10 in 2010

after months and months of leaving this blog untouched, i finally have the time - and the motivation - to write again. probably because 2010 just ended and i definitely could not let it pass by undocumented. 2010 has been a huge year for me. it was all about, in a word, CHANGE. and here are, in no particular order, the major changes that have occurred for me this year:

1. the change in CAREER.

2010 was the year i finally, FINALLY took the plunge and left the fun but crazy stressful world of media to start over as an international civil servant.

2. the change in WORK HOURS.

subsequent to the change in career, my work hours also changed drastically. after almost 5 years in an industry where working til at least 7pm was the norm and overnight stays at the office happened every now and then, i am now able to have occasional days of leaving my desk at 5:30pm on the dot, as long as i'm in ortigas by 8:30am (i tend to stay til 7pm though. force of habit i guess).

3. the change in WORK LOCATION.

the new job also came with a change in work location. having worked in makati ever since graduation, the move to ortigas was also challenging in the sense that it was farther and harder to commute to and from. but it was an adjustment that wasn't too hard to make because the new office is right in the middle of three malls and right beside the MRT. much more convenient than working in salcedo village.

4. the change in CAR.

i've been eyeing the 2010 honda city since it came out in 2009 but never really thought of actually buying it until our car started acting up in january. luckily, things fell into place and my mom and i were able to get the new city the week before i started my new job... and it definitely erased my concerns about having to commute to ortigas.

5. the change in PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES.

this april, i joined the yoga club at the office and committed to attending yoga classes around 1-2x a week. i was able to sustain it until the end of november.

and after years of not playing basketball on a court (timezone basketball does not really count), i started playing again around september. monday became my regular basketball day, and i got to appreciate having another form of exercise aside from the regular body combat classes that i attended on saturdays.

6. the change in FAMILY AFFAIRS.

after 6 years in the US, my dad came back home last june. it's great to have him back, although i feel like i've kinda lost all the independence i've had when both my parents were in the US. but still, it's nice to be an almost-complete family again.

7. the change in DIET.

one of my new year's resolutions for 2010 was to not eat rice on weekdays. was pretty much able to sustain it, except during the past week (christmas season!) and on days when i didn't have much of a choice. i was also able to sustain my 2009 resolution of not drinking softdrinks, unless they come with rum or vodka. :p unfortunately, i've upped my coffee intake to 3-4x a day (from 2-3x a day previously).

8. the change in FREQUENCY OF BONDING WITH FRIENDS.

early in 2010 i started thinking that i should meet up more with my friends, even those i haven't seen in a long time. i'm glad that i was still able to be in touch and hang out with friends from both the first and second media agencies, plus high school and college friends (visited haze in singapore last august too Ü), while trying to adjust to the new job and the new location.

my 2010 planner was highly maximized with all the lunches, dinners, drinks, coffee dates, and even thursday breakfasts scheduled. it was somewhat time-consuming, but i'd say it was definitely time that was well-spent. :)

9. the change in RELATIONSHIP STATUS.

probably one of the bigger changes this year, if not the biggest. after 3 years and 7 months with mark... i'm back to being single. i won't be going into the details, but at least we're friends. at least i hope that's what we are.

10. the change in ATTITUDE.

the last quarter of 2010 had me really thinking about a lot of things. twice this year i've gone away on a retreat -- once in november, and another in december, just 2 weeks apart.

the november "retreat" was self-imposed. i went to tagaytay by myself for a weekend of me-time, spent in absolute silence. i've never done this before, and it was actually nice to spend some time with just a book, my planner/journal, and my thoughts. this getaway was actually able to help me realize some stuff that i needed to do... stuff that i've been thinking about for weeks on end. and it also made me realize that sometimes, you really just have to spend time alone.

the december retreat lasted for 3 days. the last retreat i've been on was in high school (10 years ago), and it wasn't the kind of retreat that i remember -- with group sharing and crying and palanca letters and all that. it was a silent kind of retreat, spent in prayer and meditation. so even though i had a friend (who just happened to be recently single herself) to share the experience with, i had a lot of time to think and pray, and pray some more. probably more than i've ever had in my life. after the retreat, i felt renewed and at peace with myself.

with all the changes from 2010, i hope and pray that these will lead to a better, brighter future. so 2011, i'm ready for you. bring it on!