a toast

A toast to 2009: a year of many memories, of many losses and gains, of friendships and loves, a year of learning. So here's to you 2009..

Here's to haircuts and how great they make one feel.
to celebrating the first year anniversary with your boyfriend who you will later break up with.
to playing computer games with fellow amigas.
to wearing tsinelas almost all year round.
to being politically aware.
to joining protests and rallies.
to standing up and fighting for what you believe in.
to losing Area51 and transferring to Impound and realizing the true meaning of tropa.
to responsibilities.
to new found talents.
to expectations and to how one should never expect.
to break-ups and friendships still kept.
to barkada reunions.
to barkada sleepovers.
to barkada gimmicks.
to barkadas.
to MS, a group of girls who after all these years and petty fights are still always there.
(Ihsa, Irish, Kae, Aryan, Sandra, Nyka)
to the DotA Amigas, a group of unique girls who are always there for you no matter what you do, no matter who you fall for and no matter how evil your plans are.
(Aryan, Jizza, Kate, Yim)
to BESTFRIENDS.
to thinking you know who to trust.
to being betrayed.
to thinking you were in love again.
to taking summer classes.
to making new friends and enemies during the summer.
to making big decisions.
to weighing your priorities.
to joining a sorority.
to sorority girls.
to my sorority sisters and fraternity brothers: UP Theta Epsilon Sorority and Kappa Epsilon Fraternity: Thank you for a wonderful year and thank you for all the lessons.
to starting the new school year with a lot of load at once.
to parties.
to drinking.
to vices and the bonding that goes with them.
to workshops.
to secrets.
to celebrating the first anniversary of SIGNALS '08.
(Lulu, Hazelle, Kate, Lybie, Bea, Dave, Benj, Sosep, JM, Vince)
to Signals '08 and the entire UPLB DevComSoc.
to batch unity.
to walking up Forestry during midnight.
to crying over movies.
to tears and to laughter that can come at the same time but often not.
to boredom.
to travelling.
to being haggard and being pressured and still coming out alive.
to surviving.
to tanlines on arms and feet.
to failures and getting back up again.
to FALLING IN LOVE again.
to having a new boyfriend that takes care of you the best.
(Henry Mark Binahon. MISS NA KITA.)
to living away from my parents and grandparents.
to part time jobs.
to debates and to tests and to self-confidence.
to high school reunions and to reminiscing.
to sleepless nights because of too much work.
to sleepless nights just because you want to stay awake.
to learning that friendship doesn't have to be so close-distance.
to learning that you can do it if you just put your mind to it.
to having more belief in oneself and to being a person you can respect.
to respect.
to self-fulfillment and to accomplishments.
to death and how it brings people together.
to losses.
to gains.
to winning.
to losing.
to acceptance.
to friendship.
to sisterhood.
to LOVE.
to CHANGE.

to ending the year on a happy note.
to 2009.
HERE'S TO YOU.

Power. Responsibility.
(Toy Kingdom, Mall of Asia, December 2009)