In 2014, I had the best year of my life. And 2015 didn't fail me, too. Life gave me a lot of new opportunities to experience and grow. 2015 is a milestone for me coz i've already lived a "quarter" of my life. There were a lot of surprises and I can only be grateful for all the blessings that God gave me. 2015 is a year of Wonders. A year to explore the wonders of the world, my career, my relationships and of my self. I've stood by my motto "Carpe Diem", to seize the day, learn to appreciate and enjoy life. Here are the highlights of my 2015:


January. Had our traditional new year's day outing at Abong-abong River with the family. Our cousins from Davao visited the city and had some bonding sessions. At work, I had my first SOCA experience where we stayed late up night to do the reports and presentations. At the end of the month, Ate and I went to Manila for Graphika Manila. We went to the National Museum with Pey, Binondo with our little bro Aljo and explored the BGC and Makati Area. The last day of January was the first day of Graphika Manila.


February. Second day of Graphika Manila. My artwork was included in the GM Book. I learn a lot from the speakers and went home with lots of inspiration. Together with some NMCA friends, we created an installation art #RTLIM100 at Plaza Pershing in commemoration of the 100th Birthday of Sen. Roseller Lim. For the first time, I went to Sagada with Ajhay, Sam and their college friends. We had spelunking at the caves and trekking at the rice terraces. We went to the famous Kiltepan Peak but we didn't see the sea of clouds due to heavy fog. We also passed by Baguio before heading back home. I organized the Zamboanga Film Festival for Dia de Zamboanga. It was very fulfilling especially when I saw my student and friends who are passionate in film and animation and being recognized by the Mayor during the Awards Night.


March. I had my first unplanned travel. I was sent by the office to attend the International Festival for Language at the Resorts World. I had the chance to visit my friends is Manila, too. Wella, my cousin, also had her college graduation and we had a party at home. Then, I had my 2nd surprise travel. Sir Reymond of Vista and I went to Manila to present a demo reel video we created for a mining company. I had a chance to meet my friends again. Back in Zamboanga we celebrated the Earth Hour and did some on the spot doodle session and candle lighting at Plaza del Pilar.


April. Started the month with a family vacation. We went to Dapitan, Dakak, Misamis, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon. I did the white water rafting for the 2nd time, but now with my family. We went to Dahilayan Nature Park in Bukidnon and tried the ziplines and had picnic at the pine forest. I love the roadtrips and bondings with the family. Back at home I rekindled by artistic side and explored new techniques like brush lettering and paper cutting. At work we officially kicked off the Summer Na Zamboanga festival. I had my first mountain run challenge "Murok 3.0" and finished 13.8k in 1 hour and 47 minutes, a new personal record. We conducted a scriptwriting workshop with the local film makers group called Cinema Castellano. My childhood best friend, Farhana, also graduated in medschool!


May. Celebrated Labor day at Sta. Cruz Island with my Sagada buddies and my sister and Wella. (The photo is in April collage, my bad). For the summer festival we had the annual Kite Festival and was just amazed by the beautiful kites! I invited the cosplayers too in that event. My main event is the Zamboanga Hiphop Dance Competition which, for the first time, is divided into different categories (Junior, Varsity, Adult, and Megacrew). I was just amazed by the talented young dancers. We also had the Juego de Antes, a festival of traditional Filipino games. Wella and I created "Well-crafted hearts" our brand for our art and craft products like paper cut and hand painted art. We also had the "Festival de las Bellas y Flores" or the Flores de Mayo. To end the summer festival, we had a street party "Danza Verano" at Paseo del Mar. It also featured an Art Fair where we displayed and sold our artworks. It was one of the best summer experience I had!


June. It's back to school time! I'm teaching Visual Communication once again. Beacon Newsmag, ADZU's student publication where I trained for layout and design, invited me to create a hand-lettering mural for the OrSem. At work, we celebrated the flag days, independence day and Dia de Fundacion de Chavacano. My main event is the CineChavacano Film and Animation Festival. It was another fulfilling event!


July. Had a vacation with Jervin, Pey and Coline at Ilocos Region. We went to Laoag, Vigan, Paoay and Pagudpud. Despite the typhoon, we enjoyed each other's company especially during the Paoay 4x4 ride. We went to a lot of tourist spots and had so much laughs and photos. I also had several talks for Campus Journalism workshops. At work, we are already preparing for the Hermosa Festival.


August. My birth month! To start the month, I was invited to do a live art exhibition at Ateneo for the CSIT Acquaintance Party "VOX". It's my first time to do such thing. I also spent a day visiting barangay halls at the west coast to distribute letters for a cultural mapping project. For the first time, i stepped on new territories and was amazed by the picturesque beauty of some barangays like Muti, upper Dulian and Sibulao. I had a surprise travel to South Cotabato to attend the Koronadal International Folklore Festival. I spent my birthday there together with some employees from the Secretary Office. We went to Lake Sebu and experienced the highest zipline in Southeast Asia at the Seven Falls. We watched folkdance performances from different countries like Poland, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Mexico. It was an amazing experience especially because we're always in the front rows. Back at home, I had dinner with the family at the new restaurant just outside our house, Carls. At school, it was Midterms time! My student created artworks and had a gallery exhibit/presentation. It was a lot of fun!


September. Maam Beng's birthday. It's been 2 years since the Zambo siege happened. Our office came up with an exhibit "Dos Años Despues". A turning point in my life happened. I gave myself a second chance to feel again :) My high school friend Galen got married and i did their musical SDE. We did all preparations for the Hermosa Festival. I designed an emblem which was turned into lanterns and was decorated on the street lamps. What an amazing feeling looking at my design around the city. At the end of the month, we had the pre-fiesta event Bandoreal Parade at both districts. It was my first time to witness a bandoreal and it was really fun! I also had the chance to be with the Azkals / Meralco Sparks when they visited the city. I gave mama a beautiful fondant cake for her birthday!


Ocotber. It's fiesta Pilar month! For the first time, our office is assigned to organize the biggest festival of the city! The Opening Salvo was really amazing especially during the lighting of the giant emblem! My main events are the Art Exhibit, Original Chavacano Video Music Festival and Danza La Vida. Wella and I created the float entry of Unique Motor Center for the Parade of Lights and we won 3rd place! We really enjoyed the street party at the Butterfly Garden as VIP's. I got to be in the backstage with the guest DJ's Ashley Rivera, Nina Saputil and Marc Marasigan. It's the best street party this city ever had! After the exhausting fiesta, I went to Manila met with Jotie and went to Tagaytay. Had dinner with my Ate who was under training in Laguna. I met her boyfriend RJ. It's wasn't the best time for a vacay because of the typhoon but I still had a good time with my travel buddy.


November. 2nd Sem at school, and i'm teaching Desktop Publishing once again. I was invited by the AdZU Alumni Association in an art exhibit "Past to Present". I went to Cagayan de Oro with Jotie for the Mindanao Communicators Network Congress and met other PIO's from the region. We had a social night and had my first ever costume party. The theme was Enchanted Night, so Jotie and I came as the Lost Boys from Peter Pan. Had so much fun with the #ArribaBanco team. We also did the White Water Rafting (my 3rd time) and Dahilayan Adventure. I tried the python zipline, dropzone and luge for the first time. Back at home, we celebrated Papa's birthay and promotion. I gave him a watch as a present. At work, we made an installation art for Dia de Cesar then we did the preparations for the Christmas Festival.


December. It's our favorite time of the year! We opened Pascua na Zamboanga with the theme Candyland. You can watch the SDE here. Me and my adventure buddy had a short weekend vacation to Pangasinan. We went to Bolinao and explored its beautiful caves and falls. Another bucket list item was ticked off when we did island hopping at the famous Hundred Islands in Alaminos. In Manila, we went to Makati to see the amazing lights display at the Ayala Triangle. Back in Zamboanga, a new big mall is opening, the KCC Mall de Zamboanga. I went to Manila again to participate the Philippine Visual Arts Festival (PVAF) at the University of the Philippines - Diliman Campus. It was my first time in UP and I was just honored to be one of the participants. My artwork "Regatta de Zamboanga" was my entry in the group art exhibit at the Palma Hall. We had workshops and seminars, too, which gave us a lot of knowledge and inspiration. I learned casting from a master sculptor, Manolo Sicat, at the UP College of Fine Arts. It was a fun experience and i just felt blessed being there. It was a childhood dream to study in UP Fine Arts, and during the closing program, I felt like a fine arts student receiving the certificate from the NCCA director for Visual Arts in front of artists around the country. Another dream became a reality when we joined the UP Lantern Parade as front liners of UP Fine Arts. Finally, I really enjoyed my Christmas holidays with family and friends. It was a really a great year!

2015 was simply wonderful! God answered a lot of prayers and I faced the year with a lot of positivity and perseverance. I'm contented with my life but still I hope for better things to come. 2015 is a turning point and it's just the start of another crazy chapter in life. Here's to all the memories and for future adventures! Cheers! Thanks for being part of my life one way or the other. I wish you a prosperous and great 2016! Carpe Diem and God bless!

Change is constant and in 2014, I had a handful. It has been a great year, for career, for my family and for myself! At the start of the year I bought a new brand of planner, a doodle planner and it was really cool. It had a lot of cool features like planning your activities for the year, the movies to watch, the book to read and generally what the year will be. It was my buddy all year round and it was my guide to keep myself on track. I realize how important it is to have a vision for your life, do the best in each day and change for the better. But, I can also say I'm a spontaneous type of person and most of the time i don't really have a plan on what to do in my life. Therefore I must say that i was really blessed because despite of my recklessness I still managed to have a good year. Like the previous years, I dug through my folders and looked for the highlights of each month. Take a peak of my crazy 2014.



JAN - I started my year with a lot of jogging. It was my new year's resolution to run farther and be consistent. I ran with my friends which made it more fun! I can say that I influenced them to run at Murok. I also had my first travel to Manila and Tagaytay for a wedding coverage with the Trebor Z team. I would love to go back to Tagaytay and just relax there. At the end of the month, I went to Manila with Tennyl and Wella for Graphika Manila.



FEB - We started the month in Manila for the Graphika Manila. Wella, unfortunately had dengue and wasn't feeling well so she stayed at the condo for the rest of the trip. Meanwhile, me and Tennyl enjoyed the conference. I was really inspired especially with Jessica Hische on her hand-lettering. Back in Zamboanga, Wella was confined in the hospital and she even had her birthday there. For the rest of the month, it was all about school, events and running. I had a new milestone together with my jogging buddy. We tried a new trail in Dulian which had a picturesque mountain view. We call it the New Zealand of Zamboanga.



MAR - It was the end of the school year and start of summer! I had an early summer vacation and it was awesome! Me, my sister and her friends joined our parents in their annual Rotary District Conference in Boracay! It was my first time there and it was beautiful! Truly its beaches is one of the world's finest! I enjoyed our activities there like zorbing, atv, snorkeling, eating, and, of course, swimming. There is no direct flight to Caticlan, so we also passed by Cebu.



APR - One of the highlights of this month is an event for Videographers which we organized here in Zamboanga. We called it Sweet Shots, and it's the first of its kind here and i was asked to be one of the speakers. I talked about Basic Cinematography (which was embarassing). Two speakers from Manila were invited, film-maker Mr Christian Andaya and Manila's finest glider Michael Jamandre. They were both fun speakers and we also learned a lot from them. Sweet Shots also united Zamboanga's videographers. We also had our family vacation to Cebu for our Grand Family Reunion. The Morales-Beron clan is composed of the families of my grandmother (mother's side) and her siblings. I also continued my habit of reading books! I did it better with audiobooks.



MAY - I had my first fun run which is called Color Run. It was indeed fun and colorful! My weekly running really paid off when I finished 11kilometers in 1hr and 13mins, a personal record of mine. I didn't have teaching units but it was a blessing in disguise because i had more time for myself. In weekends, I met my friends for running and just hanging out. Sometimes we declared fridays in the middle of the week. It was a lot of fun!



JUN - It's the start of the school year and I had 2 teaching units. This month i rekindled my artistic skills when my bosses at Vista de Lente asked my to create hand made boards as decors for their new office. I used scrap woods from the undergoing renovation of our house. Doing hand made crafts was awesome! Thanks Pinterest! We also celebrated Tennyl's Birthday and for Fathers day, i bought Papa this cool fondant cake! I met interesting people in this month.



JUL - I was asked by my Beacon's moderator and my college friend to do the layout for Marejada. It was like going back to college days doing the thing that i'm good at. Talking about art, I created three handmade pieces for an exhibit for Ateneo Faculty and Staff dubbed as Time Out. I gave a speech during the opening and I, as usual, had the nerves and was terrified. But the organize said she loved my speech, so i guess i didn't really fucked up. The exhibit made me realize how much people appreciate my talent and work of art. I felt blessed especially because my friends we're there to support me. Aside from my ADZU stuff, it was also confirmed that I got my job at the City Hall. I was busy processing my requirements for 2 weeks and finally i started my first day of work as PIO of City Mayor's Office on July 21. My friend Joanne also tied the knot with Ronald, and as they say "Love can't Wait!"hehehe



AUG - This is the month that I look forward every year, coz it's my birthmonth! I spent my birthday at work. I brought food at the office and in the afternoon I gave the midterm exam for my comm students. I also treated them with donuts. At home, I had a my birthday party with my family and friends at home. I simply felt loved. :') A week after, i had the greatest adventure of my life! Me and my friends decided to have a travel abroad together! It the first time for most of us to go outside the country. We went to Vietnam and Cambodia for 10 days! We went to Angkor Wat at Siem Reap, then to Phnom Penh, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Words are not enough to explain that experience but you can watch this video to see our crazy adventures. We went back home with renewed spirits and extreme separation anxiety. The hangover is still with me up to this day.



SEP - It's an awesome month at work. I was assigned to facilitate an Art Healing Workshop for kids affected by the seige. It was initiated by Zamboangueno Artist, Rameer Tawasil, who was my oil painting teacher, and his friend from Macau, Franco Joaquim. We spent a week with kids creating paintings, drawings and crafts. It culminated with an exhibit at the City Hall lobby where we sold the artworks to raise money for the kids. I'm really blessed to be part of this. In September 9, the city observed the anniversary of the Zamboanga Siege. We honored the heroes and the brave. I also had a mini reunion with college friends. And at the end of the month, it was Mama's birthday! I surprised her with a bouquet of flowers while she was at work.



OCT - It's Fiesta Hermosa month! Weeks before,  I was really busy creating the poster and obb which was shown at the opening program. I had my best Fiesta Hermosa so far! I was inducted as the Representative for Digital Arts in the City Council for History, Arts and Culture. I enjoyed the Mascota / Balikbayan night with my students and the Wow Sardinas with my sister and my office mates. We also had the first ever street party "Danza La Vida" featuring Manila-based dj's and hosts. I had a blast! After the fiesta, I was also a part of the first Mindanao Visual Arts Festival called Mindanao Artbest. It was organized by the Adzu Center for Culture and Arts and the Gallery. The ArtBest Art exhibit featured amazing artworks of artists all over Mindanao and i was just blessed to my work featured side by side with theirs. Then finally, me, Christian and architects and urban planners of the city govt went to Manila with Mayor Beng for the Livable Cities Design Challenge. Our entry was selected for final presentation in the contest and luckily we placed third out of 12 participating entries all over the country. It was a humbling moment going back to our city with this achievement. October was really awesome!



NOV - During the fiesta, I joined a Photography contest and, fortunately, one of my photos was selected as one of the 25 photos which will exhibited. The photo exhibit was held at the Cafe Briza of Lantaka hotel and Maam Beng opened the exhibit herself. It was great rubbing elbows with these great Photographers. Back at City Hall, we had the commemoration for Zamboanga's iconic mayor, Cesar C Climaco's 30th death anniversary. I created vector portraits depicting his values as a leader. At school, it was the start of the 2nd sem and i had one teaching load. We also celebrated Joed's birthday with the Vietnam-Cambodia friends. Joed is my adventure buddy but he already transferred to Iloilo now. At the end of the month, the Christmas Spirit is already around. We had our office decorated with blue and silver ornaments.



DEC - We opened Pascua na Zamboanga with the grand lighting of the City hall. I, together with my Vista de Lente team, created a beautiful SDE which received great responses especially to Zamboanguenos who was away from home. During the Mayor's Christmas party, our division together with the computer division, won the Dance Presentation with our Grease musical performance. It was so much fun! Ateneo Fiesta also had its colorful comeback. I designed the shirt for the faculty and staff. Once again I experienced the fiesta spirit which i really look forward every year. December is also about homecomings. My brother came back home with my requests, cinnabon, books and socks. We had our Christmas eve's party with the family at home and exchanged gifts and laughs. I really love them! I attended our highschool homecoming, too, and we won the shirt design contest. I also received a recongition for outstanding alumnus in the field of Culture and Arts. And to cap off the year, we had another family reunion at Safety with our color of the year outfits. We had games which was super fun!

--- End of Year End Throwback ---

Time for serious shit. Disclaimer: some shocking revelations ahead. Brace thyself.

As i was writing down all of these moments of my life this year, I realize how much blessings i had. I can't help but be thankful especially to God for always reminding me of the wonderful life that He gave me. I am not the most religious person, and I may consider that i don't have a religion since college. But what I have is FAITH. I am still a Christian and i don't have to attend mass religiously. It's a way of life. I must be a Christian everyday, to please God according to my actions, decisions and what I do with my life. It's my goal in life to seize every day and actually live a happy life. I may not be the richest guy now but my wealth is in my heart. My family, my friends and all the people who is part of my little infinity (TFIOS much), all of them i lift up to God and will be forever thankful for. On the other hand, I want to say sorry to the people who i may have disappointed or wronged. This coming year, I am hoping for a better life. A life of constant change. Change for the better. Cheers for the New Year! and see you in my next adventure!

One of the best moments of my life (so far) is travelling with these awesome group of people. Joed, Apple and her boyfriend who was also my college mate, GP, who was about to finish their MBA's decided to book an 8-day trip to Vietnam and Cambodia on the New Year's eve to take advantage of Cebu Pacific's holiday Piso fare. They chose August 19-27 because there were two holidays and it's also perfect for me since midterms would be done by that time. The trip was also a birthday treat for me and Apple who are turning 24 this year. I just followed my gut feeling and accepted their invitation to join them. Carla, Jelan and Jervin also booked their tickets and so a total of 7 of us would be goin on the trip.

It's the time of the year again to look back and reminisce the awesome moments and experiences I had in the past year. For me 2013 has been a great year for friends, for work and myself. I was very blessed to have many people loving me and share great times with one another. My favorite parts of the year are my travel experiences like my first Manila Wedding with my team, Trebor Z, our Davao Vaction with family and our CDO-Camiguin Trip with my college and high school friends. I really enjoyed summer weekends with my friends where we just partied all the way.

About my career, I still remained my part time jobs like teaching in Ateneo and layouting stuff. But amidst all of these time with other people, I really enjoyed most is my time for myself. I became fond in jogging and taking care of my health. Time alone is very important for me so I can discover myself more and reflect all the blessing I have. Above all, I always feel the presence of God in my daily life. Because of Him, my 2013 became a great one. Here are some highlights of my year: (Click on photo for larger view)



January - Welcomed the New Year at Paseo del Mar with Family while watching the grand fireworks show. Back in class, we had a Pop Music Cover activity and they created Music Videos for their midterms. Trebz went in class to share something about DSLR Cinematography. The Music Videos they produced were great. Watch them here.



February - Had my first Manila Wedding SDE at Alabang. After the wedding, we had fun at Enchanted Kingdom, another first. Back in Zambo, watched Ciento with friends. Became Panelist for the Seniors Portfolio presentation. Feb 4 was Wella's bday, and 21 was Ate's.



March - Had a family outing at Zambo Ecozone. Went swimming, kayaking and a lot of eating. Had weddings, photoshoot and parties with Trebor Z family. I didn't know these were the last times when the group bonded coz unfortunately some of the members went out of the group already. Aljo went home for summer break and had a fun Losers Reunion.



April - Summer classes starts (taught Nursing Informatics and Desktop Publishing). Lots of SDE, layouts and of course, night outs with friends. Wedding Fair at Centro Pastoral. Jogging always! Surprised Peypey on her birthday. We had a high school reunion at Barcode and Alejandra's where we had karaoke. So much fun!



May - Started with the Summer Peace Festival. Music+Beer=Fun! Bought Mama a cake for Mother's Day then had dinner at Palmeras. Local and Senatorial Elections. Weekend nights were time for friends. Karaoke, Beer, Good Food and lots of good time! Finally i got my driver's license!



June - Had a family vacation of Davao. Went to Samal Island, Jack's Ridge, Malls and visited our families there. Upon arriving Zamboanga, i had my first class for the first sem. I had 5 subjects! But two were just substitute. Dinner during Father's Day at BarBHaus. A lot of school time. I joined Maam Beng's Communications and Info Group as she goes into office as the new City Mayor.



July - Mac-Mac's Bday. Papa was inducted as President of Rotary Club of Zamboanga City East. Printed shirts for the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of Tetuan Parish. Classes were fun specially in Sound Supervision. I learned a lot about Sound Recording. Finally, me and my high school and college friends went to Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin for a vacation. Went to Katibawasan falls, Ardent Hot Springs, White Island (the best!!!), Sto Nino Cold Springs, and went White Water Rafting in CDO. We had a blast!



August - My Birthday month! I really felt the love from my family and friends. My loves/friends, surprised me at the eve of my birthday and brought food and gifts. My Ate went home and we had dinner at Mang Paeng's (one of my new favorite restaurants). Trebor Z family also me and Carlo a birthday night out. Back in school, we created music videos for their midterms. At the City Hall, we produced a new Tourism campaign for the city, Zoom In Zamboanga.



September - Went to Manila for the Philippine Travel Mart for the launching of the new Tourism Campaign and Maam Beng's Birthday. For the first time, my layout was published in a whole page of Philippine Daily Inquirer. The launching was successful and I really felt appreciated with our work. But the tables turned quickly. A day after we arrived home the MNLF Standoff happened. A breakaway group of MNLF had a standoff with the military when they try to raise their flag at the city hall. The city became a ghost town and it was so surreal. Families were displaced and business shut down. We were prisoners in our own homes but it didn't stop us from doing something. We volunteered to help the evacuees and soldiers by cooking rice for them.

After three weeks, the standoff finally ended and the city started to get back to normal. I started jogging again but this time at Pasonanca Park since the grandstand became an evacuation center. The newly renovated grandstand suddenly looked like a slum area and the facilities were ruined. At Pasonanca, i found hope. At Maam Beng's office, we produced a short documentary, #RebuildZambo to invite people to donate for the victims of the standoff. Before September ended, we celebrated Mama's Birthday at Palmeras.



October - This is supposedly the Fiesta Month, however, due to the standoff, all efforts were focused in the rehabilitation of the city. Ate and some friends went here to celebrate the fiesta. There were no activities but we toured them around the city and had a feast at home. We also lit candles at the Fort Pilar. Work at Trebor Z started to pick up but classes were suspended for the rest of the semester. Had a lot of jogging time and friends time still.



November - For the first time, i wasn't able to go to the cemetery for the All Soul's Day. But, had a fun reunion with high school friends when January (who became my facebook girlfriend) went home. We visited Destinee and her son, Bubuj. We had a lot of fun bonding time. Second Semester starts. #YOLANDA, stongest supertyphoon hit Visayas. Papa's Bday. Became speaker at DSPC for Photojournalism. Joed's birthday. Met Joed's #lovelife Zedher and had an overnight outing at Zambo Ecozone.



December - Started with a beautiful sunrise view at Ecozone. Had my first jog of the month there and had so much fun with friends. Ateneo Fiesta was super boring but we joined the Music Video Parody contest and had lots of fun doing it. We created "The Fox" music video with Kachoys. Fortunately, we won the contest! Of course, December is still the Wedding month. I had back to back to back weddings and it was so toxic! Worked so hard but i still had the best Christmas parties with friends and family. I guess i had too much fun when i had a minor motorcycle accident which left a wound on my left knee. I wasn't able to jog for three weeks!

We also surprised Jervin on his 24th birthday and had lots of fun! For the first time also, we didn't have a family reunion at Safety where we have our traditional New Year's eve dinner. Instead we had a dinner at home with our relatives and had great fun! We went to City Hall for our traditional new year's eve pictorial but the lights turned off and the siren rang which signaled the start of the new year. Then we headed to Tennyl's crib and continued the party. We had Empong and Wii and just partied the night away! What a way to start the year!


All i can say is that 2013 has been a great one! I'm really blessed and I praise and thank God for all of these experiences I have so far. I wont wish for a great 2014, but i'll do my best to make it a good one. Wishing everyone a great year! Check out my Year in Facebook here.