Gratitude list 2007

It was too late when I realized that Sampras And Federer Are Practically In My Doorstep.

I spent a good portion of the Tuesday morning daydreaming about the Federer-Sampras match in Macau this Saturday. Daydreaming eventually gave way to frantic rummaging through sites online, to get the best airline and hotel rates for my sojourn to the former Portuguese Asian enclave. But after careful computation of the cost for my planned stay in Macau, I conceded defeat because the amount I had to shell out was more than a month’s salary.

This is one of the rare times that I wished my surname was Hilton…

Later that day, however, I realized that I may have had more than my fair share of the jet-set life, visiting places familiar and spectacular, meeting people as varied as Finns and Chileans, experiencing events that are tremendous blessings to say the least. With still 39 days to go before the new year and 51 days before by birthday, I believe I already have a lengthy list of items to be grateful for, missing the Sampras-Federer face-off notwithstanding.

A cursory, per-month examination of the year that is about to end generated a fine picture of yet-another blessing-filled year:


January: I got to celebrate the New Year and my birthday with my parents and other family members in the US. February: Ang Lingkod Ng Panginoon Manila, the Catholic yuppy community I belong to, successfully celebrated its 7th anniversary (despite my prolonged absence, thanks to my very able organizing committee co-chair!)

March: The school year which saw the initial implementation of our revised medical school curriculum for third year students ended, yielding a ton of learnings for students and faculty members alike.

April: I practically spent the entire April on the road. I revisited Bicol via the GK1MB Bayani Challenge. I revisited Mindanao via the GK Highway of Peace which converged in Lanao Del Norte. I even made a sidetrip to see my very good friend in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon- my first time in this part of the Philippines.

May: The candidates of Ang Kapatiran may not have won seats in the Senate but they have somehow raised hopes again for a better Philippines. I took time out with my siblings for an Intramuros walking tour c/o Carlos Celdran. Several of my classmates and friends got married. And the most amazing thing happened: all the bureaucratic stars fell into place and I finally got my teaching item to become an officially compensated member of the university faculty!

June: I got to spend 11 days in Indonesia to attend a course on disaster management.

July: Christina Aguilera visited us in Taguig City.

August-September: I participated in a five-week course on global health in Finland, crossed over to Sweden for a weekend (to visit, among other places, the Swedish Academy- home of the Nobel Museum below), and spent a two-hour whirlwind tour of Amsterdam while waiting for our flight home.

October: We celebrated the fourth anniversary of the launch of Gawad Kalinga via the GK1World Expo.

November: One of my best friends from high school announced her engagement, my maternal grandparents just celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary, and my current movie is a box office success! harhar

December: Can’t wait for it unfold.

I’m no Hilton and my life’s not perfect- thank God for both!

Life’s a Grand Slam. So far, so good.

What are YOU thankful for in 2007?

Share it to the world via your blog and let’s help lengthen Janette Toral’s list of list of blessings for 2007. Hopefully, we can bring some vicarious collective cheer to everyone and anyone this season.