My fifth year of creating this list!
I want to start another tradition of preparing this list by integrating a certain theme to make the recognition more special and warm. For 2014, my theme is: The value of relating.
What's with this theme and what does it signifies?
I'm a great fan of Dr. Leon Buscaglia, an Italian born American adult counselor and a world-famous author. In his book, "Loving Each Other, the challenge of human relationships", Buscaglia explained "In friendship, each individual affirms the other's presence and reinforces the other's integrity. As the friendship becomes deeper, it becomes a sharing of vulnerabilities in a safe environment. We show in action that we respect and admire one another, that we enjoy the opportunity to be together and to share experiences".
I'm a great fan of Dr. Leon Buscaglia, an Italian born American adult counselor and a world-famous author. In his book, "Loving Each Other, the challenge of human relationships", Buscaglia explained "In friendship, each individual affirms the other's presence and reinforces the other's integrity. As the friendship becomes deeper, it becomes a sharing of vulnerabilities in a safe environment. We show in action that we respect and admire one another, that we enjoy the opportunity to be together and to share experiences".
The value of relating emphasizes how we interact and behave with others, how we connect and treat each other and how we feel secure and comfortable with the friendship. The people in my list this year provided me with so many reasons to celebrate life and to thank the Lord for allowing me to experience the value of relating.
This year, I have also learned an important lesson in relating that not all people we encountered and met are worthy of the journey we took in friendship. When trouble arises, we will really know who among them are the blessings and who are the lessons. But the ride is worth it because we don't just meet people by accident, the encounter has a purpose, they are really meant to cross our path, either to become a blessing or to teach us a lesson.
I will concentrate on the blessing aspect.
Preparing my list for the most amazing people I relate with is not difficult as I am pretty aware how each of them exhibited a unique kindness and generosity and how their friendship made my year extra memorable.
Here they are:
Here they are:
I haven't met Arman, we just interacted online, but I considered his friendship as the greatest blessing I ever received in 2014.
Talking about relating, I don't have a close guy friend whom I can easily talk on many things, much more someone who seems like a complete duplicate of my personality.
It is just so surprising that despite distance, we easily hit up, he's always there when I needed something (like those incredible photos for my blogs :-P) or needed someone to talk to.
He is ultra kind, very generous with his time and very supportive in so many ways. I could feel the golden character deep within him. Who would not be felt elated having him as a friend? He is so "huge" in the workplace and infinitely successful, but then he never discriminate me nor plod on my being "underling", unlike those monsters out there. He remains remarkably humble and very down-to-earth despite his stellar achievement in life.
Talking about relating, I don't have a close guy friend whom I can easily talk on many things, much more someone who seems like a complete duplicate of my personality.
It is just so surprising that despite distance, we easily hit up, he's always there when I needed something (like those incredible photos for my blogs :-P) or needed someone to talk to.
He is ultra kind, very generous with his time and very supportive in so many ways. I could feel the golden character deep within him. Who would not be felt elated having him as a friend? He is so "huge" in the workplace and infinitely successful, but then he never discriminate me nor plod on my being "underling", unlike those monsters out there. He remains remarkably humble and very down-to-earth despite his stellar achievement in life.
Life is so generous for allowing our paths to collide even just for a short period of time. I don't hold any guarantee that I could really see him in person someday, but I am forever grateful for the chance given to know a part of him, that part which I can relate so much because we have so many things in common. We almost have the same mind set and could agree to everything.
For all the support and kindness you have given to me this year, thank you so much Arman. It means a lot to me. Your friendship is like a spark that filters through dark alleys.
ROWENA TAGAAN
My traveling buddy! I am always grateful with this lady because she has been very supportive with my obsession in traveling.
Rowena has been accompanying me in all my travel exploits since I moved in Metro Manila. We've been friends for more than a decade now and we are so at ease with each other, comfortable sharing with all the misses and hits in our lives.
I can confide all my apprehensions and longings in life with her and all those dreams that might never come true. I am glad there is someone I can always run too when things get pretty bad. We would talk endlessly in a day or over the weekend allowing tension to subside. Rowie really showed me how a truest friend should be and how lucky I am to have her as my best friend,
Thanks so much kiatot for the great time together and for your extraordinary generosity! You are soooo amazing!!!
ANELYN ARCON
One of my closest teenage friends whose friendship never changes through out these years. Despite distance, she never ceases to be a part of my life and that of my sister.
Anelyn is now living in Germany and would only take vacation in the Philippines rarely but we remained very close and would communicate regularly. She is like a sister, extending help when necessary, extremely generous and extra compassionate, she is someone I can always rely when trouble sets in.
In life, I encountered fewest people whose generosity seems eternal and Anelyn is one. I am very lucky to have her as my friend and as the year closes, once again, her generosity is ever present. She is just a phone away!
On New Year's eve, she gave us a call and we talked, laughed over silly matters and wished each other a beautiful life ahead. Hope she could take a vacation this year so that we could be together in another travel adventure.
Rowena has been accompanying me in all my travel exploits since I moved in Metro Manila. We've been friends for more than a decade now and we are so at ease with each other, comfortable sharing with all the misses and hits in our lives.
I can confide all my apprehensions and longings in life with her and all those dreams that might never come true. I am glad there is someone I can always run too when things get pretty bad. We would talk endlessly in a day or over the weekend allowing tension to subside. Rowie really showed me how a truest friend should be and how lucky I am to have her as my best friend,
Thanks so much kiatot for the great time together and for your extraordinary generosity! You are soooo amazing!!!
One of my closest teenage friends whose friendship never changes through out these years. Despite distance, she never ceases to be a part of my life and that of my sister.
Anelyn is now living in Germany and would only take vacation in the Philippines rarely but we remained very close and would communicate regularly. She is like a sister, extending help when necessary, extremely generous and extra compassionate, she is someone I can always rely when trouble sets in.
In life, I encountered fewest people whose generosity seems eternal and Anelyn is one. I am very lucky to have her as my friend and as the year closes, once again, her generosity is ever present. She is just a phone away!
On New Year's eve, she gave us a call and we talked, laughed over silly matters and wished each other a beautiful life ahead. Hope she could take a vacation this year so that we could be together in another travel adventure.
KATHY DACANAY
Kathy is one of my closest friends in Davao, we're colleagues back in the University and we easily hit up due to our common interest in blogging and food choices! We're both into Japanese cuisine and pasta and a little on cheesecake ^____^.
Kathy is a web developer and quite expert on the technical aspect of blogging so I always run into her everytime I encountered glitches in my blog templates and she is always there to help me.
Kathy is a web developer and quite expert on the technical aspect of blogging so I always run into her everytime I encountered glitches in my blog templates and she is always there to help me.
She had visited Manila in August this year and we had this amazing bonding moment with Rowie. All those missed moments of chikahan had been renewed and there was no time wasted with that brief bonding. It was splendid!
I am hoping we could travel together in the months to come and spend time sharing good conversation. I missed Kathy because when I was still in Davao, we would always go out after work and dine somewhere and talk about French lesson, photography, blogging, internet marketing, fashion finds and food, lots, lots of food!!!
Thank you Kathy for being a wonderful friend to me down through all these years!
I am hoping we could travel together in the months to come and spend time sharing good conversation. I missed Kathy because when I was still in Davao, we would always go out after work and dine somewhere and talk about French lesson, photography, blogging, internet marketing, fashion finds and food, lots, lots of food!!!
Thank you Kathy for being a wonderful friend to me down through all these years!
PRISSIE DELA TORRE
Finally! After three years, I saw Prissie again. I met her (with Rowena) last December 21 at NAIA when she had a stop over from Dubai, we needed to go to Terminal 3 to meet her as she was just having few hours before taking her connecting flight to Davao. It was a beautiful moment of laughter and sharing conversation over food just like the old days.
Just like Rowena and Kathy, Prissie and I formerly worked in the same University and she's one of by closest friends in the workplace. We would go out then to anywhere that caught our fancy, movies, restaurants, malls, etcetera.
We spent countless Valentine's dinner outings together with our colleagues and would poke at each other for always spending Valentine's day with the same set of friends, our common question at that time, "Will the time ever still comes for us to spend V-Day with someone? (sigh), a decade later, the story of my Valentine's day is astoundingly the same, waaah! And oh God, another Valentine's day is approaching, shockks!!
Thank you Prissie for being a great friend to me and after all these years, you're still the same. Hope we could spend enough time together in the future for more hearty conversation and laughter!!!
We spent countless Valentine's dinner outings together with our colleagues and would poke at each other for always spending Valentine's day with the same set of friends, our common question at that time, "Will the time ever still comes for us to spend V-Day with someone? (sigh), a decade later, the story of my Valentine's day is astoundingly the same, waaah! And oh God, another Valentine's day is approaching, shockks!!
Thank you Prissie for being a great friend to me and after all these years, you're still the same. Hope we could spend enough time together in the future for more hearty conversation and laughter!!!
With Kathy and Rowena at Cafe Juanita, August 30, 2014
With Rowena and Prissie, NAIA, December 21, 2014
Arman, Rowena, Anelyn, Kathy, Prissie, Thank you so much for the gift of beautiful friendship and for being part of my journey in 2014 , you made my year truly memorable and incredibly great. Godbless you all and cheers to a good life in the coming year, more wonderful time of relating with each other!!!
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