10 Highlights of 2010

1.Expanded my circle of acquaintances. I would've opted for the word friends but I value the meaning of the word so I am hoping that I get to be friends with my acquaintances.

2. Ate more Hainanese Chicken (Chef Stevie's and Wee Nam Kee) and Chicken Tikka Masala. I also cut my red meat intake. 

3. Cooked something edible and it took me 25 years to accomplish that. Having the Spanish Sardines Pasta as my signature dish is a great achievement!

4. Went home thrice and actually spent my birthday at home - after 13 years!

5. Visited Bilibid Medium Security area for the first time and hopefully not the last. I also served more this year not only in the SFC community. 

6. Commissioned an entire Controls System. This got to be my career highlight for 2010 (wait, playing the part of "Che-Che" was second to none). I learned tons outside of my engineering comfort zone, enjoyed working with a lot of people, appreciated the adrenaline rush that comes with trouble-shooting, and lost 7 lbs in 3 weeks. I don't mind doing it again, given the chance. "Not all 24-year-olds gets the opportunity to manage the commissioning of a controls system from well to power plant delivery point". 

7. Took Jellybean home. I personally think that I have a good financial sense but one thing I am really weak at is impulsive buying. One fine day in April I decided to get a car, did the rounds on a number of dealerships and 4 weeks later, I was happily "zoom-zooming" Jellybean home. A lot of consideration were thrown in before I made the purchase and I still stand my ground that it's a good decision. My mother thinks otherwise.

8. Conquered SCTEX, NLEX, SLEX and EDSA. I am a probinsyana driver with minimal road experience, and I am not used to aggressive driving. I still can improve a lot but the good thing is in 7 months, I never figured in a road mishap and I just dented the bumper once, because the elevated sidewalk refused to move itself out of my path.

9. Palawan, Palawan. If you want moderate adventure, PP is one of the most beautiful places you can head to. The Underground River is one place one should visit in this lifetime. A whole day of snorkeling with real, big and colorful schools of fish spells paradise. Four days of relaxing in a beautiful place is more than I could ask for.

10. Baguio, Baguio. This again is an eenie-meenie-miny-mow destination and when you add Person A and I together, it's safe to say that we can make the most out of anything. Stayed at the "Baguio-est" hotel in Baguio (The Manor, is definitely worth the splurge) for 4 days. Slept early and woke up early to walk around Camp John Hay. Ate more than I can digest. Visited a museum, a village and merely taking the road less traveled. We lived the retirement life, at least for a few days.

10.1. Also worth noting: 

a. Being with the animals in Subic and staying at the lovely boutique hotel.

b. Played bowling for the first time.

c. Visited Aliguay for the first time.

d. Climbed Mount Samat for the first time.

Can't hardly wait for my 11 Things for 2011.