My New Year List

I’ve never really written a list of new year’s resolutions.  Traditionally, I write a thank you list for all the things that I, well, should be grateful for. But 2012 has been a year of bad negating the good and the good negating the bad for me so I’m only grateful that I came out alright in a fair neutral ground of okay-ness.

I was looking at the mirror this morning – longer than I usually do and realized one thing: darn, I am getting old.  And with that realization came a feeling of immediacy to do things and do them SOON. Thus, I’m now listing the things I hope to do in 2013 (in no particular order).

1. Learn how to drive.  I’m probably the only one in my family who can’t. This year, I must find time and patience to actually get behind that steering wheel.  Get a driver’s license too.

2. Get on that top 5 of PHR most prolific. Seriously. I write so few books that I get impatient waiting for my own book release. While I have no intention of doing a la most prolific queen Camilla, top 5 will be a nice place to be in. I really should start this by writing those 3 assignments from the 2 seasons of writers’ brainstorming, finishing TRS, GIS girls and that VG5 series.

3. Do that backpacking trip from Manila to Tuguegarao and back through Ilocos with Pao.

4. Get those credit card balances down to zero. Among other things.

5. Be healthier: Diet and exercise. Lose XX lbs (utang na loob, I’m not revealing the actual numbers here).

6. Condo is three years old and I haven’t done anything really but live and eat and sleep in it. Time to renovate and decorate. Summer it is.

7. Save enough to take mommy on another out-of-the-country trip for Christmas.

8. Take things a little slow at work.  Know that the world won’t end and the company won’t collapse if I file a sick leave when I’m actually sick or a vacation leave when I actually need to breathe.  Don’t  feel guilty when faced with a Sunday with nothing to do but watch television.  Rediscover the value of ‘pagtunganga’ in the general scheme of things.

9. Watch more movies with Pao (less the popcorn and coke). Get back that sueldo weekend day-out with him.  Don’t forget Enchanted Kingdom.

10. Take more pictures. Record more videos. Finally finish that scrapbook that’s been sitting on the bedside table cabinet for the last ten years.

There.

Let me start again..

I really want to maintain a blog site. I swear. But it has always been one of those things for me – like buying a new notebook and the best writing pen every so often to start a journal and then quitting after a few pages for reasons ranging from too busy at work to simply nakakakatamad lang. So it’s the end of the year and in a few nights the new year will begin. I’m changing tactic here. I am starting a blog at the end of the year in the hope that it will ‘unjinx’ my blog writing dream. 

 My first block : I am confused as to what blog host I should use. I figured I will just use the easiest one. Next block: the TITLE. This is not my strong point. I mean, I’ve maintained a multiply site for a few years and up to the time when multiply decided to change business strat, my site remained to be titled UNTITLED. Very creative for a writer, right? So this time I decided to name my site Angel… well, because my PHR pen name is Angel Bautista. I tell myself it’s simply for easy access. But it’s really so I can stop obsessing about the title and actually do some blog writing, And then when I finally am ready to register I discovered I already opened a site – in 2010 but I never got to writing anything beyond the intro *insert buntunghininga. 

So now that I actually have a blog, I ask myself what do I really want a blog for? I want to write . Maybe I won’t ever be an online critic of any sort – food, books, movie, theater nor will I ever have a ‘must visit site’ for travelers. I’ve been known to take some nice snapshots but professional photographer I am most definitely not. Speaking of photos - I like taking close up shots of people smiling or frowning or sleeping. I like taking photos of side streets and coffee mugs and bodies of water. So maybe this is what this blog will be all about – word versions (since I may be a better writer than photographer) of the most striking place/ people/ food/ experience/ movie/ book for the day. So there you have it folks, my new blog. I want to say enjoy reading but I know that I should be saying wish me luck.