fresh starts all around

*EDIT: i'd like to add to the list of 2008 review: lance turning 21! for years we wondered if everyone would still be partying by the time the youngest of the sd nocons turned 21, and that is a big fat YES. vegas here we come....again!

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the new year is almost here. the chargers have earned a new postseason. and i'm gonna try to breathe life into this crappy old blog.

where did i go this time? after being stuck in the office during all possible shopping hours for the first half of december, i needed to catch up on some serious quality time with the mall and target.

i also tried to be a little too ambitious with some of my gifts this year, and i lost a lot of sleep and sacrificed any time i had left for myself. but i'll admit some cool shit came out of it, and i hope to get a little more creative next year as long as i plan things out better.

anyway, the meaty parts of christmas were all good times this year. fun drunken christmas exchanges with friends and roomates. another nocon classic at nanay's house. quality time with my family and my girlfriend and her family. i wish i could go into more detail, but i'd probably bore myself trying to describe them.

one thing i feel is a definite must-have for this blog is a straight-from-the-top-of-the-dome year in review for 2008. i get mildly down about myself when i think of how many people my age are traveling the world or accomplishing great feats, but while flossing my teeth tonight i think i had a pretty damn good year by my standards. in 2008 i.....
- saw the chargers back in the afc championship. it was a loss, but a proud moment for all charger fans.
- had my first real weekend getaway to the bay with katrina. i can't wait to go on another one.
- spent a weekend hotel hopping and dressing spiffy for jessica's debut and tiff's coronation. i also spent quality time with the young men of the family leading up to that weekend--jus, lance, patrick, joey--and with one horrid sounding performance at jessica's debut, EZ Mak was born.
- said farewell to eileen as she boldly went where no friend has gone before: to japan for a year!
- got to have a small reunion with my cacho cousins when cousin patrick graduated and brought the party to san diego
- another roller coaster ride to the final 4 for ucla. another disappointing exit.
- ran a 5k with my favorite cousins and my one and only
- told that special someone "i love you" for the first time in my life, and never felt so at peace and so excited in one moment
- moved to a new apartment
- rode bikes down venice beach with my lady and friends on a hot summer afternoon
- got laid off in the midst of the biggest advertising HR blunder in recent history, then landed a job in less than 2 weeks and got to pocket a decent severance!
- visited palm springs, ate the greatest piece of steak to ever grace my tongue, celebrate a 2nd anniversary with katrina at a pimp hotel, and then cap off the same weekend with a visit from rizal and a taste test of kuya virg's new skills
- won a team championship for the first time in my life! which included my first homerun in organized baseball/softball
- witness the weddings of two deserving cousins, kuya war and kuya nick, and shake some major pelvis for another nocon edition performance
- saw my boy matt perform on stage at a real concert with an up and coming band
- celebrated tony passing his boards and being on his way to making the big bucks and letting me mooch off of him for years to come
- another lakers vs. celtics classic. and the good guys won.
- watched some of my closest friends conquer 13.1 miles of the nike half-marathon in san francisco, something i'll never have any desire to do for myself
- cheered for kuya virgil as he finally attained the glow of a culinary master, graduating from school and landing a job in something he loves
- found out i'm gonna have new niece(s) and nephew(s)!
- took a shot of patron with cousins that i thought would never have taken a shot together so soon
- created a 2009 daily calendar all by myself
- lost weight and kept it off long enough for people to notice (on and off, but more successfully than any past years)
- rode the highs and lows of the most improbable playoff run in NFL history! go chargers!!!

well, that's the gist of the year i guess. i've missed many events i'm sure. but seriously, it's like 3:24am. i'd just like to say that despite all of the tough times and losses those around me experienced, i'm glad we're all still healthy and moving on up. i love my family, friends, girlfriend, and the way my humble little life is turning out. here's to a spectabulous 2009!