So much stuff happened in 2015 that I actually wrote blog posts for each month of the year.

I don’t really have the energy to do that now. Besides, the entry on every month of 2016 would just be full of pregnancy milestones! So instead, I’m looking at the major things that happened last year.

1. New job

I sort of got a new job! I got a consultancy at Unilab Foundation, a private foundation focused on high-need, high-neglect health issues. My initial contract was for six months, and that was extended to another six months, so I pretty much spent all of 2016 working for ULF.

It was very interesting and educational to work for a different foundation, and to work on health concerns apart from reproductive health and population issues. I learned about autism and neurodevelopmental disability.

I was inspired by a youth program that reminded me so much of Mulat Pinoy.

I learned about health literacy.

2. Side projects

Of course, I didn’t completely let go of my other projects. I still worked with my old team on a few things.

WAVES

Our dear friend Ana Santos asked the PMFI team for help with a social media and messaging workshop in March 2016. As usual, PMFI and Hanna took care of the program and admin things, and invited Vicky Ortega to talk about messaging. Dante, Rocel and I discussed various aspects of social media use and management.

DOST

A friend put Puzzled Owl in touch with DOST, which also needed help with social media management. After months of discussion, the workshop took place in June 2016. This time, Puzzled Owl took care of the program and admin things, with Dante in charge. We got Ana to speak, of course, and Rocel and I had our own sessions too. TJ Dimacali, who introduced us to DOST in the first place, had a session too. And we invited PMFI friends Yas and Nicai to help facilitate the activities.

 

3. New places

I didn’t get to travel that much this year, but that’s okay. When I did travel, it was pretty good!

India

GMA News Online SciTech assigned me to cover the launch of the Vivo mobile phones in Mumbai, India. That was exciting! I’d always been curious about India. I didn’t see much, but what I did see was intriguing.

I’d love to go back someday.

Read about it on 3pdiary.com!

Laiya

For our anniversary in February, we decided to go to the beach, far away from everyone else. It was isolated and quiet, and oh so lovely. We loved it so much that we went back for my birthday in November.

4. Performance

I always say that public speaking terrifies me. It really does. In fact, my performance development plan at work has an action plan that says, “Learn to give presentations and speak in public without getting an anxiety attack.”

For some reason though, reading off a script doesn’t bother me. How much does it not bother me?

Well, I was able to perform onstage at the CCP’s Tanghalang Huseng Batute in February. Barefoot. Moaning in front of a live audience.

It was thrilling and terrifying, and I’d do it again!

Actually, I did. 😀 This time at Pineapple Lab in Makati, in a piece written for the sole purpose of exploiting my pregnancy, hahahaha!

 

5. Lucas

Obviously the biggest and most important thing to happen in 2016 was Lucas. It was on April 1 when the pregnancy test confirmed it, and May when we announced it to the world. He was born on December 2, and we spent the last month of the year focused on nothing but him.

Lots of people cursed 2016. True enough, a lot of crappy shit happened. But some good stuff happened too, and I’d say 2016 was pretty good to us.

Thanks, 2016.