2013.

For some, this was the dreaded "13" year. For others, this was the year they felt was the best because let's face it, we "survived" the supposed doomsday.

For me, it was a bit of both.

This was the year where I was in transition. In just a matter of months, I went from being a student to being part of the real world, or the world of the working class. During the first three months of the year, the only problems I had were passing every subject and handing in a stellar thesis. When April came and I graduated from college, I thought, "what's next?" A month-long sabbatical was in order, and the vacation in the US was a welcome break from thinking of the immediate future. This trip was a milestone in my life, it being my first time to the country. Coming back from that dream, I realised that I couldn't put off the hunt for the job opportunities.

It was hard, I could tell you that much. I probably sent my resume to multiple companies and organisations, yet not one answered. Frankly speaking, I was not used to having page after page of my planner blank. I was in a slump for a week, until I pulled myself together and thought ahead. If, by the end of October, I still had nothing, I would pursue my dream of a career in international relations. And the only way to do that is to go back to studying, this time for an MA.

But fate was playful, and here came the opportunity. Currently, I am employed in an NGO and while I have no regrets to joining the organisation, the transition stage from student to employee is still a bit hard to overcome. While I may have adjusted fairly well to the environment, I still can't help but miss the feeling of being a student.

But those aren't the only changes in my life. To be quite honest, my taste in music and film has gone back to whatever I liked before K-Pop and some sort of revelation came to me—that K-Pop really was just a phase.

Friends are also a matter of interest this year. Just last February, we had our class retreat. I was rereading the retreat letters I received and I noticed that a lot of things changed since then. Many of the letters I got told me, "I will never leave you, no matter the circumstance, because that's what friends do." In a matter of months, about half the people who told me that were suddenly like strangers to me. I have no idea what they're doing and they have no idea what I'm doing. On the rare situations where we meet, the conversations are suddenly clipped and detached. The realisation that words could only be just that makes me feel disheartened. But I like to believe that these people may not be really meant to be part of my future. Rather, they're part of a past—a bright and colourful past that I will never forget. Plus, I won't lose my optimism over this—not when I think that a person out there somewhere is someone who could change my life (hopefully for the good and not the other way around).

For twenty years, I felt year after year pass by so fast. And in the last two years, I finally noticed that I was missing something. I still don't know what it is I'm missing and I'm pretty sure I haven't found it yet, but I'm in no rush to find it. My friend did tell me before, "take it easy, everything will come when you least expect it."

Still, 2013 is gone in a matter of hours and 2014 is coming in. A new book starts, a new planner is waiting to be filled, and new adventures are starting to arise. Who knows? I might find whatever it is that I'm looking for this year.

With this, I raise my glass to the New Year.

I have a sister who just stepped on to the 7th grade platform of her life. She's going to the same highschool I went to and it's safe to say that she's very much familiar with the inter-school athletic competitions. So when I got free tickets to Game 3 of the UAAP Finals, she asked to tag along. I told her to wear something yellow and support my beloved Alma Mater. While my passionate screaming was nothing new, I was really very much surprised with my sister who was so at home with the UST crowd. Granted, we lost the match (and I was so emotional over that loss for two days), I was amused to see the twinkle in my sister's eyes. With just one game, a game that we lost, she was enthralled. When we were going home, she asked me, "Do you think I'll do well in UST?" I was taken aback by her question because not only is she just in 7th grade, she suddenly contemplated on her college plans. At home, three UAAP teams are "staying", so to speak. My dad hails from UP, my mom studied in FEU, and me and my other sister are Thomasians through and through. Despite all these, my youngest sister has recently been seriously considering UST.

What's funny is that it was not even me who did the convincing—it was her fascination with King Tiger Jeric Teng that did it for her. She's only seen him a total of two times—the first was when they picked me up in school and Jeric Teng came out of our building (aka AB/Commerce Building), and the second being Game 3—but she's already sold. It was amusing to see that while she doesn't really follow the Tengs' post-Game 3 guestings and happenings, she was firm in her resolve for UST. Her reason for choosing UST was, "besides you guys studying in UST, you have really cool athletes." As a joke, I asked her why she didn't pick DLSU when it was already so near and that Jeron was studying there; she just answered me with "Oh, that's my second choice after UST."

She's still in 7th grade and she has five more years until college applications, but she's already planning for it. As an older sister, it's pretty fascinating to see her like that. While I'm not going as far as calling UST her dream school, I can conclude that it's pretty high up on her list.

And honestly (this may sound a little biased), it's so easy to fall in-love with UST.