بارك الله فيك

2010 was, in all honesty, exhausting.

Give me a brief moment to recollect what I did this year and my answers would consist of various memories of me running around school, rushing errands, cramming schoolwork, breezing through exams, chasing after trains, and missing out on many of could-have-been pivotal moments of my 2010 because I was passed out on my bed, exhausted.

  

But yes, the exhaustion came with truckloads of emotions. We saw 2010 come and go and with it friendships, we saw the year pass by and with that dreams, we saw the sun rise and set and with it memories. We witnessed the year happen and we saw new beginnings, made new friends, journeyed new journeys, ended relationships, cried, forgave, grew up. We all transformed this year. How do I know? Because I did.

I cannot for the life of me write everything I experienced this past year, but all of them were pivotal, that much is true. I graduated, got into the school I wanted, realized what I wanted to be (maybe not in the distant future, but now), broke off from many people, and got thrown unwarranted into a new life alien to myself. But I survived.

So maybe 2010 was not like all the years I've experienced. Maybe it wasn't my year. Maybe I could have done more to make things better. 

But also, maybe it was just what it was; and that's what made it amazing. It wasn't as full of drama as years past, but it was full of realizations. Maybe it wasn't as full of fun, but it was plentiful in blessings. Maybe it wasn't as unforgettable, but I did have experiences I wouldn't ever trade for the world: and honestly, I think that's what's important.

And yeah, I just wanted to thank everyone who was there for -- and sometimes with -- me throughout the year. People who believed in me when I was losing faith, people who would make me smile when I no longer had the ability to live up to my name, who were with me when the people I loved were physically away, and who taught me when I had no will to learn. I won't mention names, but if you're reading this -- thank you.

Let's face it, 2010 wasn't exactly the best year ever. Natural calamities - although lesser than usual - were everywhere, political incongruencies were publicized, and people left - although unintentionally...

But I don't think a not-so-fun 2010 should be reason to not love tomorrow. Or the day after that. Next year. Or the years after 2011.

So yup, thanks for this year, 2010. You made me realize things I may not be ready yet, but I'll be thankful in the future. You made me grow old faster, but I'll be thankful in the future. You made me experience more pain and failure than I've had in the past years, but I'll be thankful in the future.

And because you jumpstarted me on this amazing ride, I'll be more than ready to face the next years to come.


Merry Christmas people, and have an amazing 2011! 

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Writing has always been my solace. It has become a frequent companion of mine - almost like a shadow; only I know that unlike a shadow, I can conjure it any time of the day. It's been something I take pride in. I know that I can still not write well, but there are various (and unfortunately, often sparing) times that I believe I do.

Writing and I have had an experience not many who is not inclined to whatever form of art may have felt. It's an unparalleled connection, at times obstruse, but a connection nonetheless. It has taught me to open the eye that was never physically there, but could only be unleashed through practice and failure. Writing has - far more than knowledge - made me realized that everything is possible to one who tries, to one who thinks, to one who is not afraid of backlash and criticisms. (Or maybe is, but find them too shallow a problem to delve in).

It has taught me that above all else, it would be the fear of unacceptance that would rid any man of his game. Hence, writing has taught me that not everyone will read, not everyone who reads will comprehend, and not everyone who comprehends will apply what they have ingested in their minds, but it made me acknowledge the truth that while all these is true, writing does one ineffable thing: make you realize that you tried, and that you tried well.

...

That being said, I still hate poetry. At least most of the time.

Iris Jaye

"I love hugs from the Middle East! Hugs are different here. When you hug people here, it's like they're keeping you to themselves, when you hug people from the Middle East, it's like they're giving themselves to you."

I found myself agreeing with every word.