Salamat, 2014. This past year, you have shown that I can still have the heart, the clarity of mind, the courage, and the endurance to love. Myself. Another person aside from myself. But most especially, and more importantly, the movement.

The year started out in turbulence and with a lot of baggages, almost on the verge of giving up. Painful. Hurtful. But in the process and with the proper tools, resolved to be calmer, more patient, more accepting, more decisive, more critical and more objective than ever. A lot of circumstances pushed me to grow in a lot of ways.

A lot of changes have taken place. A lot of hurt. A lot of letting go, but also a lot of mending and ushering in new things and endless possibilities. 2014 has been a year of taking things and struggles to greater heights and pushing things and undertakings to greater limits, but at the same time, still knowing where the limits lie and willing to recognize how much the mind, the heart and the body can take in. In all these, it had always been helpful to still always go back to basics, to re-assess and to keep grasping principles, goals, reasons and objectives firmly, still taking the unavoidable plunges but somehow making them less hard and hurtful.

Thankful ever for the masa and the community for always being the source of inspiration — their strength, tenacity, determination and collective action to change this brutal and unforgiving world we live in will always be the motive force to keep educating, organizing and mobilizing. Thankful for kasamas for the willingness to struggle things out, however difficult and grueling contradictions may be; for the happy, and maybe sometimes sad but/and/or reflective, times shared against all odds; and for all the lessons imparted that will be carried on to the next year and beyond. Last but not the least, always thankful for family for always being open-minded and understanding.

2015 is coming in a few hours to our side of the world. With all the lessons from 2014 and the previous years, I’m sure the coming year will turn out better. Am I ready? More than ever! 🙂

ISANG MAPAGPALAYA AT MAKABULUHANG BAGONG TAON SA ATING LAHAT!