Tinaciouslee

It’s that time of the year when I round up all the wonderful, wonderful events of the year past and cram ‘em into a single post.

I can’t believe 2024 came and went so fast, guysth.

It’s always the case every year, there were ups and down but at the end of the year, all’s well that ends well.

I checked my zodiac for 2025 and I wish I didn’t lol I’m being warned left and right to be careful with my spending and avoid conflict because the pig is apparently the snake’s worst enemy. Fucking hell.

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And with that, on with the review:

The year began hanging out with old friends. It was a nice change of pace. We celebrate Paeng’s birthday with a meet every January of the year.

Later that month, Rocky was invited to participate to a wedding. It was his first time and he did splendidly despite being super super sick. He was so sick the night before, we were fitting Damy into his suit.

By morning, he was raring to go. But you can tell from the picture above, he was coming down with something.

Celebrated my 41st (!) birthday with the same two people I hang out with since HS lol! We took the kids with us this time because we wanted them to check out the fishies. We all had fun!

New Biz

Oh yeah, we finally decided what to get for this year, a new business. We couldn’t go to Japan this year because we opened the gym. But that’s okay! This was a calculated risk and I’ve yet to regret this decision.

We built the gym in record time too. I was so surprised how quickly things fell into place. Six months into it, the gym is doing fine. I knew the hubs would manage it so smoothly.

I wish the gym didn’t take so much time away from the hubs tho. This was one thing I didn’t really think much about at the beginning but now I whine about it every time. And the hubs was quick to point out how this was all my idea so I literally had no one to blame.

This gym, personally, is a fuck you to the current job market. And speaking of the job market…

The review isn’t complete without a sprinkle of insanity so let’s do a little rant, shall we?

[edited out a bunch of stuff because I am now in a different head space]

I don’t want to talk about work but I think this was the only thing I wasn’t too happy about this year – especially back in June when I lost a long time client and then another in September. I wasn’t even over losing first client when the second one was lost.

I was freaking out.

And these aren’t just some clients, they’ve been with me for years so admittedly, I was super hurt. I almost took everything personally, guysth.

Because I was burning too much energy caring, I decided to dissociate.

But that’s fine because I also realized I still do enjoy writing and I would still choose it over other things. It just sucks when you got something good going and suddenly, it’s gone.

I’m fine now, thanks for asking. I was lucky enough to find another gig and met a really nice client – I constantly remind myself everyday how lucky I am to be doing what I do right in the comfort of my own home.

But yeah. I’m still mad at this shit show.

Fuck this job market. Fuck this economy.

Ugh.

Anyway, end of rant.

Things got a little busy after the new business. The husband is out all day, and I’m at home with the kids. I definitely did not see myself in a traditional family uh dynamics – but here we are.

I kinda like it. Girlbossing is tiring guysth.

If I’m not working, I’m pursuing my hobbies, which is nice, keeps the darkness away. I have plenty of help so it’s easy to balance things out despite not having the hubs around.

The end of the year has always been busy for us but it’s especially hectic this year. We had to plan the Christmas party, plan Damy’s birthday celebration at the school, attend some school events, and also, meet with friends before the holidays.

In between that, we had to do a couple of last-minute shopping, gift wrapping. I was slightly mad at myself for starting so late.

My friends actually got me to go to the city in freakin December with the kids, can you believe it? I never do this because of the goddamn traffic.

It was fun, don’t get me wrong. But the experience reminded me why I never travel anywhere in December. Not especially in Manila hell.

I will admit I wasn’t in the mood for the holidays and the hubs said, it actually showed on our tree decoration this year:

In my defense, I was going for a look I saw at Rustan’s tree and I didn’t know how I fucked this one up because it was a super simple design. The decor was all hollies and Christmas lights but whatever.

He’s not wrong tho. I always loved the holidays but this year was different. I feel like my brain got deep-fried right before the festivities and it’s just not working the same. The hubs promised to get a bigger tree next year to get me back in the holiday mood. We’ll see.

The actual Christmas day was relatively quiet. It started with me, cooking a couple of hours before Christmas eve. The absence of my favorite dish, which was always served during Christmas until this year, made me realize that I’m ready to let old traditions die. It’s time to make new ones.

At 12mn, we were waking the kids up, telling them Santa was here and all that. The kids excitedly opened their presents.

It was actually a memorable moment because this is the first time they joined Noche Buena. Previous Christmases ago, they couldn’t because Rocky’s too small to understand what’s going on and Damy’s too sleepy to bother with it all.

Sure, they barely ate because they were giddy about the toys but yeah, they’re all grown, my beans. Rocky was super bummed he wasn’t able to see Santa. Damy’s just ripping at all the things, basically.

For New Year celebration, we were planning a simple family dinner (and in fact, bought ingredients a few days in advance to cook right before the new year) but for some reason, the hubs and I decided to go on a quick stay at the Hilton to, hopefully, see some fireworks because the kids asked to see them.

Turned out to be a great decision because, luckily, our room had front row seats at the fireworks display. To see the kids cheering the lightshow was a fun way to welcome the New Year.

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The time between Christmas and New Year was spent seeing some friends, doing bits of work, and planning my financial goals.

2024 was the most expensive year I had to date. And the spending didn’t stop even now. So for 2025, the goal is to save as much as I can – this is my priority.

Then, there’s business. I ended the year dealing with a supplier for a market I’ve been dying to enter and I might explore other opportunities, like selling small vintage Japanese stuff so we’ll have excuse to go back to Japan, hahaha! This would be a dream.

And speaking of my favorite country, Japan – a trip might be on the horizon, hahahaha!

I don’t want to jinx it but we are planning a trip at the end of 2025 and are fully committed to include Osaka this time. Just thinking about it makes me all excited ugh I can’t wait! Dotonbori baby!

With the predictions this year, I guess I shouldn’t make any impulsive decisions/purchases. Please pray for me in this difficult time lol

To sum up, 2024 was a good year. It definitely took us places we’ve never been, physically and mentally, and we finished strong.

What about you, any plans for 2025? Have a good one! Here’s to hoping for a smooth, unproblematic year, eh?

Cheers!