THE BEST OF 2012

Given that I don't blog as much as I would like, I thought to just post my best of the year today.

And before I continue, let me just say thank you to everyone who still visits, leaves a comment, and just drops by even if the favor has not been returned. I can't say it as much but I really do appreciate everything. Words are not enough to return the appreciation.

BEST MOVIE (International)
LAST YEAR: The Help
This year gave us a lot of adaptations. From books, plays to comic books. And they have all been brilliant. It is unfortunate that we don't get to watch all of the films the same time that it goes out in the US. This is the time when all good films come out. Given my opening line, I'd say that the best film of the year is The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I loved the book. Maybe that's why I'm a bit biased with this decision. This made me cry on the same scenes that I read from Stephen Chbosky's novel. I love Charlie. I love his friends. I love the book. And I love this movie.
RUNNER-UP: Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers

BEST MOVIE (Local)
LAST YEAR: Zombadings, Patayin sa Shokot si Remington
Because of all my expenses this year, I neglected to see  more Filipino films than I would like to. I resorted to the usual rom coms that was released by Star Cinema. There were a lot of quality films that came out during the Cinemanila Festival, and I missed all of that. So now, I'm going with a film that at least made me smile after I left the cinema. It's not a bad film, I tell you.  It's a riot. It's not filled with cliche. At least for a Filipino film. Unofficially Yours is my pick for best film this year simply because I'm a fan of John Lloyd's movies. Maybe I'm a blind follower. But I'm shallow. And Angel Locsin is hot. Yes, Denoy. Angel Locsin is HOT!
RUNNER-UP: The Healing

GAME OF THE YEAR
LAST YEAR: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
There is no game this year that I have not stopped playing until I finished it... Twice other than Mass Effect 3. I have played this game a total of I think 3 times. Each time, my experience is different and elevated. I love the story. I love the art. I love everything about this game. The ending was a bit lacking, but it's enough to make it worth my while. Plus gay sex scenes!!! Whether you're a gay man or likes to see girl on girl action, you will find this game satisfying. This game made my fantasy come true since the original Mass Effect. Kaden Alenko and Commander Shepherd got it on!!! I'm not a pervert.
RUNNER-UP:  Max Payne 3, Kingdom of Amalur, Dishonored

BEST OF TV
LAST YEAR: Game of Thrones
This show has been in my runner up list 3 years now, but this year is different. The show improved by a hundred percent on it's third season. It has a tighter story. Great pacing. And some of the best action scenes to be found in television at the moment. Season 3 of The Walking Dead is the Best Television Show of 2012. The prison gave us some of the best moments in the comic book series, and I'm happy that it's being translated to the show. I would've preferred to see Michonne's torture scenes on tv though, but what we got is enough. I can't wait for February for the conclusion of this season.
RUNNER-UP: Suits, Don't Trust The B**** In Apartment 23, New Girl

BEST OF PINOY TV
LAST YEAR:  100 Days To Heaven
Who knew that a tv version of Good Manners and Right Conduct, a show without a villain and no recurring teleserye cliche would make it to my Best List.  Be Careful With My Heart is exactly that, and those are actually the same reasons why this is the best Pinoy tv show of the year. No missing children, no affairs, no nothing. It's just a show about Sir Chief and Maya's chemistry with each other. Yeah, the acting sometimes looks like it came out from a high school play, but whatever. My heart was captured by this little morning show.
RUNNER-UP: Princess & I, A Beautiful Affair

COMIC EVENT OF THE YEAR
LAST YEAR: The Dark Angel Saga
I guess this would be my default choice as I don't really remember any other events this year. Avengers Versus X-Men is Marvel's event of the year pitting the Avengers against a Phoenix powered X-Men.  The event was a bit uneven, sometimes it has clunky logic, sometimes it is just pure brilliance (Spider-Man Vs Phoenix powered Colossus and Magik). In the end, this event has moved the entire Marvel Universe into the Marvel Now era. An era that brought us some really good storylines and comic books. This may be a default winner, but it did bring some sweeping changes.
RUNNER-UP: The Night of the Owls, The Walking Dead 100

BEST COMIC SERIES
LAST YEAR: Detective Comics
Taking a consecutive win is new for this list. Well, technically, these are two different series, but when you think of it, it's from the same writer/artist combo that gave us the brilliant comic book of last year. Scott Snyder's Batman is one of the most engaging series of not just this year, but ever. He writes Batman with an eloquence and intelligence that I've never read in a Batman series before. The book is as dark and just as brilliant as the films crafted by Christopher Nolan. Batman is simply one of the most sophisticated comic books that's being published this generation. A literary classic, if it's possible to call it one.
RUNNER-UP: Amazing Spider-man, Wolverine and The X-Men, Daredevil, Hawkeye

BEST IN MUSIC
LAST YEAR: Zia Quizon
I was tempted to choose Psy's Gangnam Style for this year's Best Song, but that would be a cop out, because there were quite a number of good music that came out in 2012. Some of them may not be famous like Psy's 1 billion youtube views hit, but these are songs that I will never get tired of listening to. I am not a huge fan of this band, but I love a lot of their songs. It's different. It's catchy. And my pick for Song of The Year is just easy on the ears. Just as I like it. Muse's Madness.
RUNNER-UP: Psy's Oppa Gangnam Style, KZ Tandingan, Gotye

NEWS OF THE YEAR
LAST YEAR: Positive Philippines
I would like to continue the highlight of every positive things that we Filipinos have. We are indeed a country of heroes. A country of hopefuls. A country of winners. We know how to stand up after a fall. We see the good things inspite of calamities, tragedies and uncertainties. We just need to highlight our successes more than our shortcomings as a country. We have a lot to be proud of. We just have to be consistent. Some of the highlight of our year: Impeachment Trial, RH Bill, Nonito Donaire's win, Jessica Sanchez's American Idol journey, and our 1st place finish in the recently concluded Ms. Universe.

BLOG OF THE YEAR
LAST YEAR: Same Shit Different Day
Three years as a runner-up isn't really deserving for this blogger. He is a brilliant writer and a hilarious one at that. His posts, although seldom never failed to crack me up. This is a prime example of what a Humor Blog should be. You'd think that it's offensive, but it really is not. It's the kind of brutal honesty that we don't want to hear, but would like to listen to or read all day. He is a blogger who a lot of bloggers try to imitate but cannot copy. There is just something in his humor that is distinctive to this writer only. It's the type of humor that is smart, and not just slapstick. So, without further ado, my blog of the year for 2012 is Wickedmouth.
RUNNERS-UP: K is for Kabit, Human All Too Human

So, these are my bests of 2012. What are yours?

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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!!!

2012 REPORT CARD

Yeah I know, kakaumpisa pa lang ng December. May 30 araw pa bago matapos ang taon. Masyado pang maaga para magpost ng mga ganitong bagay. Pero ano magagawa ko, di naman ako madalas magsulat ngayon, kung di ko pa to gagawin, wala nang pag-asang magawa ko ito.

Apat na taon ko nang ginagawa ang kalokohang ito, kaya ituloy na natin bago pa tuluyang magunaw ang mundo.

CAREER 80% (2011 - 88%)

Wala atang taon sa tanang buhay ko na sobrang na-stress ako na maikukumpara sa taon na ito. Isa pa rin akong Subject Matter Expert. At kalakip sa posisyon na ito ay sangkaterbang trabaho, isyu, problema, at kung ano-ano pang di ko na gustong isulat dito.

Hindi naman sa nagrereklamo ako, dahil ginusto ko ito. Tinanggap ko ang posisyon. Pero siguro namiss ko lang talaga ang maging petiks. Yung magagawa kong manuod ng mga series habang nagtatrabaho. Pero syempre ayos na rin to. Kesa naman walang nagtitiwala sakin. Ok naman ako.

On the bright side, kaya hindi masyadong malaki ang binaba nito, ngayong taon ko narealize kung ano ang pwede kong pasukin na larangan pagkatapos ko magpaalam sa corporate world ilang taon mula ngayon. Opo, nais kong magtayo ng sarili kong negosyo. Marami akong idea sa business na ito. Sana lang matuloy.

SOCIAL LIFE 70% (2011 - 73%)
Ano na nga ulit ang ibig sabihin ng Social Life? Trabaho, bahay at love life na lang ata ang buhay ko ngayon. Iilan lang ang mga bagon nakilala ko ngayong taon. Hindi ako nakalabas ng Maynila.  Hindi natuloy ang trip to CDO at Singapore ngayong taon at kahit ang ilang out of Manila lakad ay hindi rin nangyari. Ang pinakamalayong napuntahan ko ata ngayong taon ay ABS-CBN station sa QC.

Wala masyadong Dance Parties. Hindi nga ata kami nagkita ng mga barkada ko ngayon. Hindi ako sinipot ng mga kaibigan sa ilang mga yaya ko. Ano pa ba?

Basta in short, wala akong naging Social Life ngayong taon. Hopefully next year, meron na ulit.

LOVE LIFE 95% (2011 - 95%)
Wala naman nagbago dito.

Ang maganda siguro na bata ang Kasintahan ko ay maraming mga special moments siya na naging kasama ako. Unang trabaho. Unang lipat bahay. Unang disappointment sa karera. Ano pa ba? Marami pa.

Ngayong taon kami nagcelebrate ng aming ikalawang taon na magkasintahan. Tanggap naman siya dito sa bahay. Parang anak na rin ang turing sa kanya ng aking mga magulang. Hindi ko na iniisip kung alam ba nila o hindi kung ano kami talaga, ang mahalaga maayos naman ang pakikitungo nila sa isa't isa.

BLOG LIFE 75% (2011 - 85%)
Pansin niyo man o hindi, eh ngayong taon hindi na ako masyado nagsusulat. Hindi na masyadong nakakapagbasa sa mga kapitbahay ko. Kahit meetups sa mga kapwa bloggers, wala din. Tatlo lang ang nakilala ko ngayong taon, yung mga pumunta sa bahay ko noong kaarawan ko.

Kahit ang mga kaibigan ko sa blog, hindi ko na rin masyadong nakakausap. Kasalanan ko na rin siguro, dahil wala talaga akong oras na lumabas. Hindi ako mangangako na magbabago ito sa susunod na taon. Sa totoo lang baka lalo pa nga itong lumala, pero kahit paano, gumagawa ako ng paraan na magsulat pa rin.

Kaya hindi rin masyadong bagsak na bagsak ang blog life ko, mayroon kasi akong tinayong dalawa pang blog. Isa para sa aking mga alaga. At isa, yung english / pop culture blog ko.

SAVINGS 74% (2011 - 70%)
Hindi dahil sa tumaas ito eh ibig sabihin ay may ipon na ako. Wala pa rin. Pero at least ngayong taon, kahit marami pa rin ang aking mga gastusin, alam kong may patutunguhan ang lahat ng ito.

Marami akong gastos, may dalawang aso akong binili ngayong taon. At buwan buwan ay medyo malaki ang aking nailalabas na gastusin para buhayin ang tatlo kong anak-anakan.

Ngayong taon, pagkatapos ng sampung taon, tumigil na ako sa pagbili ng comic books. 2000 to 4000 a month ang gastos ko sa mga ito, kaya nagkaroon na ako ng kaunting budget para sa mga dates at para sa sarili ko. Natuto din akong magbenta ng kung anu-ano ngayong taon. Ang huli ay ang Shell Lego Ferrari sets na medyo naging malakas ang kita ko.

Knowing this, confident ako na kaya kong tustusan ang pagpapaayos sa bahay namin sas susunod na taon.

HEALTH 72% (2011 - 75%)
Mababa talaga ang grado ko dito, kahit pa malaki ang pinayat ko noong unang kalahati ng taon, bumalik ako sa dati kong timbang. Opo tumaba ulit ako.

Pero hindi yun ang dahilan kung bakit mababa ang Health score ko. Ngayong taon, sa loob ng syam na taon kong pagtatrabaho, naubos ang Sick Leave ko.

Migraine, Pharingitis, Heart Burn, High Blood Pressure, Lagnat ang ilan lang sa dumapo sa akin na sakit ngayong taon. Kagabi nga lang absent ako dahil inatake nanaman ako ng migraine. Hindi ko alam kung ang sisisihin ko ba ay ang trabaho ko o yung pagtungtong ko ng 30.

Ewan ko ba. Stressed ako ngayong taon. Pero yun ang hula sa aming mga pinanganak ng Year of the Dog. Pinatunayan ko lang siguro na totoo yun.

AVERAGE 77.67%

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Mababa ako ngayong taon. Pero ganun talaga ang life, minsan nasa taas, minsan nasa baba.

Next year, kapag nagkatotoo ang lahat ng mga plano ko, I'm sure mas mataas na ulit ang magiging grado ko.

Kayo, kamusta naman ang naging 2012 ninyo?