Happy Grateful!!!

2008, what a year!

For the followers of my blog (yes, that's both of you), I'm sorry for not posting anything lately. Things got quite hectic towards year-end, both with my photography and my non-photography related life (I have one, ya know). So let me start 2009 with a Happy Grateful list, or the best things that happened to me in 2008. I'm bound to forget something, but hey, that's what the edit button is for, right?

So here's my Happy Grateful List '08 Edition:

- My 2 sisters and how well they're doing in whatever it is they're doing

- That no one in my family got seriously ill or hospitalized :D

- 61 weddings (including some very dear friends)

- TRIPS! I flew and traveled more in 2008 than I ever did in any other year, including:
> Kiangan, Ifugao (for a wedding)
> Bataan (for a wedding and a post-nup shoot in Mt. Samat)
> Tarlac (for the prenup of dear friends Pao and Bambi)
> San Pablo, Laguna (for a wedding)
> San Rafael, Bulacan (for a wedding)
> Clark Field, Pampanga (for prenups and a conference)
> Cebu (for a wedding)
> Kalibo (one for vacation and one for relief operations after Typhoon Frank)
> Boracay (2 weddings, a prenup and a vacation)
> Bacolod (for our anniversary and ...)
> Hong Kong (My first time in 10 years, and we got to go twice! Both for vacation, one of which was free. Thanks, Cebu Pacific!)
> Sydney, Australia (for the wedding of my dear friends Jez and Che, plus 2 prenups on the side. It was definitely soooo good to be back, despite the 10 deg C weather. The warmth of old friends kept me sane)

I love travelling :)

- NAIA's Terminal 3. It brings air travel to where it should be: convenient, modern, not crowded

- My probably-once-in-a-lifetime ride in the cockpit of an Airbus A320. Coming home from HK, I found out that the captain is a good friend from SFC. Mid-flight, he calls me from my seat and brings me to the cockpit, gives me the jumpseat where I stayed until we touched down and taxied to the gate. Uber cool!!!

- My Macbook Pro

- New photo gear (Clean ISO3200 images and true 16mm wideness. Yummy!) :)

- My extended families! Family friends, my SFC family, my Imagine Nation family, our wedding industry friends, as well as my couples who have now become my friends. Bless you all!

- The fact that I actually experienced an 08-08-08 day in my lifetime

- KIDS! Lots of my friends gave birth in '08. Congratulations to the new (and old) parents!

- New photo opportunities to expand my portfolio

- Our Wii

- Savings! I actually have savings!

- The fact that some of my photos were published, some in Town&Country, Metro Weddings and the 2009 W@W Calendar

- My 2nd billboard came out (not a picture of me though, just pictures that I took :p)

- I got to work more than once with wedding industry luminaries such as John Mateos Ong, Erron Ocampo, Madge Lejano, Jesy Alto and Steve Pagsanjan, Jason Magbanua, laugh-a-minute Threelogy, Randall of MangoRED, uber coordinator Christine Ong-Te, Boracay Princess Amanda Tirol, Karen Marek, ace stylist Teddy Manuel, supernice Benz Rana of W@W, top-notch designers Cecilio Abad and Veluz Reyes, among others

- I was able to shoot and rub elbows with Master Eddie Boy Escudero

- New food finds, both high-end and el cheapo. And friends with whom I can share them

- My phone (wasn't planning this, but my old phone died on me. Boo)

- My ex-girlfriend, who is now my fiancee. Yes, I got engaged last year (this is the "..." after my Bacolod entry. We were a few minutes from touching down in Manila, so who knows where I actually proposed. It could well have been over Laguna Bay or Alabang Town Center) :D

- All the other things, big and small, that are either too mundane or too personal to write down, but nonetheless made 2008 what it was: GREAT!

Wishing everyone (yep, that's both of you again) an even greater 2009!

Thanks, God! You are AWESOME!