And just like that, we’re down to the last month of the year!  But before I get settled into this month, I’d like to savor one last time the memories of the November that passed.

Early this month, the foodie in me discovered a good new place that serves good burgers: Pound.  I also had some interesting sides that had truffles in it.  A few days later, on my birthday, I was reunited with one of my favorite places for Kabab, Mister Kabab.

A day after my birthday, the Festival of Lights at Ayala Triangle Gardens started its annual run.  Because I wanted to share the show to folks from abroad, I probably did my longest handheld video recording here.  It was worth it though.  A quick meal at another favorite, Tim Ho Wan, capped that day for me.

Wrapping up my birthday week is a feast at the Fishing Village in Island Cove, Cavite.  It’s one of the best culinary experiences I’ve had recently as not only each dish was delicious, they also came from all over Cavite—many of which were new to me.

Some of the other “unexpected” delights on my birthday week:

The following night, nature gave us the largest super moon in decades!  It’s one of those nights when I wish I had at least a 300mm lens!

Then a week after, after who knows how long, I was finally able to get back into a bowling alley for two rounds of bowling!  Lucky to have scored past 100 in one of those games!  And lucky that we were able to return to Little Tokyo after the games for some really good Japanese food to celebrate some folks’ birthdays.

A few days later, I had a new foodie discovery again, this time at the food court of Trinoma: Kimukatsu Tei.

The following weeks were filled with yearend thanksgiving parties with some folks we’ve not seen in a while and new ones that joined our team this year.  And another two rounds of bowling.  And completion of 18 stickers for a 2017 planner from a notable coffee company.

This November may not be as exciting as my birth month of years past, but it does have its own unique charm and I realized that you can’t really do a comparison.  Some folks have gone, some new folks came in, did something new, revisited something familiar.  What was exciting then may be a chore now.  The only thing constant is change.

I guess I’m lucky as well for starting this blog eight years ago.  I may not always remember what I did, where I went, or whom I spend it with, but this blog remembers, and it somehow immortalizes a part of my life.  Years from now, I’ll go back and read what my younger self had accomplished and hopefully inspires me and others go further and pursue new adventures.  But for now, I’m thankful that this November came and it gave me a lot of unique experiences to remember!

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.
—Eric Hoffer