Went all the way, 2012. Hello, Lucky 13!

Ah, it's that time of the year again. My year-end summary blog. It's time for my annual reality check, to look back on the year that was and to look beyond the horizon for the year to come. So, I'm starting a little early this year as I would be going away on the 29th and I would be reporting back to work on the 2nd of January. These next three days are practically my free-est time. Okay, enough with my gibberish and on with the real stuff.

2012 as been feared by many due to another end-of-the-world conspiracy. I guess that's what pushed me to go all the way in 2012. I never really believed in theories on the apocalypse, though I do believe that someday, the world would come to an end. And if that happens in my lifetime, I don't want to be frozen at childhood. So, I'm a pretty late bloomer, but hey, better late than never. Then again, it wasn't just my philosophy that made me grow up. People did. Good and bad and everything in between. More and more time spent away from the familiar loving of my family and best friends meant that I had more time to explore the unknown. I learned a lot this year, especially about myself. My new-found friends helped a lot in uncovering myself. They showed me how to laugh at myself and how to accept my mistakes with humility. They reminded me that I am not a student who has to be always right anymore. I am a human being who makes mistakes and creates ways to correct them. They have accepted me and my flaws with utmost grace, and have probably taught me how to love unconditionally. While I slowly discover my uncharted beautiful soul, my job keeps my feet on the ground. I don't have the most fabulous job in the world. I am just a lowly clerk who follows orders from my boss. It keeps me grounded. It reminds me that even though I am beyond amazing sometimes, I am not perfect. I guess the job itself is just part of it. The bigger part that keeps my head deflated is Boogeywoman. I have written an unfinished blog about her in the past. I just couldn't bring myself to publish all the inhumane and unjust things she does. Anyway, thanks to her mean ways, I learn to look back every once in a while just to check that I don't step on anyone's toe. Ah, 2012, you have turned me to a different person! Learn from the past, check. Live in the present, check. Let the future be what it would be, checkeroo! 2012, we shall part on a good note. I will always remember you as an end of an old era and a beginning of a new and improved rule. You taught me to go all the way, and I did, and I shall continue going doing just that.

With that, I say hello to lucky 2013 with a whole new mantra, shine. One word is all I need to keep me going in the year to come. I want to be able to step away from the shadows and into the spotlight. I have had the knowledge, I am developing my skills, and now I want to apply what I have learned. I want to immerse myself in different facets of life and hopefully find my happy place. I want to engage myself with real people and real problems. I guess part of growing up is shedding the drama. I want to get on the stage and take my friends up with me so we can enjoy the applause together. I want to get to know different people, see how they are, and learn who I really am. Who knows, it might just be my lucky 13?