On the last day of 2022, I felt a bit more sentimental than usual. While my siblings and I enjoyed watching movies together, something that we don't usually do, a tinge of sadness hit me when my little sister started to say her goodbyes. She was leaving to go to her best friend. She didn't live with us anymore and this year, she's going to start another chapter of her life - in another country.
Don't get me wrong, I am happy for her. She's finally taking a stand that will change her life forever. It's just that, I suck at goodbyes. When she took her leave, I didn't see her off. My other two siblings wasted no time and started to play karaoke songs as we sang them with a glass of wine. I felt a wave of sadness about to hit me, and I hurried to my room to cry. When the tears faded, reality hit me - 2023 is the year that is going to change so much of our lives.
Apart from my sister leaving, my dad is gonna come home for good, my mom might choose to not live with my dad, I'm going to get married, and demands at work and in school are growing by the minute. Life will never be the same in 2023. It's not necessarily a bad thing, maybe my feelings just choose to grieve over the life that we once had. Reality is never certain and I have known and accepted that by now. I kinda wondered why I felt a bit sad seeing 2022 off, but I realized that I shouldn't because I gave 2022 the recognition that it deserved. We bid 2022 goodbye with a lot of fun!
If there's one thing you can trust the Tan Dynasty bunch to be good at - it is to have fun! This was the very first Christmas party that set the tone for the rest of the month. I wanted to do that in style so I really invested in my look. Girl, it was one of the best nights of my life.
I got to see my Tan Dynasty siblings who mean a lot to me. We've been through a lot together and one thing was clear that night - we had to make do with our lost time! When the bar opened, we just had to be the first in line! The DJ had tracks that catered to every age bracket that's why I'm sure that I didn't see anyone not grooving last night!
If there's one thing that I'm taking with me until the end of time, it would be the planning habit of my Branch Head. She is just insanely consistent with it and it shows in her results. She wanted us to think about what went right for the past year and what things we are going to carry over in the next year. She also encourages us to think about the other areas in our lives that also need to be worked on in order for us to have a well-rounded lifestyle.
She gave all of us a personalized planner for work as well. I'm going to emulate her best practices and write down my plans as they are more impactful that way. I aspire to be so consistent that I'm predictable and it makes me sick because I'd do the same thing every damn day. Here's to healthier eating habits this year too!
My fiance was invited to his previous department's party. I wanted to be supportive so I went with him too. His team had a whole show going on and it was fun seeing workmates bond over things outside work. They had a whole lechon prepared and I think my partner enjoyed it very much. 😂
This was the second work-related party of the month. Spent the day preparing with my work mommy. I call her mommy because she takes care of all of us. She's pretty generous with her blessings as well. We had our faces made up in her office because we wanted to dress for the night. The theme for was Paskong Pinoy (Filipino Christmas). Everyone wore their Filipino costumes and I decided to re-wear the dress that I wore to our pageant.
Who would've thought that I'd win Best Dressed of the Night for that? I was there because my team believed in me - the judges didn't even see me until our Branch Director and Branch Head took me to the stage. That really is one of the best feelings for me - to have someone believe in me, even when I don't believe in me myself.
I started 2022 with my siblings drinking blue Gatorade with a punch of gin. I guess that hinted how my 2022 was going to be - a lot of alcohol and an increased tolerance! I still have it under control, don't worry. This was a night that I shared with people a generation younger than me 😂
But you have to admit though, I don't look a day older than them! Or do I? 🤣
My MBA Classmates had trained me for this night. Many of my first drinking night outs were with my classmates, but they were mostly karaoke and chill nights. This time, I went out with more active people in a more active setting - the nerve of this millennial tita, right? It was a night of hard drinks and hard dancing. But I made it home in one piece! These kids were pretty cool too.
I just love being around amazing women - their energy is contagious. When they share their energy, it multiplies! I'm so lucky to have two amazing and fiery women on my team. They have the most wonderful minds and the most unbelievable work ethic. This night was special because we had to see through each other's layers. It was heartwarming to know how they were all able to manage juggling multiple roles in their lives. All the while becoming someone new while tending to their own childhood wounds. This night was good for the soul ✨
Our pole teacher Juli throws the most fun parties! We had a quick exotic dance class before the partying started and the theme was Naughty Santa. The girls were game and everyone came with red outfits and matching 7-inches high pleaser shoes. The energy is just different when we're together - it's strong, vibrant, exciting, and a whole lot of fun.
The dance was a bit challenging for me. After a few months of being inactive, I just didn't have the endurance to make it through an exotic dance class. My mind was so ready to channel my inner teacher Jam Jornacion (my new pole heroine). After the dance class, we had our little dinner. One thing about pole dancer parties - they don't serve rice! The pizza was barely touched and the salad was the main course. Next came the games, and boy were they naughty! Everyone lol'ed. The exchanging gifts followed and everyone had a great night.
There 2022, I celebrated you. Thank you for an amazing year. 2023, what adventures await us? One things is for sure though, I will be better than who I was in 2022.
She is on a mission to become better than who she was yesterday. A candidate for Masters in Business Administration and a Financial Advisor, she hopes to give value to this space as a motivated individual. She found the perfect marriage between what she wants to do in life and her mission in financial advising. She balances her work and life in the comforts of her home, co-working spaces, and cafes. She loves to meet like-minded people and live her life to the fullest. Watch this space for tales of self-improvement and self-acceptance, per Mark Manson, "the philosophical tightrope."
Being in the crypto blogging space since 2018, she believes that the community is the greatest asset of any crypto-based project. So far, the Hive Community is her favorite.
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