First off, I’d just like to greet everyone a happy New Year. I’m glad that more Filipinos have grown wiser in ushering in 2002 with noisy trumpets instead of firecrackers that could cost us our fingers, legs or eyes…and there’s a lot less of that cloying gunpowder smell at 1:00 am. Thank goodness.
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I celebrated Christmas receiving a handful of unusual gifts and a lot of money (from those relatives who aren’t creative enough to challenge themselves thinking about what I’d like). It’s not that I’m complaining. It’s just that I spent this Christmas and New Year’s without the people I wanted around me the most — my college friends.

I sorely missed their company during these last three weeks. You’d typically think I’d be better off getting a break from college’s demanding workload, without a care in the world. Well, I’m not. These past three weeks I’ve been a practical zombie in front of my computer everyday, playing games and surfing the Internet like there was no tomorrow (read: until 4 in the morning). It suddenly dawned on me that I was bored out of my wits without my college friends to keep me company. My little boisterous cousins weren’t much of a remedy.

January 7th seems so far away…that’s when third term starts.
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A lot of people are coming here to Manila next month. I hear my US-based aunt and two cousins will be coming over from South Pasadena, CA. around February 22nd.

A bigger surprise was the fact that my childhood friend and former next-door neighbor Jake is reportedly coming here around January 29th, to attend a wedding. Jake left the Philippines in 1993, while we were both in fourth grade. Now that he’s coming back here…well…I can only think about how much we both have changed. We may not even know each other anymore, or be interested in the same things. Oh well.

He was usually the one who took the lead. Maybe I can take him around town for a change.

There’s also another event to look forward to next month: my 19th birthday three days before Valentine’s. Erik’s turning 19 just three days ahead of me, as well.