I Will Be Forever 25!

Well... till I invoke my right to change my mind :)

I got that idea when I received an email greeting from a pillar of the Philippine IT industry. He said, "Happy 25th birthday!" So from this day on whenever anybody asks me how old I am, I'll just say I'm 25 years old. (I know my son will protest with much vigor when he reads this post, I'm not as bad as the one who writes "30+" in forms...)

It's my birthday today, so give me some slack.

So much has happened since I did this post back in 2006. It was a blog post on my Friendster account that I republished as my first post here. Time flies so fast. And things have definitely been crazy the past 3 years and I guess I just want to note some milestones and important stuff that have transpired in the past 3 years:

10. I started this blog in Mountain View, California. I could not help but shed a few tears when I stepped out of the SFO airport. I realized then that I have literally and figuratively come a long way from my first job as a student assistant and part-time writer for an oil company.

9. I got involved in making our Parish newsletter. I don't remember how many issues I managed to put together. I was really happy doing it because it helped me realize that I still had the skill to put a paper together.

8. Trips! Who would've thought I'd finally say, "Ayoko na magbiyahe!!!" Most of it is documented at Lakwatsera Ako. Bali FTW!!!

7. I'm still writing (err blogging!). I have this odd notion that I will never write well and never as good as my idols. Hanggang pangarap na lang yun. But at least I'm still writing. Of course, I'm very happy about getting included in the Emerging Influential Blogs (2007 and 2008) and getting mentioned on Blogger Buzz and being a judge for the Philippine Blog Awards.

6. I got over stage fright. I used to hate presenting in class. I hated it so much I always volunteered to do our paper, just so I don't have to speak in front of class. The chairperson during my MBA defense just told me one thing before he said that I can graduate already, "Iha you are ready for the world, BUT you need to get over being shy." Sir, nasobrahan na nga po ata hehehe.

5. My son has grown so much the past few years! And I'm really happy he's doing stuff he is passionate about. He won 2 robotics contests (Lego Mindstorms and DLSU Robotics Camp) and he's currently the president of his school's Computer Club. I'm a proud momma!

4. I now have many more friends from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and other countries too. Meeting people from all walks of life has definitely been an eye opener.

3. I will also never forget the times I had the chance to go around some public schools to teach IT especially in Cebu, Kalibo, Davao, Pampanga and Capiz. It was really a privelege :)

2. My family. My parents are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary in a couple of months and I am looking forward to seeing my siblings on Philippine soil, together, after so many years.

1. I started the search last January 2007. Missed having a Valentine. Sumemplang pa rin. But he (screening committee pala ha) finally found me.

And, of course, thank you Lord for giving me a new lease on my life. :)

*Photo by JayDJ