month, I ended up missing a lot of my block's celebrations when I had
to help out my dad in rolling out the bid plans for the Cash and Carry
renovation... take note... Unpaid yan ah! Filial love and duty lang!



April 2005 - Graduated! tapos narin ang part 1 ng architorture! I
learned a lot in college, both outside and inside the classroom/studio.
Parang quadruple degree nga eh... B.S. Architecture, with a Major in
Automobile Operation and Maintenance (aka Driving, ipagmaneho ka
banaman ng mula Sucat hanggang UST araw-araw tignan natin kung hindi mo
pa makabisado lahat ng shortcut, at inarte ng kotse mo), Minor in 
Asian Medieval and Modern Warfare Strategy (aka Battle Realms and
C&C Generals), Minor in Collegiate Drama and Contemporary Comedy
(aka known as the ups and downs of college lovelife and the priceless
laughtrips of my barkada). Feels good to be able to do well in
something that you love, but as my good friend Mac tells me, Graduation
and winning are like intense one-night-stands with a hot woman... you
wake up in the morning, and you're still a loser!



May - August 2005 - Broke up with my ex, went back to work with my dad,
sidelined a few  projects, frequented the gym in a series of
weight gains/losses, went to HK for a short vacation, got my patience
tested during the long application process with ALI. Got reintroduced
to God initially through the cell group meetings with VCF, and
eventually with the Singles for Christ community... reconnected with a
few old friends... gained new ones... applied for and lost in several
scholarships abroad... what else? Got a new laptop! Started work with
ALI



September - October 2005 - Still adjusting with my new job despite
being regularized, feels great to be working outside my dad's office
after what would be 10 years of working for him (yes I've been CAD
jockeying for him since I was in seventh grade, on call 24-7,
everything from working drawings, schematics... etc... was even worse
during holidays because he'd get his inspirational streaks during those
breaks and pass the work to me on the spot...although I'm proud of my
training under him, because I've seen all the sh*t in the profession,
its great to be able to apply what I've learned under him and hit the
ground running in an entirely different and much bigger organization!)
Finished CLP and volunteered for GK, very fulfilling to be part of
something good.



November 2005 - Visited Australia during the holiday, reconnected with
cousins and family, did some design R&D...  Oh... almost
forgot... lost 15 lbs in a 3 month span starting September...



December 2005 - Was my first time to enjoy Christmas and the New Year
Holidays in 5 years... was right smack in the epicenter of the
Christmas rush... saw how the company celebrates Christmas... kinda
weird because my parents and youngest sister were all in Sanfo in the
run-up to Dec 25. Good thing mom and Louisa flew back earlier in time
for Christmas eve. New Year's was different... a stray bullet fell
smack inside the masters bedroom of our house, barely missing my sister
by a foot, landing in the spot where I would have slept if I accepted
my mom's offer to sleep in the masters bedroom with all of them because
my dad was still in Sanfo. Proud because despite the intense gluttony
customary to holidays... I was able to gain just a few pounds and still
stick within my 225 lb.target range...