oh, 2016
Finally, some time to breathe.
Oh, 2016, what a challenge you have been! Many times I found myself wanting to just shut everything out and go to sleep. Considering how I usually blog when I'm happy, the lack of entries would clue you in on how I felt for most of the year, apart from the struggle to find the time to actually sit down and write.
But then, to say that 2016 was a bad year wouldn't be right, as it did have some happy highlights. I'd like to put those in writing so that I could focus on those instead, and not have 2016 leave a bad taste in my mouth.
To begin, I finally have my own dot com! I've been blogging since 2004 and have come up with at least five blogs on different platforms, but this is the first time for me to have my own domain. www.kanyakanyangkuwento.com is a very special personal project because it's where I write about people and their journeys thus far, no matter what industry they're in and whether they're celebrities or not. (Like the Facebook page here!)
For the initial lineup of stories, I tapped into my own network, and the interviews have been a wonderful opportunity to catch up with good friends. I'd feel so proud whenever I'd post their stories and they'd share the link on their Facebook walls. How the stories help them make sense of their journey and how their friends and family are able to get a closer look into that journey and appreciate it certainly validates my site's reason for existence. I also post advertorials I write for Sun Life, because I also strive to offer a different insight into the life of a celebrity whenever I write about them.
It was my friend Roy, digital guy extraordinaire, who helped make my domain a reality. I told him about the site, he offered to help despite his hectic schedule, and voila! I do hope that next year, I'll get to interview more people and write their stories too. Hopefully, Roy and I can also work on improving my site's design, as I'm currently reliant on Blogger's standard templates.
Another passion project that came to life this year was the Sinag Students Summit. A background: In 2014, I came up with the idea of creating an awards program for journalists who champion financial literacy, which is an advocacy of our company, Sun Life. It was called Sinag Awards, and I'm proud to share that it was warmly welcomed by the media, much to our team's excitement. After all, it was a chance for us to pay tribute to the people we work closely with.
I thought, why stop there? I have been itching to come up with something for college students to also encourage them to embrace financial literacy especially when they start working and earning their own money. I remembering being a student and having nobody to guide me, and I didn't even have any idea about the concept of financial literacy - thus, was really motivated to come up with something.
It took over a year, but in 2016, the Sinag Students Summit was finally born. We had esteemed speakers like Sen. Bam Aquino, economist Luz Lorenzo, journalists Doris Dumlao and Gerard dela Pena, and finlit speakers Chinkee Tan and Aya Laraya present to students from different schools across Luzon. This also paved the way for the Sinag Awards: Student Edition, where we encouraged students to write about financial literacy.
How exciting it was to see the ideas come to life! Especially ones that we truly believe will serve a purpose. Early as now, we're already trading ideas on how we can further boost the Sinag program, and the possibilities are exciting.
Rounding out this list is quality family time. First up, my sister came for a vacation and we were able to have a quick getaway at Seda Hotel in Nuvali, go on mall trips, and basically just catch up. With Sloan growing up so fast, I always wish that he would get to know his Ninang more, and so I was very happy that they got to spend quality time together. My little boy, just like Mommy, can be quite shy around people he's not that familiar with, and so I look forward to every opportunity that he can bond with family.
Our little family also went on a trip to Hong Kong. Everything about this holiday was fun fun fun, from the early morning walks we'd take (because Sloan, out of excitement, would be up at the crack of dawn every single day!) to the shopping trips at Toys R Us and Ikea, to Disneyland!
Disney was definitely the highlight for Sloan, and it was a treat for Michael and I to see how excited he was to go on the rides and watch the parades. I'd like to think that Sloan would remember this trip when he grows up, but whether he recalls specifics or not, it was a great bonding experience nonetheless.
So there. Despite some little heartaches here and there, 2016 will still be remembered with fondness. That said, I cannot wait to start fresh in 2017. Here's hoping it'll be a great year... because I sure am ready for one lol.
Oh, 2016, what a challenge you have been! Many times I found myself wanting to just shut everything out and go to sleep. Considering how I usually blog when I'm happy, the lack of entries would clue you in on how I felt for most of the year, apart from the struggle to find the time to actually sit down and write.
But then, to say that 2016 was a bad year wouldn't be right, as it did have some happy highlights. I'd like to put those in writing so that I could focus on those instead, and not have 2016 leave a bad taste in my mouth.
To begin, I finally have my own dot com! I've been blogging since 2004 and have come up with at least five blogs on different platforms, but this is the first time for me to have my own domain. www.kanyakanyangkuwento.com is a very special personal project because it's where I write about people and their journeys thus far, no matter what industry they're in and whether they're celebrities or not. (Like the Facebook page here!)
For the initial lineup of stories, I tapped into my own network, and the interviews have been a wonderful opportunity to catch up with good friends. I'd feel so proud whenever I'd post their stories and they'd share the link on their Facebook walls. How the stories help them make sense of their journey and how their friends and family are able to get a closer look into that journey and appreciate it certainly validates my site's reason for existence. I also post advertorials I write for Sun Life, because I also strive to offer a different insight into the life of a celebrity whenever I write about them.
It was my friend Roy, digital guy extraordinaire, who helped make my domain a reality. I told him about the site, he offered to help despite his hectic schedule, and voila! I do hope that next year, I'll get to interview more people and write their stories too. Hopefully, Roy and I can also work on improving my site's design, as I'm currently reliant on Blogger's standard templates.
Another passion project that came to life this year was the Sinag Students Summit. A background: In 2014, I came up with the idea of creating an awards program for journalists who champion financial literacy, which is an advocacy of our company, Sun Life. It was called Sinag Awards, and I'm proud to share that it was warmly welcomed by the media, much to our team's excitement. After all, it was a chance for us to pay tribute to the people we work closely with.
I thought, why stop there? I have been itching to come up with something for college students to also encourage them to embrace financial literacy especially when they start working and earning their own money. I remembering being a student and having nobody to guide me, and I didn't even have any idea about the concept of financial literacy - thus, was really motivated to come up with something.
It took over a year, but in 2016, the Sinag Students Summit was finally born. We had esteemed speakers like Sen. Bam Aquino, economist Luz Lorenzo, journalists Doris Dumlao and Gerard dela Pena, and finlit speakers Chinkee Tan and Aya Laraya present to students from different schools across Luzon. This also paved the way for the Sinag Awards: Student Edition, where we encouraged students to write about financial literacy.
How exciting it was to see the ideas come to life! Especially ones that we truly believe will serve a purpose. Early as now, we're already trading ideas on how we can further boost the Sinag program, and the possibilities are exciting.
Rounding out this list is quality family time. First up, my sister came for a vacation and we were able to have a quick getaway at Seda Hotel in Nuvali, go on mall trips, and basically just catch up. With Sloan growing up so fast, I always wish that he would get to know his Ninang more, and so I was very happy that they got to spend quality time together. My little boy, just like Mommy, can be quite shy around people he's not that familiar with, and so I look forward to every opportunity that he can bond with family.
Our little family also went on a trip to Hong Kong. Everything about this holiday was fun fun fun, from the early morning walks we'd take (because Sloan, out of excitement, would be up at the crack of dawn every single day!) to the shopping trips at Toys R Us and Ikea, to Disneyland!
Disney was definitely the highlight for Sloan, and it was a treat for Michael and I to see how excited he was to go on the rides and watch the parades. I'd like to think that Sloan would remember this trip when he grows up, but whether he recalls specifics or not, it was a great bonding experience nonetheless.
So there. Despite some little heartaches here and there, 2016 will still be remembered with fondness. That said, I cannot wait to start fresh in 2017. Here's hoping it'll be a great year... because I sure am ready for one lol.
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