My year of 2018 was eventful, so to speak. One cannot consider just the good parts of course, but there were many firsts and there were a lot of lasts. There were happy times, friendships that bond, and new adventures to always cherish but there were things to overcome, lessons to accept, bad decisions to learn from, and a number of reflections and realization that came(and still coming) after that.

Over the past few years I would always conclude my year similar to a rollercoaster, that my year had a lot of highs and lows, that it was crazy good, that yet there were a lot of loops and challenges, I was still able to succeed and enjoy the ride. This year of 2018 however, the ride’s path grew intense, the direction seemed flawed – interesting yet stirring. It didn’t seem right at times, the track was working against me, that no matter how full of might I grasp at the handle bars, I was being thrown off from the seat at the same time. So I let go, knowing it is the best for me.

I thought, in order to counter stress one can simply their eat out, or by just taking a pill or vitamins, or by exercising, or spend time with close friends, or go to a vacation, or an alone time to reflect and plan to change. No, stress doesn’t go away with that, stress has a lot of faces that needs to be dealt with differently, there is no perfect plan for it. It is so powerful that it can trigger serious physical and mental health problems that I thought is just common or by little importance or something I’ve overcome before. This time, stress for me became unbearable that I needed to assess and make life changing decisions.

I’m glad for the achievements, for the shows I got invited to, for having the writing and photography skills, for the old and new friendships, for the stories I get to share and of course to those who gets to appreciate and share them.

Not all photos are mine, so sending proper credits to the wonderful photographers.

Here is my 2018 by the numbers:

– 7 fun out of town vacations(Puerto Galera, Liwliwa, Baguio, Vigan, Tagaytay, Siargao, La Union); 4 out of the 7 are beaches!

– 1 lip-synch performance of Pokerface by Lady Gaga

– 14,163 Likes(-65% from 2017) to 315 Instagram posts in 2018

– 3 Corporate Sustainability Responsibility activity participation, one for each category: outreach, nutrition and education

– 15 major OOTNs from runway shows to parties

– 2 Casting Calls for Panasonic Manila Fashion Festival covered

– Three sets of due process and corrective actions signed, sealed and delivered

The FIRSTS

– Walked for Girbaud Philippines and Jeffrey Rogador during Manila Streetwear show last June 12

– Traveled solo to Siargao last November; also a first to Mindanao region

– Recognized on “See the Stylish Guests We Spotted at Panasonic Manila Fashion Festival Day 3” by Preview.ph last April

– Blogged about travel lifestyle last March

– Facilitated a Personal Development training session to aspiring models on a competition last September

– Won a Best Dressed Male award on a workplace event last May

– Illustrated and completely sourced my OOTN for a workplace party last January

– Selected as part of Top 10 Finalist for Individual Photo Category selection that best exemplies workplace mission last June

– Joined and completed Canon Photomarathon 2018 last October

– Mentored an aspiring beauty contestant on values, goals, catwalk, styling, confidence, and Q&A last June

– Played as DC Justice League’s Green Lantern during a comic-con activity at workplace last September; also choreographed a 1-minute fight scene, mixed audio and sound effects, and created background video visuals

– On the spot dance choreography and acting performance as a ringmaster during a workplace dance competition last April; also choreographed and assisted in audio mixing

The LASTS

– On-stage dance performance with The Guild Dance

– Team Building with Team Rowell

The LESSONS

– Don’t be afraid to voice out your personal struggles to the right people. If you are already a tenured in a role, making a good impression each time isn’t the way to survive but adapting and taking control of your path is.

– Always look after yourself with no regrets. There is no better person to know and decide what is good for you.

– Have the courage to change the course of your life for the better, especially if you got locked out from heaven and need to get out of hell.

There are more of course, but they deserve a different blog post. I’m glad 2018 has been the most challenging but at the same time I learned a lot for myself. There’s no forgetting just a warm Good Night to 2018.

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