Today is New Year’s Eve. I used to list my resolutions for the new year—promises I made with the best intentions—only to quietly abandon them halfway through when life shifted, and circumstances changed.
Over time, I realized that those lists often carried more pressure than purpose. They focused on who I thought I should become, rather than honoring who I was already becoming. This year, instead of measuring myself against unfinished resolutions, I’m choosing to reflect on the small wins that shaped my journey.
I’m pausing to take stock not of the loud milestones, but of the quiet, steady wins that shaped my 2025. The Year of the Snake, after all, was less about grand transformations and more about steady steps forward. It was a period for introspection and strategic action, marked by growth, clarity, and adaptability.
This year taught me that progress doesn’t always arrive with fireworks. Sometimes it shows up as a conversation that opens a door, a creative space that finally feels ready for your ideas, or a vote of confidence you didn’t expect but deeply needed. I’m choosing to honor those moments.
One of the highlights of my year was participating in the 2025 Federation of Asian Cultural Promotion Conference in Bucheon, South Korea, with Lino Matalang Jr. and Ian Darwin Wong.
Being part of that space, where culture, creativity, and collaboration intersect, reminded me why I started doing this work in the first place. It was more than a trip or a presentation; it reminded me that my voice and perspective have a place in conversations that reach beyond borders.
That feeling was strengthened when my project proposal won second prize in the FACP’s Pitch for New Aspects – Clare C. & Friends Fellowship. Standing there, hearing my work recognized, felt like a small but meaningful validation of the risks I’ve taken and the long hours spent refining ideas that once lived only in my notebook.
Getting to FACP wasn’t easy. It came with its share of heartbreak and setbacks, but I kept going because seeing my proposal presented on that stage mattered to me. I believed deeply in my proposal, shaped through countless brainstorming sessions and collaborations with people who share the same passion for promoting Philippine culture.
For someone who struggles with impostor syndrome, this moment became a quiet validation that I am capable of doing more with the skills I have. It made one thing clear: I can do more. With the right guidance and support, my writing can take me further than I ever thought possible and can open doors of possibilities.
Another quiet triumph came closer to home—being elected to the CCP CEO (CCP Complex Employees Organization) Board, earning 110 votes out of 167.
I won’t lie—it’s scary, yet it’s also an incredible honor. On paper, they’re just numbers, but each vote carried trust. And that trust is humbling and empowering at the same time. It reminds me that growth isn’t just personal; it’s about being part of something bigger, shaping a community, and stepping into responsibilities that push me to do more than I ever imagined.
Beyond the bigger milestones, there were countless small wins that quietly shaped my year, such as pushing through fear and self-doubt to achieve something meaningful, strengthening friendships and professional connections, and learning new skills that made me more confident in what I do.
One of my biggest small wins this year has been having a team I can truly trust to get the job done. Shout out to my team Sophia Eugenio, Floe Atabay, and Gel Bobiles, Kiko Cabuena, Orly Daquipil, and Raul Asis, as well as our OIC Paulo Perez with his not-so-little band of socmed warriors Jude Laporga, Terrence Santiago, Patrick Alipinin, and Mar Pineda III.
I honestly don’t know where I would be without them. Their hard work, support, and even their little everyday gestures kept me going, and I can never thank them enough.
Working with colleagues who keep me grounded with their support and light-hearted antics; friends who listen and stand up for me when injustice strikes; and strangers who, over time, have become confidantes.
As the year closes, I realize these wins share a common thread: they weren’t about arrival, but about alignment. They tell me I’m moving in the right direction, even if the path is still unfolding.
So tonight, as one year hands the baton to the next, I’m not chasing resolutions. I’m carrying gratitude for the rooms I entered, the ideas that landed, and the people who believed in me.
If 2025 was about small wins, then I’m ready to let 2026 build on them—steadily, intentionally, and with gratitude.
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As the New Year approaches, I always look forward to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts calendar, thoughtfully conceptualized by my good friend Roel Hoang Manipon.
The 2026 edition, titled A Century of Art Deco in the Philippines, commemorates 100 years of Art Deco in the country, coinciding with the global celebration of the style. It highlights 12 notable structures—one for each month—showing how Art Deco influenced civic buildings, educational institutions, residences, and cultural landmarks across the archipelago during the 20th century.
Roel notes, “As it marks its hundredth year, Art Deco in the Philippines deserves recognition not only for its beauty but also for its role in shaping the country’s vision of modernity.”
The calendar opens with the Generoso M. Villanueva House, or Daku Balay, in Bacolod City, followed by the First United Building in Binondo, Manila. Other featured landmarks include the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Malate, Manila; the University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary Building in Sampaloc, Manila; the Bulacan Provincial Capitol in Malolos; the Far Eastern University buildings in Sampaloc; Molo Mansion in Iloilo City; the Quezon Provincial Capitol in Lucena; the Old Municipal Hall of Jaro in Iloilo City; the Old Tanauan Municipal Hall, now Museo ng Tanauan; and the Gala-Rodriguez House in Sariaya, Quezon.
The calendar concludes with the Metropolitan Theater in Ermita, Manila, celebrating its 95th anniversary in 2026.
Roel provided most of the photographs, with additional images contributed by Mervin Concepcion Vergara, Arch. Gerard Rey Lico, Ben Scharlin, Bien Alvarez, Lorraine Sy-Lianteng, Iya Cabrera, and Roezielle Joy Iglesia. Beyond being a timekeeping tool, the calendar serves as an accessible cultural reference, inviting Filipinos to rediscover how Art Deco helped shape the Philippine built environment and its aspirations for modernity.
Happy New Year! Wishing you health, happiness, and prosperity in 2026. Keep enjoying Manila Standard and Glazing Life throughout the year.
