This is a very belated birthday / year in recap / thank you post. I have had one of the best years of my life since I turned 27 last April 28, 2009. But it was also the year of a major heartbreak and a big change in my online life and work.

It also saw me change in size, in the work I’m doing, and in the skills that I have. It was definitely a year of changes. Join me as I run through the events, people, and things that made my 28th year very memorable.

My 28th year started out in a bad way. I just came out of the hospital and I was starting to have an on and off / complicated relationship with somebody. The hospitalization made me take care of myself more and I realized how much people care for me. Got sick again with a severe asthma attack later during the year, but it was nothing compared to the pharyngitis.

The relationship? It made my year extra interesting and emo.

Due to my illness, I lost a lot of weight. As in a lot. From waistline 38 down to 29. But I didn’t achieve that only because of my illness, but also due to a very hectic and stressful work schedule.

Speaking of work, it was also the year when I finally got my dream job as columnist for SunStar Davao, the best local daily.And my first column was published on June 3, 2009. Throughout the year, I wrote about love, poker, events, cooking, movies, and the many other things in my life.

Another thing that really made me happy last year was my culinary classes at CACS. Thanks to my Mommy and Daddy who sponsored my classes! I was able to enjoy cooking and baking while having a lot of fun with my Cucina Nueve classmates.

This also paved the way for my small cookies business which I enjoyed very much. Must get back to that soon. I also sold blueberry cheescakes, cakes, and other pastries. I got to cook and bake for my family and friends. And I also taught some of my cousins and my friends how to cook and bake. My cousins and I now have an ice cream maker which we are experimenting with. YUMMY!

In October, I got a very happy surprise when I was named as part of the Globe Digital Tribe along with some of the most influential bloggers from all over the Philippines, including some of my idols.

However, it was also a sad time as I dissociated myself from a group which I dearly loved due to personal and professional reasons. But it was also a happy time as we launched Avatar Media with a very successful Practical Photojournalism Workshop for Bloggers.

And I got to hang out more with old and new friends, mostly local bloggers. We camwhored, drank coffee, watched movies, held workshops, gossiped, shared ideas, ate, ate, ate, and ate.

And together with the Avatar Media Team, we organized the Davao Bloggers Christmas Party. During the party, we gave birth to Davao Bloggers and I was elected as President. Haggard! But I was lucky enough to be elected with a dynamic and hard-working group of people. In the few months that we have existed we have already held several events and have more events and projects that we are working for.

To be continued…