What was 2008?

Taken last December 2008, a very rare time when all three of us were genuinely happy

I have this weird yet very common penchant for naming things—my laptop is Joaqs, my sunglasses is Shids, my phone used to be called Bruno, my abaniko is Laura Belle and my eyeglasses is aptly named Tito Boy.  When I get my hands on an MP3 player I’d name her Peyton, and when I get a new phone its name will be Dharma.

They say that when you name something—or someone, just in case—you claim possession of it.  The “thing” changes from being a mere “thing” to being “your thing.”  Names bring a special attachment to whichever it is accorded to, making it stand out from the rest.

Recently I was browsing my blog’s archives, trying to see how much I’ve changed over the years.  And unwittingly, I stumbled upon an old habit I wasn’t able to practice this year—naming the years that have passed.  I remember doing it every year in time for my New Year yearend blog recap, punctuating the nostalgic trip down memory lane by baptizing the year that passed with an umbrella word that captures its very essence.

I remember 2004 was The Year of Discovery.  I hold no solid proof of that statement, but memory should serve me right this time.  I was well out of high school for the latter part of 2004, and so the prospects of a new environment could only provide new perspectives for such a juvenile mind.  That I was admitted to the University of the Philippines made a great deal out of these “discoveries” that I had, no matter how minute or monumental they were.

2005 was The Year of the Two.  This one is a bit hard to explain without revealing too much information, but let’s just say that this year, I learned about the many dualities that exist and continue to exist in our world today—love/hate, up/down, male/female, those kinds of things.

I can vaguely recall what the name for 2006 was, but I know I had a name for that year somewhere.  I made a mere mention of the idea in one blog post, but silly me for not dropping the name there (and subsequently, for forgetting to put it in a future post):

Anyhoo, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! The days are cold again and you always end up wondering, where the heck has the year gone? It has passed by so quickly. Parang kelan lang, maliliit pa tayong mga bata… hehehe… But seriously, this year has gone so fast. I now have an idea what to name this year (2004: Year of Discovery; 2005: Year of the Two). Of course, that’ll come in another post.

[UPDATE:  2006 was The Year of Change!  LOL.  I’ve recently unearthed a past blog entry bearing that name.  And now I remember why it’s the year of the change—so many new things happened to my life that year.  New friendships, old ones rekindled, and, dare I say it?  A new love.  Also, major turning points in my life also happened, especially involving my now-struggling faith.]

There was no other name to call 2007 but The Year of the Risk.  I was at the crux of deciding for my college life at this point, debating whether to stay with Journalism or to shift out to Psych.  Moving out of the Mandaluyong house also proved to be a major event.  On the other hand, I also took a lot of risks, love wise.  And I know I can say all those risks have eventually paid off.

2007, I believe, would be aptly named The Year of the Risk–for all the times I had to leave my comfort zone, for all the time I had to take on a challenge, for all the times I took a leap of faith (and times I fell, and times I rose from falling), and for all the times I took a chance… this year, it was definitely worth taking risks, for I’ve reaped many rewards because of it.

And now I just learned that I have not named 2008 anything—for a number of reasons.  One, I was not bent on doing a yearend post for last year, and I admit it’s due to the incredible chore the habit had become through the years.  I can also say that nothing quite eventful meritted the name-tagging, or the yearend reporting, but that’s just me making a sordid excuse out of it, because one can never run out of exciting things happening in his life.  In any case, I’ve pondered and thought quite hard about it, and I resolve that 2008 deserves no other fancy schamnzy name than…

…The Year of Love.  Yes, it may not be the most romantic year for me.  It may not be the time when we were feeling so young and carefree and more than willing to ditch it all for love.  It may not be the most memorable point in my love life, nor the most feet-sweeping, sparks-flying phase in our relationship, but I have to say that this year, I have learned to love the way it should have always been—real, humble and down to earth.  None of those cutesy stuff seen on TV, they certainly have nothing on the love I gave and experienced last year.  Last year, I have found and wholeheartedly accepted what it meant to love, and to be loved, and that, I shall always treasure.

That I have lost my love towards the end of last year doesn’t run contradictory to what I’ve just said.  In fact, it complements the reality of the love I have seen, because as we all know, love also dies—it fades, it withers away, it lets go of one’s hands when the universe tells it to be so.  And to accept that fact and to live by it—despite  the longing, the pain, and the loneliness that comes with it—is still, in my book, an unending testament to what love really is.

Congratulations on making it to the end of this blog post.  Want more of my emo shit?  Help yourself to generous servings at my LJ--http://jmtuazon.livejournal.com.  Be warned, though, only the strong at heart can endure the melodrama that is my life ;)  You have been warned!

And oh, FML