Thank You 2010

For all the blessings, pain, laughter, successes and foibles. I have learned so much and yet at the same time, I realized I know so little.


I used to be the saddest little person I know. One who turns melancholic with just a whiff of memory, a slight reprimand. But I've met people who are so amazing. Those who've gone through so much, who never had what I take for granted, and yet they came out as Winners. They smile and talk about their dreams, their goals with passion and faith. So now I've gone to the other side. I may be a histrionic but I temper this with the realization that my life, though imperfect and sometimes lonely, is something that should be celebrated. From now on, I'll move with more bravery, with stronger resolve to squander my life on my own terms.


Opening that store, going into business while keeping a day job taught me how to prioritize my goals. I've learned to sacrifice time/face/sleep for the greater good (of the business). The two times I went home to Pinas, the baggages were so heavy and so many that I came home to Davao with black welts on my two arms. It was so bad that they actually thought I fell somewhere. But that, and the loss of poise, while carrying the baggage, are part of my job as a shop owner--- to ignore ridicule, ignore what others might think and just focus on the tasks at hand. Being in business taught me to be more patient and at the same time more demanding with people. It is hard to manage people. And money or material rewards are not always the best forms of encouragement. In fact I realize that the best reward you can give to your employees is a pat in the back when they've done something good, and a brutal yet honest assessment of their mistakes when they screw up.

2010, there are things you've taught me that are still unravelling inside my head. Things I cannot yet speak of, but suffice to say that this year was all about GROWTH- as a person, an engineer, a family member and a boss.


It was a year well-lived.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~