This Year (2020)

It’s the last day of the year and it was indeed a one-of-a-kind year for everyone.

Let’s try to do some quick recap of what happened.

The year was set ablaze when Australia was devastated by wildfires, with its smoke preventing the sunshine from penetrating Earth’s surface. In the Philippines, it started with a bang when the Taal Volcano spewed ashes to the entire Metro, extending to its nearby provinces, and blanketed them with a haze.

As people tried to recover from such events, a terrifying pandemic which originated from China hit the world. It’s as if it’s trying to wipe the entire population and clean the Earth with the rapid increase in the numbers of confirmed cases and death tolls. It caused a wide array of panic buying for basic necessities, since everybody wanted to stock up for supplies when each country announced lockdowns.

Finally, after such a long time, Earth got its long time wish which is to be able to breathe again as life went to a pause. That made some people think that what happened was Earth’s cry for help. Maybe? Maybe not? I don’t know.

It didn’t take too long though for people to adjust and get used to the new norm of living distantly from each other, in facemasks and face shields.

Honestly? I thought we’re going to have to live underground, but thank God we didn’t have to. We were just locked up in the comfort of our homes with our families for months. It was quite an adjustment for some to be with their families 24/7. There were those who lost their jobs. There were others who had to change careers and directions.

Yet, despite the ongoing pandemic, other concerns didn’t stop. Climate problems continued as wildfires and hurricane after hurricane and flooding occurred. Protests, war, crimes and so much more still grew in numbers. Hate didn’t stop. I think it even increased online.

This year was filled with setbacks.

BUT THIS YEAR WAS ALSO FILLED WITH A LOT OF VICTORIES - WITH THINGS TO BE GRATEFUL FOR.

Right?

If we only stop looking at the things that went wrong and change our perspectives and focus on the things that went right.

2020 was a challenging year for us all. It’s definitely going down in history books. The future will always remember it.

Still, this year is something to be thankful for. 

It was a year of exploration and discovery, of ourselves and what we are capable of, of what we want and of what we need, of what TRULY MATTERS.

So if you try to reflect on yourself this year. Did your focus change? What have you learned so far?

I hope you learned a lot. I hope you discovered what you really needed, wanted and what truly matters to you. 

I hope that whatever you went through this year, you managed to pick up on something worth keeping to carry on to the next years to come.

I hope that whatever happens in the coming years, the strength you gained this year will remind you and help you get through it.

I hope this year made you humble and grateful.

And I hope you will continue to look forward to an amazing future with gladness and hope.

Cheers and a Happy New Year to you!

Nat

Stars. Meteors. Me.

In the midst of this lockdown, watching the stars at night gave me relief. Somehow looking at them would soothe my feelings and calm my heart. God created all of it. 

At night i'd look at the stars by the window and watch the Earth shift on its axis. I can see the big dipper vividly from where I sleep. It even feels like I am sleeping under the stars. A friend of mine, Thea, pulled a joke on me asking if we even have a roof when I said I am staring at the skies again and I could stare at them all day. I don't know why, but I have always loved it. I always wanted to repeat that moment seven years ago, when I spent the night by the beach and I was just there lying on the sand, staring at the heavens. It was a breathtaking view. 

As you can see, I am quite diligent tonight, that I am writing this. Listening to Ailee's song, Is You (a Korean Song) helps my thought flow. 

I have a thing for stars if you know me. I am fond of them that I used to keep track of the meteor showers each year. It's been a long time since I was able to watch one. If you try to go back to my old posts in 2011 or 2012, you'll know. It's just recently that I started again. 

April is a month for the meteors, Lyrids. For this year, it was best seen between April 16 to 25 and it peaked last April 22. I was lucky enough to see some shooting stars on the night of April 20. 

May is dedicated for the Eta Aquarids. Actually, it does its annual run from April 19 to May 28 every year. It is about to have its peak tonight and I am trying to pull an all nighter for it. I saw one this dawn as I couldn't sleep and I just stared up at the heavens. 

If you are familiar with the famous Halley's Comet, which only appears on the Earth's atmosphere every 76 years - this is its way of making us feel its presence every year. I first heard it from my mom when I was young. The comet was last seen in 1986, and I wasn't born yet. It will appear again in the year 2061. Just Wow! And it's only 2020. That means, there's 41 more years to go. It is something beautiful to look forward to, right? 

Am I still alive then? Are you? I am not quite sure what's going to happen tomorrow and if I'd live to see that phenomenon happen again. So, if God will give me the chance to reach that point, I'd come back to this page and edit this post to tell you guys I made it. *smiles and breathes* 

For the meantime, I'd have to settle for the Eta Aquarids. They are actually pieces of debris from Halley's comet. It's my way of seeing it for now. So I am still lucky. 

It seems like I spend most of my time watching the night sky when night time falls. I look forward to it, actually. I can hide behind the shadows and just get lost in it.

The stars scattered in the sky somehow make magic seem real. The happiness I get to feel whenever I witness a shooting star is priceless. I couldn't help but smile. It's mine - that very moment of happiness - no one can take it away from me. It makes all the sadness go away. 

Sometimes I don't even believe it anymore. I question myself whether I did see one or it was just a trick my eyes played on me. I tell you, it's not an easy job. It looks fun but it's hard. You'll have to endure a certain position for a while. You'll need lots of patience, too.

But if you hang in there long enough, it is worth it. It is something you can hold on to forever.

So, I am cutting this short because I have been droning on long enough already. I hope you get to enjoy watching the stars tonight, too. 

-Nat