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I normally do a “100 Things I Did in The Previous Year” list come year end, but considering we’re actually gearing towards the first double digit set of this century, I thought about coming up with my top 10 things for the decade. Gosh. I never realized this involves going through my private blog just so I can remember. Hehehe.

Let’s see…

2000: Discovering Domain Names
My very very first blog entry, in LiveJournal, was created in 2001 (which means my memories of 2000 are almost lost) and my first website was created back in 1997. But I bought my first domain name in February of 2000. That was coolay.com, which has been eaten by this blog you’re reading now. Domain registration can be addictive. I now have a total of 7 domain names, some of them I don’t even use anymore. They’re just there for posterity’s sake.

2001: Re-Launching The Otaku Fridge
On a domain name called Anime Okashi, that is. The Fridge was my very first website, hosted in GeoCities back in 1997, but it went through several incarnations. It still is my therapy to this day. I also noticed that every time I reinvent myself, I always turn to the Fridge for inspiration. Meaning, it’s my breather, my transition to the next big endeavor.

2002: Rurouni Kenshin Seisouhen
If there was one thing that struck me most about my 2002, it was how Rurouni Kenshin ended animation-wise. I think the memory of it would upset me so much that I couldn’t even talk about it without making me want to weep. That went on for a whole year, I guess. My sister and cousins couldn’t stop talking about it either.

2003: Final Fantasy X-2
Ok, this one I didn’t even need to delve into my journal. I remember LSS-ing on the song 1,000 Words by Jade…for a whole year!!! If I didn’t have to go through the dog-shooting quest again, I would gladly repeat this game. It’s not exactly what most gamers would consider a classic but it was one of my guilty indulgence. Transforming kikay girls, go! Loved the costumes.

2004: Ragnarok Online
I was about to put Spider-Man here but then I realized that when I started working for Level Up, Inc. and got exposed to MMORPGs (massively multiplayer roleplaying games), my life changed forever.  And when I say “my life”, it means the entire balance of my being — from personal to professional — went haywire. Not necessarily in a bad way, but this was the year I began to reinvent myself by letting go of conventions and shifting careers. All thanks to Ragnarok Online.

2005: Advent Children
OMG. Need I say more?? It’s been four years since I revisited my Final Fantasy VII memories and I still get the shivers whenever I remember Tifa’s fight scenes in Advent Children.  Also, who wouldn’t swoon at the sight of a hunkier Cloud Strife?  He used to be so chibi and pixelated back in ’97 but he became full bishounen 3D in 2005.

2006: Origins A Perfect World Antioxidant Moisturizer with White Tea
The year I discovered good skin care (and independence and my very first Macbook, Mi-chan).  I started using moisturizers and sunscreen a couple of years before that, but I was lazy and not too concerned about wellness. It was in 2006 that I learned about the good brands, the expensive brands and the sell-your-internal-organs-to-afford-this-luxury brands. Then I went for natural and organic lines while trying to compromise between principles and budget.  Origins was that balance…but it was pulled out of the Philippine market in 2009.  Yes, it seems expensive, but it lasted me for more than a year. That’s waaaaay more lasting power than any other drugstore brands I’ve tried and if you do the math, it’s actually a lot of value for your money.

2007: Singapore and Christmas Cookies
It’s a toss up because it was my first time to travel outside the country alone.  Met up with my friend Janice in Singapore.  As for the Christmas cookies…they’re mighty special.  My then student Cris (she’s now a very dear friend) gave me boxes of the goodies she baked and I think I gorged on them the entire season.  Those Christmas cookies are full of love and warmth and would’ve been a good tradition…but Cris had to go fly out of the country in 2009 so she could study in Vancouver Film School. Sadness.

2008: Gokusen and Dance Dance Revolution
My 2008 was full of wacky activities and I was surrounded by a bunch of equally wacky kids.  My reading material was also mainly Gokusen.  Almost every other month I’d post about it, if I weren’t dancing on the DDR pad in Timezone Glorietta. There were a lot of things in that manga that I could relate to, perhaps because I was a professor taking care of the “baddest” students in school.

2009: Rainbows in L.A. 
One of the most stressful years I’ve ever encountered (not to mention, so many prominent deaths and disasters!). I had PhD studies (which was a whole new level of geekery compared to my master’s) and was also promoted to Assistant Director: a lethal combination of duties.  I temporarily escaped by flying off to L.A. It wasn’t the first time I visited L.A., but it was the first time I went there without my family in tow.  The rest of the experience can be found in this entry.

The last decade had been very nice to me. It had its ups and downs, that’s for sure, but I’m hoping that the next decade would open more doors for me. More traveling, more anime and games, and most especially…well, I just want my Christmas cookies back.

Happy new year, everyone! I hope 2010 onwards would bode well for all of us. =^.^= (Oh and I promise to fix this blog’s layout as soon as I get back to work. Hehe.)