2023 was a blur. I’m trying to recall important — good or not-so-good moments last year. But all I can picture is a blur. Was last year so fast, that I cannot remember any story I can share? I browsed through my Instagram to get inspiration. I saw a wedding I attended in a place so far, I thought I was going to be late. And oh, I was part of the wedding entourage, well sort of as I was one of the godfathers invited to witness this couple’s union.

Then my wife and I witnessed the Hamilton play on stage in a theater inside a huge casino/mall. That play left me with songs in my head, especially the one by King George singing “You’ll be back.” It was a funny take on the American rebellion against the British rulers.

I’ve read several books, all 17 of them (missed my goal of 20). I finished several audiobooks too, including one by Jon Ronson called The Debutante.

I also handled two sections of a communications course that I have been teaching for years now at De La Salle University. These two batches of students surprised me with their creative sparks, their tenacity to generate ideas to capture an audience, and their love for fun activities. Teaching has been in my blood, my wife would say because my dad, mom, and two brothers (well at least the one after me) are all teachers. I also married a teacher, so that’s that.

I also attended reunions in 2023. One was with my College, where I met one of my classmates who is now a celebrity, having been in films, TV shows/series, and commercials. When I met her during the day of the reunion, she noticed my Hoka sneakers, and asked, “Do you run? You’re wearing the same sneakers as my sister.” I was out of words but said yes, and moved on to another topic: a photo-op with her and the rest of the people next to us, waiting in an invisible queue for a selfie.

I also had mini-reunions with some old friends from work and school, some I spent briefly because they happened to be drinking coffee next to us in a cafe. There was one with a good friend who was let go from work after the company decided they hired too many in 2023. She moved from Singapore to the US, then back to Singapore again.

When I met her during the day of the reunion, she noticed my Hoka sneakers, and asked, “Do you run? You’re wearing the same sneakers as my sister.” I was out of words but said yes, and moved on to another topic: a photo-op with her and the rest of the people next to us, waiting in an invisible queue for a selfie.

Erwin Oliva

2023 was also the year of first-times. It was the first time we drove for hours to get to a place where most Filipinos and some tourists surf. The place was called Baler, and it is the original surfing capital of the country. But we didn’t go there to surf. We were there to smell the healing air coming from the beautiful (but dangerous) rocky beach. I say it was dangerous because the current was strong, and there were a lot of jagged-edged rocks protruding near the shore. You have to wear shoes or some form of foot protection to go into the water.

2023 was also the first time we witnessed another rock concert in an okay venue with most attendees wearing black t-shirts. My brothers who were heavy metal fans and my wife don rock-ready OOTDs and we listened to more than an hour of guitar-driven songs by Dream Theater. Too bad, the lead singer was struggling to hit the high notes. Okay, he just turned 60 that night, so he may be losing some of his edge. Note: It was back in 2019 when we attended our biggest rock concert by this classic band called U2! My wife and I wore expensive and red U2 shirts at that time. That was fun.

I also noticed a huge change in my photos last year. For the first time, I stopped drinking coffee, and matcha tea latte. Instead, I got myself a decaffeinated version of a latte, and hot tea in the afternoon. Because of my doctor and my whacked metabolism, I am off coffee (caffeine), sugary food, and white rice. I aim to stay healthy and COVID-19-free amid news of new variants infecting people lately.

Notice that I have not talked about work yet. That’s because work is work, nothing huge happened there, except for several people leaving for another job or another life elsewhere here and abroad. The biggest change, however, was us leaving our old building which was being torn down. We relocated to a “new” location right smack in the central business district of Makati. This new location came with huge rats (for the first few weeks), a bad smell that emanated from who knows where, and a mind-numbing noise of escalators right above our office. The good thing however is that we are only occupying the 2nd floor of this tall building. So when fire and earthquake drills are scheduled, we don’t have to walk down that far to get to the designated open area across the street. We were on the 19th floor in our old building, so imagine the pain I had to endure walking down the stairs to exit.

I’m thankful for 2023 though. I had good health. No more emergency visits to the hospital. All were scheduled with my doctor who keeps reminding me to watch what I eat and to mask up! Yes, doc, I’m immuno-compromised.

Business-wise, I learned my biggest lessons and had to write off some investments. In five years, I plan to semi-retire but I don’t think I have enough to stop making enough to provide life for my family. So, I might still work after that time.

Finally, I’m grateful that in 2023, I was given time to enjoy simple things in life, had time spent with friends and family, and had the strength to travel and discover new places.

As I write this, I’m also grateful that my memory is still sharp, allowing me to recall moments in life that social media can’t capture.