What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before? Cut my hair short! Drill a hole through a skull.  Phleb...

Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? The specific, short-term, school-related ones, I was able to achieve. But none of the major "to-be-a-better-person" kind of resolutions. Goals/resolutions for the new year: Pass the medical boards. Get into a residency training program in Neurology or Internal Medicine. Learn Korean. Lose weight. Wake up early. Stress less. Be more cheerful.

Did anyone close to you...
Get married? Honey, my best friend from elem, to Javi. And Ate Elisa, my roommate from college, to Kuya Joey.
Give birth? Claire, my online pal
Passed away? a friend's dad, but no one particularly close

What places did you visit? Korea, in my heart! ♥ (Last year's answer to this question was: Taiwan and Korea, in my dreams!)

What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005? Energy. Motivation. Optimism. Serenity.

What date(s) from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? I don't remember. I'm actually more forgetful this year than in the previous years. Remembering birthdays don't even come automatically any more.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Being more confident and capable as a medical intern. Drilling a burrhole through a skull.

What was your biggest failure? I'm just disappointed at myself for being angrier, more pessimistic and world-weary this year. Somebody actually told me: "You're not as perky as you used to be..."

Did you suffer illness or injury? The usual allergic rhinitis  and asthma, and occasional URTI. Chronic fatigue syndrome. I'm a hypochondriac for PTB, and I've been having mittelschmerz/DUB these past few months.

What was the best thing you bought? A laptop and a printer. Korean dramas and movies, and neat CD albums (to feed my Ob-C-ness). A Korean dictionary, and The Griffin and Sabine Trilogy, among several other books. A pink knitted cardigan, a nice pair of black pumps, a white crochet bolero, a pretty pink dress and pair of peach open-toed sandals.

Whose behavior merited celebration? People who still remain cheerful, hopeful and faithful, despite life's tribulations. I envy them.

Whose behavior appalled you? Scums! Mga lamangero at makapal ang mukha!  Rude and messy people. The resident cat in our dorm who has this knack for playing "patintero" with you and giving your legs a "headbutt" while you are going up the *steep* spiral stairs. Myself.

Where did most of your money go? Korean dramas and movies and CD albums. Books. Clothes. Coffee. Food.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? Internship (mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness). Pagsanjan, Laguna with Anatomy groupmates. Hallyu marathons with Phoebe and Lexi.

What song(s) will always remind you of 2005? "Tell Me Where It Hurts" by MYMP. Eraserheads and Parokya ni Edgar songs, which my blockmates frequently sing in the callroom.

Compared to this time last year, are you...
Happier or sadder? See answer to "What was your biggest failure?" question above.
Thinner or fatter? Only a couple of pounds lighter. I reached 93 lbs midyear, but gained most of the weight back.
Richer or poorer? Richer in life's experiences, medical skills and knowledge, and some wordly possessions too.

What do you wish you'd done more of? Made more productive use of my time.

What do you wish you'd done less of? Complaining and getting angry. Musings. Being idle. Sleep.

How did you spend Christmas? It was my first Christmas away from home. Was on duty at the delivery room until 8 in the morning of December 24 (I'm in Pedia, and we attend to the neonates in the delivery room.) Slept until the afternoon. Dinner with brother. Mass at Paco Park with a couple of interns who also didn't go home for Christmas. A *benign* ER duty on Christmas day, December 25.

Did you fall in love in 2005? Crushes, celebs: 4. Crushes, real-life: 2. Relationships: 0. Affairs: 1.

What was your favorite TV program? House MD, Sweet 18, Let's Go to School Sangdoo, Winter Sonata, My Name is Kim Sam Soon--all these seen on video, since I don't have a TV in my dorm.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Hate is such a strong word. But I sure disliked a lot of people!

What was the best book you read? The Doctor (aka "A Taste of My Own Medicine"  )  by Edward Rosenbaum. He was a doctor who got cancer and suddenly found himself on the receiving end of medical treatment, and he tells his experiences as a patient. It's not literary, somewhat trite even, but it is not pretentious and does not proselytize. Rosembaum just tells it as it is.

What were your greatest musical discoveries? Instrumental music of Korean OSTs.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005? Basic tees. Denim. Cardis. White flats. Pink and green combo. Orange.

What did you want and get? Reconciliation with God in time for Christmas. A *complete* and fun get-together with my girlfriends. A benign Christmas day duty at the ER. A laptop and printer, a Korean dictionary, the white crochet bolero, several Korean dramas and movies.

What did you want and not get? Home for Christmas. Attend Honey's wedding in Baguio (coudn't take a leave off hospital work).

What was your favorite film of this year? Seen in the theater: April Snow. (I've only seen 3 movies in the theater--April Snow, The 40-year-old Virgin, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith). Seen on video: A Moment to Remember, Taegukgi, Arahan, Joint Security Area, My Mother the Mermaid, and all those in *bold* starting from item #19 in my list of Korean movies seen.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was on duty at the ER when the clock struck midnight on my birthday. But I got off at 7 in the morning. Slept practically the whole day. Dinner with friends at Gilligan's.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? More optimism and a stronger faith.

What kept you sane? Hallyu. Talking to Phoebe and Maffy on the phone. Photoshop. Food. Sleep.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Lee Dong Gun. Bae Yong Jun. Hyun Bin. Jung Woo Seung.

What political issue stirred you the most? I am a-political. I don't read the papers, I don't have a TV in my dorm; I only get access to media when I accompany a patient at the hemodialysis unit where there are several television sets. I am also only vaguely aware of rallies when "Code White" is declared at the ER, and we are on standby for mass casualties of these demonstrations.

Who did you miss? my family, my friends

Who was the best new person you met? A few good PGIs and clerks. Groovy Lola. And another lola, a bantay of a patient, who was very talkative even when she had vocal cord nodules and her voice was very hoarse (she sounded more like "hissing" when she was talking) and who was always smiling even when she was tired and sleepy.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
Time and distance do have their effects on relationships, and it takes effort, constant communication, energy, to couteract this "entropy", the natural tendency of things--and people--to drift apart.
"Don't make something you like to do a job. You'll eventually hate it." - From "Wanee and Junah"