"Some people arrive and make such a beautiful impact on your life, you can barely remember what life was like without them."* - Anna Taylor
People come to your life for a season, a reason, or a lifetime, the same goes for lessons...
2023 didn't have the most noteworthy set of memories, but it was a year that was kind to me, my family, and some friends too. Whereas for a few others, it was hell on earth. We may all have commonalities, we may work in the same sector, live in the same country even, but at the end of the day, life has its bespoke set of schemes for every single person.
2021/2022 was an absolute hell for me and my family, but for some of my friends and relatives, those two years were some of the best they've ever experienced.
Now, I can't say that there weren't moments that aren't worth cherishing from the past few years and months. There will always be ups and downs; probably fewer ups and more downs. Yet, for myself, 2023 explained in one word would be growth, gradual and consistent growth. Whereas 2021/22 just beat me up, dropped me to the floor, and kicked the living shit out of me. Teaching me a lesson that I'd say everyone needs to, and will, learn at some point in their lives.
Throughout all these ups and downs, I've managed to lose some friends and make a few friends as well. The ones who decided to stay, are nothing less than family to me. No matter how hard the test of time and the challenges of life tried to pull us apart, some of us kept on coming back for more.
Because there was certainly something that clicked and acted as an elastic form of glue; not so concrete, but it gets the job done.
These friends are all grouped though, we know each other because of our different interests, hobbies, and line of work. Some I know from real-life experiences, work, and personal matters. Some from Crypto and Hive even. Some came from the digital realm of online gaming, or a hobby of such. From this side of the screen to the other, we've managed to create a bond that is now etched into each of our little diary of memories.
ᴵᵐᵃᵍᵉˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵒᵛᵉʳᵃˡˡ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵉⁿᵗ ᵃʳᵉ ᵐʸ ᵒʷⁿ ᵘⁿˡᵉˢˢ ᶦᵗ'ˢ ᵐᵉⁿᵗᶦᵒⁿᵉᵈ
Since we're talking about re-experiencing a memorable weekend, why not choose the most recent weekend? Which ended yesterday, with our country's victory day. The day we finally won over our independence, after a 9-month long bloodbath.
On top of that, Saturday seems to be the most convenient day for this little group of ours. So we decided to quite abruptly plan a little meet-up yesterday.
We started in the late afternoon, with a little bit of shopping, thanks to the current Victory + Christmas Day offers. Some of these offers were the kind that one simply couldn't refuse. So we decided to go twinning, with a set of JPG Le Male perfumes; in the end, we found out that these were gifts from our mascot, and that I surely wasn't expecting.
We went on to sniff perfumes for close to an hour alone, and in the end, a decent few were picked.
Then it was time for a much-needed wholesome dinner. We went with the Power-Puff's favorite, and Pinewood Cafe it was haha. And compared to last time, the food and service both were amazing this time. This eye candy of a drink especially, was really good. Usually, I avoid such drinks, because of the overpowering minty hint or too much sugar. But this thing was well-balanced and worth every penny. Combined with the rice platter, you just couldn't go wrong here.
From the bevy of perfumes to the rooftop shenanigans of piling up and occupying chairs, to dinner, to the wholesome and constructive conversations, it was an evening worth remembering.
As 2023 comes to an end, I just hope that 2024 is just as steady, and kind to us all.
