Goodbye '08

It was a crazy year, wasn't it? Lots of big, important things happening at the global (Obama winning, the Beijing Olympics, the possible start of a new Cold War) and the local (Pacquiao beating Oscar, the Eraserheads reuniting) levels.

It was the craziest year for me too, off the top of my head, the craziest ever. What I do know is that I don't think I can take another year like this. Was it the Chinese who had the saying, May you live in interesting times, which was meant to be both a blessing and a curse? Because that was what 2008 was for me, a blessing and a curse.

It started well enough in January, which I spent on my first vacation in years. Then at the tail-end of my vacation, my mom called me that my grandfather had fallen ill. He died a few weeks later, and that was a difficult time, and I remember crying at the funeral, something I never did, and up to now I'm unable to articulate exactly how I feel about it.

A month later I resigned from GMA, and it was weird, because they'd just announce my promotion, and there really wasn't any good reason to do it on the surface. Of course people there still have their theories, but my reason for leaving is also something I'm still unable to articulate clearly, even to myself.

There was a lot of trepidation going into it, just because it felt like I was letting down a lot of the people that I worked with, so I ended up giving the longest notice (I stayed for two more months after telling my boss I wanted to leave). But midway through my notice period, it was apparent that everything would go on smoothly (well, as smoothly as things went back there) even after I left, so that made it easier. I made a couple of visits afterwards and and it looks like everyone is doing well, and everything was steady, which I figured was a good thing.

I was a hermit for the next few months (no, I don't look like that anymore). There were a couple of offers, but none I was particularly enthusiastic about. I did some consulting work for a bunch of people, including an old friend who offered me a job to leave computers and just do business stuff. It was interesting, but I ended up turning it down because I didn't feel like dealing with the nasty stuff that came with, well, dealing with people.

In September, we had our 10-year high school reunion, which was sort of anti-climactic because we saw each other all the time anyway. It was true for most people from our class, the people who wanted to stay in touch with each other were for the most part in touch with each other. That's a great thing, I think.

I finally accepted a job offer and started back at work in September, almost as a whim, because I was bored and I felt like I needed a change. Also, the company had offices in Makati and Fort Bonifacio, places I'd never worked before, so it was a new environment. Circumstances also made it easy for me to move out of my condo and move into an apartment in Bagtikan in November, closer to work, so there were even more stark changes.

I also finished graduate school this year, officially in October, but I was pretty much done with all schoolwork by August. I graduated earlier than everyone else in my class except for one, and I think I have a pretty good shot of graduating at the top of my class (and delivering the valedictory address next March)--I was university scholar for three straight semesters, the semesters I had enough units to qualify. I don't know how exactly they choose it, and I wouldn't be heartbroken if I wasn't the top graduate, but I really wouldn't mind getting it either.

There were also a bunch of weddings. Oddly enough they all involved M+K. I was back in Boracay for their wedding last October, and they also happened to shoot the other two weddings I attended. Awesome.

So let's see, here's what happened to me this year:

-- had the longest vacation of my adult life
-- had my grandfather pass away
-- quit my job after three years
-- attended the Eraserheads concert (hehe)
-- attended our 10-year reunion
-- started a new job
-- finished graduate school
-- moved to a new apartment halfway across the metro
-- saw Obama win
-- watched pacquiao beat up De la Hoya

Oh and there might have been a girl in there somewhere, sometime this year, but I try not to think about her anymore.

That was my year. How was yours? No resolutions for 2009 for me, I just hope it would be boring. Happy New Year everyone!

Labels: personal

- posted by jaemark @ 12/31/2008 09:29:00 PM