The steak made me do it

Exotic.

The deafening boom that emanated from hundreds of firecrackers. The smoke rising from the remnants of the brightly-colored fireworks. The clanging of pans and saucers from our excited neighbor. The usual extravagant and flamboyant countdown on the tube hosted by throngs of showbiz personalities. And the smell of that mouth-watering T-bone steak lying lazily at our kitchen table. All were clear and obvious signs that the start of a new year was upon us. Well maybe, except for that delicious steak. Nooooms.

Hmmm. That steak. I still recall that flavorful aroma that made me dash to the table after the clock struck twelve. I then sat on the chair and skillfully sliced the meat from the bone, carefully noting the delightful juice oozing out of the crevasses of the fibrous delicacy in front of me. The next step was to pour the old reliable steak sauce over the steak followed by a quick stab from my mighty fork. With help from my stable hands and flexible arms, the sumptuous slab finally landed on my waiting mouth, ready to reward me with heavenly goodness and sinful calories.

And then it hit me.

A tidal wave of emotions and an unprecedented swirl of feelings boiled up inside me, jolting vivid images of #ThrowbackThursdays, #FlashbackFridays, #WaybackWednesdays, and #SnapbackSundays (yes, I just created another hashtag). These hashtags created a heavy downpour of memories, serving as a reminder that indeed, another year has just ended.

Enter introspection. 

For some, staring at the calm blue waters of the endless ocean elicits this phenomenon. Others use the help of meditation and the power of nature to form a manifestation of their reflections. C, meanwhile, draws out her inner thoughts via a long sustained stay under the shower. As for me? Well, the steak made me do it.

I'd definitely and absolutely define 2013 as one interesting calendar year. One I can honestly say, I would remember for quite a while. There were heaps of challenges, trials, tribulations, heartbreaks, and pain, mostly on the personal relationship side. Yet, other aspects of my life flourished, progressed, prospered, blossomed, ameliorated, and [insert another adjective pertaining to improvement that ends in -ed here]. The rest got a passing grade [3.0], I guess. And of course, there's the arrival of C. Radiating like a Disney princess in her Frozen-inspired ice dress topped by her patented green beach hat, she proudly rode atop a rainbow-hued unicorn, clutching her infamous zombie-slaying fire bow on her left hand and Tom Clancy's Threat Vector on her right while elegantly murdering the romantic French accent as she shouted "J'aime les ours polaires!" to signify her entrance into my life.

To start, one thing that worked for me this past year was the opportunity to travel. I guess I was very fortunate that a segment of my work required me to lollygag around the country. Heh. Even if the trips were short, usually just a day or two, seeing glimpses of famous local sights (a brightly lit plaza, an old church, a giant wooden chair, a bridge, etc.) or feasting on the delectable local dishes satisfied both my hunger for sightseeing and the literal grumbling of my tummy. Some highlights: the #somanly picking of fresh strawberries in Baguio; the act of being flabbergasted by the ridiculously enormous and absurdly wide Cagayan River in Tuguegarao; the longest one hour of my life as our plane hovered around the majestic Mayon Volcano while waiting for weather to improve before landing at Legazpi City;  the crazy, casual stories of bombing and kidnapping in Zamboanga City (and I saw actual explosion sites!); the distinct taste of grilled tuna from General Santos City; the exhilarating and tiring river rafting in Cagayan De Oro; the authentic chicken inasal of Bacolod; the yummy biscocho of Iloilo; and lastly, that memorable random coffee date in Cebu *winks*.  Not bad for work-related trips, huh?

Aside from official business itineraries, 2013 also saw a good share of personal trips: being a kid again at Universal Studios Singapore and Sentosa (first overseas trip!); munching on Korean cuisine during the Panagbenga festival (where I actually didn't see the flowery floats!); outrageous liver-killing outings with the boys in Munting Buhangin/Punta Fuego (the legend of the stonefish!) and Tagaytay; a margarita-filled beach trip in Sabangan Beach Resort with officemates (highlighted by early morning drunk text messages!) and a relaxing stay at Solaire Resort and Casino with the family to cap off the year. Overall, it's a year-end grade of A+ for my traveling and touring skillz. Yeah!

Moving along.

Career: It's been a pretty steady ride working for the Bee. The best way to describe it would be this: while there are certainly better paying jobs out there, I'm pretty sure though that overall-package-wise, my job's better than most (and now I hear C screaming: "You have a great job!"). Also, I successfully got into an MBA program for further enhancement of my koala-fications (animal puns!). Just waiting for C to crack that first Arneow joke.
Health: I lost about 30 pounds. Enough said.
Family: Brother graduated and got a job on his birthday. No domestic or health scare at home. Bliss.
Wealth: What wealth?
Hobbies and Other Points of Interests: Concerts of Motion City Soundtrack and Ebe Dancel; Game 3 of the PBA Commisioner's Cup Finals; Japeth Aguilar's game-winning three against Meralco (I saw it live!); the basketball fervor throughout the household while watching the FIBA Asia championships; Selling my NBA card collection; Final Fantasy XIV; Started reading and getting into books (this is something I honestly think I would eternally be grateful for to you, C)  Getting teary-eyed watching Mo's last game as a Yankee (well, the replays and highlights at least); and the countless food coma expeditions throughout the year.

Personal: Probably the biggest chunk of what I can recall from 2013 would be attributed to the personal side of mine. More specifically, relationships. The past year marked the end of one long-term relationship. While I think both parties struggled and felt pained throughout the ordeal (and at times, even fought for the survival of the relationship), I guess in the end, letting go was the mature decision for us, enabling us to grow into better individuals without fear of impending the aspirations of the other. I'd like to think we can go back into really good friends someday, devoid of all the awkwardness and bitterness that I think still linger up to this day. After all, that is how we started, right?

Finally, how can I end this post without another mention of C? In a year of unprecedented darkness, you were the light inside the tunnel in my head. Oh, wait. That's a line from a Yellowcard song. Haha. But seriously, from the pristine waters of Bohol to the pristine waters of Boracay (very creative!), I can't thank you enough for bringing the smile back to this poor soul of mine. Very grateful and lucky to have someone like you who brings happiness on an everyday basis. Every second even. That's life-altering happiness, I say. The kind of happiness I'd like to share with you for infinity. <3

Happy New Year everyone and looking forward to a : Much amazing. Such awesome, Very fun. 2014. Wow.