I am drafting this blog post while everyone at home is asleep. I'm taking this quiet time to finally write, as this is the only moment I have to pour out and process the thoughts that have been filling up my introverted mind for weeks. 

As I try to write this final post for 2024, I try to think about all the things that transpired for me this year, and it's quite a lot. The photos I had both on my Instagram page and my Google Drive narrated just a few shots and snippets of my year. Well, part of me said this year was a good one, but there were also a few instances where I failed on a few things too.

While I discovered interesting pursuits like getting hooked on the printed versions of Wattpad stories that young adults these days talk about, watching its on-screen adaptations, and getting acquainted with new ventures, and marked a number of milestones, such as conquering my first lecturer/trainer gig, celebrating my 40th birthday, and having another "guest appearance" during the Quest for Journ's Best during the MIL Week, I had to be honest in saying that 2024 wasn't really a year seen in rose-colored glasses.   

This year pushed me to unexpectedly conquer something and take a risk, not once but three times. Yes, it may seem to be an achievement at first given that I am really not a risk-taker for such a long time, but sadly, despite giving it a shot (and even got good results) it ended with a plot twist: heartbreak. It was a kind of heartbreak that almost left me hitting rock bottom that happened a month ago. I won't go into further details as I am still in the process of recovering and trying to put the broken pieces of myself together. 

If there is one good thing that got uncovered out of this emotionally painful ordeal, it's how the the gift of friendship existed despite the distance. I am just thankful that I have friends who were always ready to listen, especially during the first few weeks of my ordeal. Their presence during that painful and difficult period somehow helped me to stay afloat, particularly during the days when I felt so consumed by the loneliness and disappointment that what I just wanted to do was cry my heart out.

While the days preceding New Year's Day are usually devoted creating a new batch of plans and resolutions, I want to postpone mine for maybe a few weeks. I don't intend to make a lot of new year resolutions as I want to concentrate on certain "targets" that I know I can really achieve. After all, making resolutions and accomplishing them can still hit me anytime within the year—not just on the first day of the new year. And plans and resolutions can be compared to creating a restaurant menu. More often than not, a longer list creates confusion and chaos, which depletes its purpose of guiding a person on how he/she wants to efficiently utilize the next 365 days.