Hello, 2013! :)

Happy and Blessed New Year, everyone! :)

To greet the year right, our family attended the New Year's Eve Mass. Our aunt wanted to have photos taken at the University of Santo Tomas after the Mass. Unfortunately, the shutter button of my camera broke so I had to use her brooch to press the shutter and take a shot.

When we got home, I used my old camera instead. Thank God, I haven't given it away!

After the usual family portraits, we prepared food for our Media Noche. We patiently waited for 12 midnight to welcome not only the new year but also our Mom's birthday. This is why our family celebration of New Year is 'bigger' compared to other family events. We watched our neighbors light their firecrackers and let them damage our eardrums. Haha! Ever since we moved to Manila, we stopped using firecrackers. Even lighters/sparklers (I'm not sure if I used the right term.). We are totally not a fan of firecrackers because it is scary to use them. People here in Manila go wild and grand over firecrackers!

By next day, our family and our relatives from our paternal side gathered for the New Year and Birthday Lunch. :)

Wheeeeewwwww! I am totally hyped for this year! I'm always excited whenever the year changes because it never fails to offer each one of us a brighter future, a fresh start, a second chance.

This year will mark another big the biggest 360-degree turn ever in my life so far. It is so big that the thought of it makes me anxious and nervous but excited. It feels like a whole new chapter because I am going to start almost everything in my life from scratch in an entirely different country. I know there will be tons of mishaps, adventures, fun, frustrations, experiences, and all other words you can think of ahead of me. But I'm up for every single bit of it!

My mantra for 2013! :)

For this year, I made a little bucket list:

1. Survive the year alone in a different continent: Be independent. Hone the survival skills. Learn road direction. Keep the sanity intact. Combat homesickness. Maintain communication with people back home. Get used to doing things alone. Allow yourself to adjust.
2. Please watch movies as they come out in theaters.
3. Discover. Learn. Explore. Try: Travel and travel alone. Read books often. Write more. Sketch even more. Improve creativity. Get lost, find your way and be amazed with yourself (Haha!). Stay crazy. Step out of your comfort zone. Do more things you have never tried but always wanted to. How to commute there. How to cook! (Yes people, I am giving in. I should not JUST EAT. Haha! Let's see about that...) How to do make-up. (I use make-up but I don't use them often. I am more of 'only the basics' kind of girl when it comes to this. But you know, this skill can come handy. And it's never wrong to learn how to beautify yourself even more!)

I got these for Christmas. Omg. This was the sign that I really should learn how to put eye make-up. Thanks Kate for the palette. Thanks Tito and Tita for the rest of the items that you see. :)

4. Look for work! I'll be paying bills in dollars soon!
5. Graduate. Again.
6. Be fit: Dance, Zumba, Jog, Yoga, Pilates. Whichever!
7. Save! I will be living in a different country and if ever I am below the budget, I can't possibly ask my mom for extra. Hello.
8. Meet friends before leaving.
9. Meet new people and gain new friends! This is going to be fun!

10. Time Management: chores, work, study, rest. This isn't going to be easy since I'll be doing just about everything altogether.
11. Declutter!!! My room needs to breath properly before I leave. And so is my luggage. I am strictly limited to one big luggage only. I also have a weight limit to consider. OMG.
12. Finish my scrapbook! When I leave, my mom would probably throw every single movie ticket or receipt or any keepsake I kept somewhere in my desk thinking it's trash. Haha!
13. Do well in school!!! MUST.
14. Don't forget to breathe in between everything else.
15. BE TIRED. And be thankful that you are.

It's a vague and small list. I might have other things in mind that I have missed out here. But you get the general idea of what I want to do and how I want my 2013 to be. :) 

New year, fresh start!

Cheers to another wonderful and fabulous beginning!