Wednesday, September 24, 2008

What A Difference A Year Makes

One year. Exactly. That’s how long I was in the UK. At this day and age of serial movies shown in yearly installments, a year can b a very short span of time. But it can be a long time as well, like when you watch how babies go from sleeping to crawling to talking. A year is also enough for me to enjoy certain experiences I would never have had if I stayed in the Philippines.

Even after being back for the last three weeks, I can still see myself in my mind’s eye running down the college corridor, chatting with my friends in the student kitchen, walking down the streets and feeling the chill in the air. These were routine stuff I did in one year, but there was also the one year’s worth of experiences—loads of them:

--like missing the train, twice.
--like getting locked in twice and locked out once.
--like trying my hand at cricket
--like trying my foot at football
--like obsessing about tennis
--like watching the whole FIFA season with an amazingly diverse crowd of nationalities in one year (most of which find them cheering for their own countries from the TV room)
--like successfully teaching my African classmates how to cook rice from a pot without burning it.
--like watching a whole game of rugby (icky)
--like whipping up a five-course dinner on my birthday (I never thought I could do that!)
--like picking up a bit of the Irish accent.
--like getting snowbound in winter and missing my flight.
--like developing deep and hopefully lasting friendships that will have to be maintained through skype or SMS.

..the list goes on.

But those are about me. Coming back, I realized that a lot of good and bad things have happened to friends and loved ones.

--like a worrying number of friends or their loved ones diagnosed with cancer, with a few having passed away after a short bout of chemo;
--like colleagues who have celebrated new life
--like colleagues who have left their jobs
--like friends who celebrated milestones
--like friends who have enjoyed new additions in their families through adoption
--like friends who have fallen in love
--and some who have gotten married.
--like some who have moved away
--like neighbors who have returned.

…the list goes on.

Thankfully, some things remain the same, like good friends, good food, and good ol’ Manila--still as noisy, as riotous, as fun, as crowded, as dirty, as in-your-face as ever.

All this in a year.

I still can’t quite make up my mind if it is too short or too long. Can you?

24 comments:

Unknown said...

Hay salamat at may dsl connection ka na.

"... still as noisy, as riotous, as fun, as crowded, as dirty, as in-your-face as ever." - Yup, nasa Manila ka na nga. Na culture shock ka ba uli? Hehehe...

BTW, have you met up with Alan and the girls yet?

atto aryo said...

Has it really been a year? It didn't seem so long ago when I was reading your posts about packing for the trip. So how's adjusting back to life in the Phils? I will be back home by December too. I'm sure many things have changed.

Anonymous said...

Hey, that's a lot in a year. Been here for almost 14 months and haven't experienced anything that excites me. I'm jealous lol!

GingGoy said...

one year? i would've traveled so much in that span...if i have time and money knowing how expensive it is there :P

btw, i replied to your queries on taxis. my previous post also discussed How to get to NAIA Terminal 3. BTW, i'm also from QC. metered taxi to my place is about P210. HTH

Anonymous said...

life is never too short or too long as long as you make the most of it. that's why i take it just one day at a time. :)

good luck.

vernaloo said...

awwwwww....parang na miss ko ang Manila tuloy! sheyt-bullsheyt! hehe

Abaniko said...

You've been away for only a year? But it seemed like a decade to us already. Haha. We're just glad you're back. Ali, magkape na pud ta! :D

Anonymous said...

wow, it's been a year?
The best thing I think about UK is the football madness and the countless leagues they have. i prefer watching the premier league though, who kept me up at the wee hours on weekends. hehe.

now back to the sound of jeepneys and traffic. don't you love it?

ipanema said...

welcome back!

i was reading the experiences and i smiled when i read the FIFA part. ah, that bug has gotten into you at last! :)

blogging frenzy na? :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, how time flies. I could even remember it a year ago, your goodbyes and all.

They say, time flies when one is having fun.

BTW, welcome back to Pinas.

Anonymous said...

it's a year now since that packing post? anyway, that's the beauty of time--it can be too short or too long, but the thing is, we are all given the same, 24 hrs a day, 365 yrs a year 525,600 (?) minutes in a day, and we can only have to thank God for all the wondrous blessings He has bestowed on us.

Anonymous said...

One year has been a long time. We missed a lot of movies, and missed a lot of face-to-face talks. But thank God for YM, emails and blogs.
While you're here, you'll get all the chance to catch up on what you've missed. Glad to have you back. You make the best watching-a-movie company (even if the movie's not that good!).

Anonymous said...

welcome back to Pinas! wishing you more great new adventures.

Wil said...

Sounds like you made the most of that year in the UK. Awesome. :D

Would love to hear that Irish accent you picked up. hehe

Gypsy said...

Rudy,
I guess a fellow blogger like you would know how RELIEVED I am na may DSL connection na ako..hehe. Would love to meet up but am flying off again--and might be free by November pa...daig ko pa sa Darna, hehe....

R-yo,
Yeah, many things will have change and many will still be the same, the thing is to discover which is which, haha! I had a few pleasant surprises myself! :)

Manilenya
I am sure marami na rin ang experiences mo dyan--if you start to go back and look at your blog entries. :)

Tutubi
Many thanks for the info, I travel this week, so it would be good also to see what this controversial Terminal 3 looks like without its ceiling falling on top of me!! Haha!

Mitsuru,
Wise advise indeed, thanks!

Verns,
One year ka lang na man away di ba? Or longer? Enjoy the sun, sand and sky there as much as you can then...plus the clean air!

Abaniko
Exag, exag! Haha, I never turn down a cup of Java--sige when I get back!

Rey,
Its different watching football here without my friends who are rabid fanatics, so not as exciting hehe. I still continue with my tennis madness though!

Ipanema
Well, no one else shares the big and I am not rabid enough about football to spread the virus, haha!

Major Tom
Thanks! Yeah I did have fun there--but then again, I do have fun (most of the time anyway) wherever I am, so I guess thats why time always flies. ;)

Sexy Mom,
Amen ako dyan!! :)

Beng,
Aww, you are sweet!! Speaking of which, you will have to go for another movie soon! When I get back that is...

Leah
Thanks a lot, yes new adventures na naman!

Wil,
I think it is slowly fading away and replacing it is my old Bisaya accent..haha!

James Higham said...

--like watching a whole game of rugby (icky)

--like watching a whole game of rugby (yummy)

carlotta1924 said...

mukha lang matagal ang one year, pero pag sobrang saya, ang bilis nun.

welcome back sa pinas! =)

Forever59er said...

Wow you're back, gypsy! Hugs.

Definitely, it was too long for your friends and relations who missed your presence. Though we blog buddies can still connect with you now and then, di ba?

But for you -- how was it? Too long or too short. YOU TELL US! It can be either or, why not, both.

Whichever, the experience definitely added to the rich tapestry of a person that is Gypsy.

Wenchie said...

Welcome back Gypsy. And congrats! I wished we can meet up, say for coffee...

Sreisaat said...

Welkam back sa Pinas!!!
Hehehe - I thought you were still in the UK, that you will drop by Cambodia on your way back to Pinas... looking forward to meeting you here in the dusty kingdom of Cambodge :)

Elmo said...

wow 20 comments. you have a lot of friends in the blogs. you write really well too.

Anonymous said...

thing is, things are fleeting :) greetings!!

Unknown said...

I've been here for less than a month already - time flies indeed! I wish we had met somehow while you were here. But I guess there would be a more proper time for that. Thanks for all the tips! It's getting chilly now. I hate to think of winter, but at least I won't have to deal with a lot of snow in Cambridge (so they tell me). Anyway, I hope you're having a great time readjusting back to life in the Philippines.

Gypsy said...

James,
Different strokes for different folks! :)

Carlotta
So true, so true..see you soon! Thailand ako ngayon but hopefully will stay put in Manila sa November...

Hi Anna
Hugs back! : Still cant decide if its too long or to short--some days its too long, some days its too short! Haha!

Rowena
Thanks! Yeah, when I get back--on the road na naman ako eh...

ZJ,
Yeah am looking forward to the tri,January pa pero as we have concluded...time flies so sandali na lang yon haha!

Remo
thanks, thats the blessing of blogging, dami fwens. Hehe

Dimaks,
Yeah, thats why I try to make the most of it. :)