I made 2012 happen.

The title sounds a bit too arrogant, maybe? Well, I chose it because this year, 2012, has been dubbed as my "Make It Happen" year. :D

If 2011 was a year of going through the motions, 2012 was about seizing the moment and taking chances, of jumping off cliffs and diving headfirst into the water. Not literally, though. At least not yet. ;)

This year...

I welcomed the New Year on top of the world.

All my life, I've celebrated the coming of the new year with my family. But I guess there's always a first for everything.

Sometimes, we just have to make the most out of what we're given, even if things aren't the way we wanted them to be. My co-pharmacists and I went up to Mountain View just before midnight struck, and it was right there--while watching as the sky lit up with glorious fireworks--that I realized that wherever in the world we may be, we are still under the same sky. We can never be too far.

I signed my regularization contract at Chong Hua Hospital.

Time flies when you're having fun. Yes, work has been exasperating, exhausting, and really draining on chosen days, but I'm happy. This job gives me just the right mix of familiarity to keep me levelheaded and uncharted territories to make sure that I never stop seeking knowledge. Everyday is a challenge to be conquered. :)

I completed my Project 365.

Day 356 - 07.22.12: Coz I remember every sunset.

If you don't know by now, I have a flair for the overdramatic. I wrote (passionately) about the completion of my 365 here. It was such an amazing journey, and long after I finished the project, there were days when I would fret about not having taken a photo only to remember that it's over. I guess it's a proof that a habit really is hard to break, especially if it's been something you look forward to everyday.

I celebrated the beauty of heartwarming Sunday mornings.

A year's worth of Sunday notes.

On Sundays, regardless of how many hours of sleep I get, I wake up with a smile. On Sundays, I magically turn into a morning person. Never had I been this eager before. But in Him, I have found peace, I have found joy, and I never want to lose my way ever again.

I crossed vast oceans and chased splendid sunsets.

And everything was amazingly beautiful. I've gone whitewater rafting in Cagayan de Oro, ziplining in Bukidnon, cruising and watching fireworks in Davao, and finally, snorkeling in Puerto Princesa, and my wanderlusting soul had sighed happily in gratitude. Of course, I will never stop longing to getaway, but I feel so blessed to have been given the chance to see how infinitely amazing our country is.

On my 22nd birthday, I remember being so afraid that my first ziplining experience would be my last, leaving me forever 22. But it actually turned out to be a religious experience for me. It felt so magical to be suspended mid-air surrounded with nothing but beauty so perfect, so surreal that you could actually feel God's love wrap itself around you. And I hung there wide-eyed and completely awestruck by His magnificence.

Dahilayan Adventure Park, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

The Philippine Eagle Center, Davao City.

Underground River, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Starfish Beach, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

I have a newfound love.

Last September, albeit very unwillingly and only after much coaxing from my friend Kristi who was joining numerous fun runs by then, I started running. Everybody was surprised--including myself--that I would actually enjoy it. I did. I do. It gives me a unique sense of freedom. It makes me feel like I'm flying.

11.25.12: Silk Air Fun Run, Ayala Center Cebu.

10.14.12: Pink (Breast Cancer Awareness) Run, Ayala Center Cebu.

And then there were the little moments, so easy to overlook. Like singing my heart out during the concert of one of my favorite bands. Having random reunions with my college batchmates. Enjoying a heavenly cup of peppermint mocha before heading off to work. Or even replying to my mom's I love yous at the end of a tiring day.

Because my 2012 is not made up of months, or seasons. It's made up of moments, of seconds, and I'm thankful for the 31,622,400 seconds I've been given this year to hope, to dream, to make things happen.

And if I could sum up how I've been, how I've felt this year, it would be this: beyond blessed and indescribably grateful. I truly am. I may not have been given everything I wanted, and there are things I long for that I might never acquire, but I can get by. I have everything I need and so, so much more.

Because it's His love that keeps me going, day after day, 365 days a year, 366 days a leap-year. And I just can't wait to see the heights and depths He'll be taking me to this 2013. ♥