I admit I almost forgot, but didn’t have the time to write a blog post for this site’s fifteenth anniversary until now. Here’s a look back of what had happened to me personally for the past year—most of which unpublished in this blog.

A year ago, I was in mourning from the recent passing of my mother. It was devastating for me and I didn’t really know how to go on. It was all the paperworks that kept me busy, and to this day I can’t really say I’ve let myself go of the emotions. It was the most difficult part of my life yet, but I had to snap out of it eventually and return to a life without my mother.

2023 started the normalcy back in my life as a blogger when 7-Eleven held the launching of their annual run. It was my first running event launch since the pandemic and I was really glad to have seen my co-blogger/runner friends after a long time!

February saw my first “out-of-town” trip when toured our guests from abroad to Tagaytay and see the Taal volcano. We also discovered the wonderful gardens of Caleruega church which made the trip extra memorable. I also had my first in-person race since the pandemic with the AmCham Eat and Run event.

My fiancé helped me a lot to move on. We started traveling around the country to revisit memorable places and discover new ones we’ve never been to. We started with Baguio just in time to catch the last days of the Panagbenga festival. This was followed at the start of March with Bataan, a relatively close by province with so many attractions that are arguably overlooked.

La Union came next where we ended up staying longer than expected. San Juan is known for their surf, but I discovered that it’s also a great place for food trips!

Then came my first flight since the pandemic—destination: Boracay. It’s also my first time to see the island since their “renovation” and I found a lot of positive changes with that trip. Many may say it’s too crowded or too “touristy” but it remains one of my favorite beaches anywhere.

Baler was our last stop before March ended. This was where we got up close with nature and I had an anxiety attack as we were descending an open trail. I’ve done hundreds of kilometers of trails before and I never had such a debilitating attack! More on this when I got the chance to write about my story.

March was also the month I became a lifestyle blogger as I joined Skechers Philippines in launching their flagship store in Glorietta. It was here where I had my first runningpinoy tote bag.

For the Holy Week last April, I got the chance to do my Visita Iglesia on foot at the city of San Pedro, Laguna. The devotion of the people there is really remarkable.

I also got to rediscover Antipolo during this month. I never realized how close it is to the Metro, and yet it feels so far away when you’re there! It was also my first time to ride the MRT-2 extension when we commuted to the area.

Fast forward to June—I found myself in the outskirts of Tokyo, stopping over on my way to San Francisco. It was my first time flying Premium Economy, and I think it’s the next best thing to flying Business Class without draining your budget. For the next several weeks, I’d be crisscrossing the continental United States to visit Florida, New York, New Jersey, and California. It was my first time to visit during summer so I got to experience sunsets past 8PM!

Just a few weeks after returning to the Philippines, I was again back flying to the States—this time for business. This was my first flight in Business Class in many years and my first intercontinental with Philippine Airlines. It was also my first time flying with a toddler beside me. It was quite a flight to say the least.

As it was a business trip, my mobility was limited, mostly just around the San Francisco Bay Area, but we were fortunate to watch the return of Flight Week where we saw jets flying just above us in various formations. It was during this trip that I had the chance to cross the Golden Gate Bridge on foot, and experience walking outside in 8c weather!

Unfortunately, I was outside the country on my mother’s first death anniversary. It was something I had little control as my business trip got extended, but I think her spirit was with me on the other side the world at that time. I got a chance to visit a local Catholic church to say my prayers for her and everyone in my life.

It’s barely been two weeks since I returned to Metro Manila and I had been able to go to IKEA for decorations, visit Quiapo church, see that Victor statue at Bridgetown, and watch the return of the Festival of Lights at the Ayala Triangle.

This blog has been painfully quiet for the past year despite a lot of things going on with me on a personal level. Sometimes I even ask myself if I should close this blog for good as I barely run lately, let alone join any running events! But this has been one of the longest things I’ve kept doing, a personal diary of sorts, a witness to my highs and lows. It seems like the heydays of long posts (blogging) is over, but as long as I’m able to keep it, I’ll do my best to keep it updated, for posterity.

Special thanks to everyone who still find the time to read through my posts. May we all have better days ahead!