2003 in a nutshell

* found out that the love of my life is gay. I cried for several hours. And then I got over it.
* joined my batchmates in forming a protest rally to make our corrupt nun principal resign from her post. Classes were called off and the whole school was in chaos. That was probably the only worthwhile school event I ever attended.
* felt infatuation in its purest form. Unfortunately, things started getting weird between the two of us. It took me one week to get over him. After that I never gave him a second thought.
* got accepted by Ateneo, La Salle, and UA&P.
* got rejected by UP, Wesleyan University, and Sarah Lawrence College (my dream school).
* decided to go to Ateneo because of the pretty campus.
* turned seventeen.
* graduated from high school. No honors or special recognition whatsoever. I didnt bother sticking around after I got my diploma. I felt like there was no need to say goodbye to anyone since I’m not going abroad and I’ll most likely run into the rest of my batchmates at Glorietta anyway.
* fell in love with a boy, which was shocking because after the gay thing happened, I felt like I would never fall in love with anyone ever again. I was in a state of pure bliss for about 8 months.
* spent my entire summer staying at home and being in love. I did go to Baguio and the beach for a few days, though.
* got my very own computer
* was too shy to talk to anyone during the OrSem. After three whole days of group dynamics, I made a grand total of…two new friends.
* said goodbye to Chris, my closest friend, who now goes to school at Boston University.
* made it to Guidon Web (alt+G).
* learned how to wash dishes and make dinner out of canned food
* made my roommates hate me when they accidentally saw this entry I wrote in my website about how noisy they are and how crappy their music is. I learned another important lesson from the experience: be careful of what you write, especially on the Internet. Always lock incrimminating entries.
* spent most of my first semester studying and basically being a good student.
* got an A in an academic subject for the first time since grade one.
* realized that the quiet and mysterious approach only works for girls who are drop-dead gorgeous and that I won’t meet any people by being so…quiet and mysterious. It took great effort and I don’t know how I managed it, but I slowly came out of my shell and befriended by blockmates and their friends.
* managed to establish my own circle of friends whom I love very much.
* realized that it’s true. It is a small world after all.
* learned how to play bass guitar
* fell out of love and ended my second serious relationship. I’m still trying to process my feelings about that.
* discovered and fell in love with filmmaking.
* realized that not going to parties every weekend does not make me a loser.
* stood by my grandfather’s deathbed. That was the second time I saw someone die.
* felt infatuation in its purest form. Unfortunately, my feelings were not reciprocated. This time, getting over him took me five days. I still think of him every now and then.
* thought I was already grown up and ready to conquer the world, but I obviously am not. Who am I kidding? In spite of all the stuff I’ve gone through during the last 12 months, I still don’t know jack shit about life. I still made the same mistakes and I haven’t conquered my weaknesses yet (impatience, lack of discipline, etc. etc.). And inasmuch as I’d like to think that I’m already in a real world, all the stuff I’m exposed to right now is probably just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. But I won’t rush it. I’ll just let nature and time take its course with me. And next year, hopefully, my experiences will help shape me into someone wiser, who won’t make mistakes, who’ll do the right thing.