What am I Thankful for This 2009?

Remember two years ago when Marion Cotillard won an Oscar for Best Actress and she tearfully exclaimed, “Thank you, life! Thank you, love!” Well, I want to have the same beaming declaration as this year draws to an end. There’s a lot to be thankful for in 2009 that I want to run around like an idiot savant and announce with glee: “2009 rocked my life!”


Here’s a list of things that I’m thankful for this year:


1. Moments that made the Filipinos proud: the double whammy of Manny Pacquiao over Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, Director Brillante Mendoza’s triumph at Cannes, educator Efren Peñaflorida’s win as the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year, Charice, Arnel Pineda among others. I glowed with pride when these outstanding Filipinos took the spotlight and showed the world what we are capable of. Thank you, Pinoy superheroes!

2. Outpouring of Love and Support in the aftermath of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. The worst truly brings out the best in us. This has never been more apparent in the days that followed supertyphoons Ondoy and Pepeng. The term “bayanihan” was revived as we witnessed the young and the old, the rich and the poor extend their hands to the victims. For my part, I volunteered and helped in my own little way in the relief operations at Sagip Kapamilya and the Ateneo. Thank you, fellow volunteers!

3. Philippine Stage is alive! I had the great fortune of watching brilliant stage productions this year: Repertory’s “Portrait of An Artist as Filipino” last February and “Sweeney Todd” (still running this month), and Atlantis Productions’ “Spring Awakening” last October. I’m just heartened to know that our luminous stage talents still continue to give us our most unforgettable and moving theatre experiences. Who says the theatre is dead? Thank you, theatre artists!

4. Film Festivals of 2009: A cinephile’s heaven! I grew heady with the treasure trove of excellent movies I saw at this year’s Pelicula Spanish Filmfest in Greenbelt, Cine Europa and the Korean Filmfest in Shang Cineplex, and Cinemanila in Taguig. Not to mention the eclectic selections at Mogwai and U-View Fully Booked. Many film lovers, myself included, had a whale of a good time obsessing about cinema in these events. Thank you, festival organizers!

5. Great Films of 2009. Still on the subject of cinema, my oh my, there were many releases this year that were just mind-blowingly good! There's "District 9", "Wanted: Border", "500 Days of Summer", "Anti-Christ" and "The Hurt Locker". And then there are the awards contenders that we haven't seen yet: "Up In the Air", "Precious", "Invictus" etc. 2009's film output is probably the most exciting we've seen in years. Thank you, actors and filmmakers!

6. My Personal Circle of Support. I wouldn't have survived the year without the love and guidance of my family and friends. They were there during my choicest moments this year. Thank you, family and friends!

7. The Mistakes I Made in 2009. On a more personal note, I would admit that I made some pretty bad decisions this year (on my finances, career and life in general) that I could've done differently. No regrets, though. I'm not resentful for the wrong choices that I made because I know it's part of my learning experience and growth. My mistakes actually made me gain insight of how much I'm growing. Thank you, my mistakes!


How about you? What's in your thank-you list? Make one now for a chance to win a Moleskine Colour a Month Daily Planner 2010! Check out details at www.avalon.ph. Here's the link: http://blog.avalon.ph/2009/12/win-a-moleskine-colour-a-month-daily-planner-2010/.