Onward to 2010

Hello new year. Once again it's time to get things into perspective.. to once again look back at the past year, whether or not I accomplished what I set out to do.. and then plan for the year ahead.

So to recap my 2009 goals based on last year's recap:

• Keep your hair short -- CHECK
• Take care of your relationships: Love, family, friends -- CHECK?
• Make more friends -- CHECK
• Find a new sport/hobby -- Salsa! Badminton! Check!
• Get a tattoo -- Every year this is here.. every year unchecked.
• Stay fit -- run more -- Well, I lost weight if that's good news.
• Stick to no beef/pork diet - CHECK.. with the occasional must-try meals
• Save money -- BUDGET -- CHECK
• Find alternative ways to earn money -- CHECK
• LOCATIONS: Sagada, Vigan, Pagudpud, Lanuza, Samar, Siquijor -- DIDN'T GO TO ANY OF THE ABOVE

Okay, so at least I can say I got most goals checked. One technique to accomplishment is to keep your goals simple and realistic.  Helps me not feel like such a fat failure too.

SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS of 2009

1. Left Stoked (Aug)
2. A taste of the provincial life with one month in Siargao (Oct)
3. Made an enemy in the surf (July)
4. Smart Ad (paid for my unemployed months)
5. Tara, Alexis and Nika (Rest in peace) (Sept)
6. Trip to Singapore with Bri (June)
7. New laptop (July)
8. Trip to Bali with Abe (Feb)
9. Getting into salsa and dancing for the Manila International Salsa Festival (June - Nov)
10. Winning 4th at the MSA comp (Jan)
11. Typhoon Ondoy destroys Manila (Sept)

Not bad for 2009.. not much either. A year of tragedies and little achievements.

So reality check for 2010: I have a new job and not that much money.  What can I do this year?

• Do your absolute best with the new job (Try getting promoted within one year!)
• Trips already booked: KL-Vietnam-Bangkok in March, another month in Siargao in October
• Paris and other spots in Europe for 2 months? (July-Aug)
• Keep your eyes open for money-making opportunities, or ANY opportunities
• Invest in ASSETS (Thank you, Rich Dad)
• Stay healthy, stay fit
• Keep in touch with friends
• If you want to go do something, JUST DO IT.
• Keep smiling
• Get into more volunteer nonprofit work (at least one project!)

There you have it.. simple.. reasonable.. attainable. Good luck to me, and good luck to us all.

Checkers

Just when I thought the dreams of Checkers were over, it happened again last night.

I dreamt that we found him in some country club, and he was with a maid.. and I recognized him as soon as I held him.. my family was there.. we even checked his belly for stitch scars from his pancreatic operation years ago.. and he was alive.. and I wanted to take him home again.. and then there were people telling me that would be stealing.. and this old lady said that he belonged to someone else, and that it was my fault he got lost.. that I didnt know what I was doing back then.. and I remember screaming at the old lady explaining to her that he was MY dog and was stolen years ago and she has no right to tell me I can't get him back.. and so my sister took Checkers and brought him to the car.. I remember the guards of the place checking my stuff before exiting the premises.. but we managed to get Checkers safely into the car.. to be with us once again.. I remember feeling relieved because I had almost lost hope.. I knew in my dreams that I had dreamt of that moment repeatedly and now it was finally coming true.. He was alive and coming home to us again....

... and then I woke up.

It's amazing how a pet can make such a lasting impact on your life. Checkers was my first pet, a "lhasang shit" that we got back in 1995.. only to be stolen one day from outside our house in 2005. I still haven't cried as much as I did that night.