Looking forward to 2013 and a brief review of 2012

It's the start of a new year and what a year it was in 2012! It was an eventful year with the Clairvoyant returning from Singapore after a 19-month stint there. It was an adventure for both of us as it was also her first time to live overseas for a significant length of time (I was in Japan for 3 years in the 1990's.). The year also was an achievement of sorts for me in terms of travel as I was able to travel from the Philippines to Indonesia and Malaysia via Singapore (where we also had a home) during the week I celebrated my 40th (another milestone!). That meant I covered four of the original five ASEAN member countries in a span of a week. The clincher was a trip to Thailand in October that completed the "collection" of sorts.

In August, we had another challenge in the form of another flood, and right after the Clairvoyant and I arrived back home from Singapore. It wasn't of Ondoy (Ketsana) proportions but it was right there in terms of experiences we won't forget about. It's something like a last straw for us and now, we are looking forward to the likelihood of moving to a new home within the year. There are a lot of things we consider as obstacles, negatives that if we focused on these we are sure to ruin ourselves with the sadness, the frustration, and, to others, the depression that can be brought about by such proverbial curve balls thrown at us. I think we should treat such challenges as "spices" that make life continuously exciting. These are events that make it more interesting for us; keeping us on our feet and encouraging us to be at the top of our game. We should also be reminded of our faith and how we can be stronger after our encounters with adversity.

Following is a photo that the Clairvoyant took one evening as we drove to dinner. We love sunsets as these provide unpredictable but fascinating pictures. The unpredictability is one thing that we (and others) like about and that we should embrace much like the saying about change being the only thing constant in this world.

Sunset along Marcos Highway

We love sunsets because of the drama and the color. I believe sunsets are also like rainbows in that they bear a promise. In the case of rainbows, it is the promise that there will be better weather. In sunsets, it is a promise of a sunrise the following day. It is the hope that everything will be better!

Happy New Year! May we all have a blessed one in 2013!
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