A lazy 2013 retrospect

This shouldn’t be so difficult to do.

I can just scroll down my Facebook Timeline, save pictures, and then throw them all here with captions.

The year 2013 for me has been ridiculously fast-paced and exciting. Every breathing moment that I had became episodes of panting and rushing to get things done, one task to another.

I saw myself being thrown from one city to another for my journalism fellowship, which is still progressing. I feel insanely blessed to have been in the company of such amazing people at home, in my new home in Hanoi, at work, and at play.

There were a few bumps that I had to deal with. But ultimately, these have made me to become a better person (who still can’t get away from this cliche).

In retrospect:

JANUARY

This will go down in history as that time of when I saved someone’s life and then, by some psychotic reflex, regretting it. I am not proud of this moment.

 

FEBRUARY

Nothing special for Valentine’s Day. Work as usual. Or not?

 

MARCH

 

Yeah, yeah. Nothing particularly interesting or crazy this month. So I dug up these artista photos to cover up the fact that beyond work, I don’t have an interesting life. LOLJK.

 

APRIL

 

Our newspaper celebrated its 67th year. I feel so happy to be a part of this newsroom and to have grown up as a journalist under the mentoring of such wise and fabulous editors.

 

MAY

 

My journalism fellowship commenced (mid-April, actually, and then on to May and forever). Photo shows fellows from the various exchange programs under FK Norway.

 

JUNE

 

Stoked! First. Byline. In. An. English. Vietnamese. Magazine. Ever.

 

JULY

 

It didn’t take a long time before I learned their ways. Living in Hanoi is pretty exciting (and Hanoi-ing at times). *ba dum tss!*

 

AUGUST

 

There’s something beautiful about the LGBT community in Hanoi. There’s more love. There’s more respect. And there’s more good-looking people.

I also wrote this story during this month.

And I went ice skating for the first time in my life ever.

 

SEPTEMBER

 

I joined Hanoi Slam and told a story about (surprise, surprise) myself.

 

OCTOBER

 

I’ve become Vietnamese in so many ways. I’ve fallen in love with Hanoi. And its people.

And with the friends that I have made along the way.

 

And with the friends who were next to me all along (creepy? Stalker much. LOLJK).

And with Thu Minh, whom I saw perform live. Bay di!!!

 

NOVEMBER

 

My grandmother passed away. But that’s okay; she’s at peace and a diva in heaven now. ❤

 

DECEMBER

 

I auditioned for a theater group and got a role in their winter show. Yay!

 

There won’t be a fancy New Year’s Eve party for me tonight. I’ll be on a plane en route to Hanoi after spending the Christmas holidays in Davao.

Thanks 2013. You’ve been great and amazing.

Yeah, yeah. Megan Young, whatever.

It took me a whole night’s sleep to remember this: I’ve actually met Megan Young before–like waaay before she became Miss blah World 2013.

But why is this a headline in my blog?

Because I actually have a photo with her.

This photo serves me no purpose other than nibbling on some kb on my iPod touch’s memory.

After Megan was crowned Miss World last night, I decided that, hey, this photo might not be entirely useless at all.

I can use it for a blog entry that rants about how many photos there are in my iPod touch, and why I don’t have plans to delete all of them.

There are about 1700 photos in my iPod right now. I don’t know where to stash all of them.

But I guess I know why I’m keeping them–so that I can rant about how much space they’re all hogging.

Some more photos during an ABS-CBN field trip:

We watched ASAP 2012.

And I met Rae who works for the TV network’s corp comm deparment.

And we watched Showtime too! Anne Curtis was absent back then but it’s okay. We all waved this Davao City paper thing on the camera. And we danced a lot, following a dance instructor.

I should dig up my newspaper story about this.

Rainbow biking

I didn’t think that I would have enough energy join and ride my bicycle in the Viet Pride bike rally.

Heck, I didn’t think I would have enough energy to wake up, at all!

I slept at 3 AM after killing time in the Old Quarter with Toby for our usual Saturday night hang out.

But amazingly, I was able to throw myself out of bed at 8 AM.

What also blew my mind were my newly-acquired bicycle riding skills, which I think are inherently Vietnamese.

I was able to swiftly bike from Phung Chi Kien, to Dao Tan, to Kim Ma, and then to Giang Vo like a local. And by that, I mean, I dodged other bicycles and motorbikes and cars and buses without freaking out.

I was running late and I wasn’t exactly sure where the meeting place for the bicycle rally will be.

But I made it.

Throngs of bicycles and motorbikes were in position to commence the rally.

It was pretty exciting. I’ve never seen a pride parade of sorts before. And I’ve never joined one.

So being in Viet Pride 2013’s bike rally was a pretty cool experience.

Viet Pride 2013 outtakes

I’m trying not to forget to breathe amid the crazy and exciting days that went by.

Soon Chen, an old friend from 2011’s Chiang Mai media camp, paid Hanoi a visit.

I sat through an awkward Google Translate-assisted interview with a leaf painting artist.

And I met YouTube gay sitcom writer/director Huynh Nguyen Dang Khoa in Saturday’s Viet Pride 2013 talkshow in Goethe-Institut.

OMG.

It’s Khoa! I can’t believe it.

I was giggling and feeling starstruck in my seat when I saw him enter the talkshow hall.

World Press Photo awardee Maika Elan was also there; she’s the photographer behind The Pink Choice, a photo series that focuses on the personal lives of some gay couples in Vietnam.

Book authors Nguyen Ngoc Thach and Vo Chí Dung were also in stage to talk about their book “Mẹ ơi, con đồng tính!” (Mom, I’m gay!).

Sitcom writer and director Khoa also stars in his series!

This is one of my favorite scenes in the series’ recent episode (when their apartment burned down and he mourns his loss):

If you haven’t seen the YouTube sitcom, then your life is a mess.

I’m kidding.

More photos (because I’m too lazy to caption right now):

I want to blog and write about Saturday in detail but it’s 2 AM and I need to wake up for later’s bicycle rally at 8 AM.

Until then, I’ll play Nguyen Hai Phong’s Nao Cung Noi (My Best Gay Friends’ opening theme song) in my head.