2010: A Year That Was Not So "Kay Ganda," adj. So Beautiful

Another year of the Gregorian calendar is almost over. For most people, it's high time they looked back into the year that was and see how the next year can be tons better, the way they all do every year (the success rate of which is so low it's disheartening).

For Lead Character, however, his year was so uneventful it's not worth writing about. The only highlights were his travels, all the weight he gained exponentially (for having worked two jobs at the same time), and the plummeting peso-dollar rate, which, if you work from home and get paid in US dollars, hurts like a motherfrakker. So Lead Character instead would like to examine the year that was for other people, because life is much more fun that way.

For those who got their hearts broken this year, it's high time you pushed yourself up from that dark corner you're in, fix yourself, and use next year to exact revenge--not directly to the person who broke your heart but to anyone at random. Yes, Lead Character suggests you break hearts next year. If blessed people can pay kindness forward, then cursed people can pay curses forward, too. This is to keep things balanced, to avoid karmic warming, which is the socio-spiritual equivalent of global warming.

For those who broke hearts this year, next year would probably be smooth sailing for you. If you feel guilty about having broken someone's heart, then you've paid your price--guilt is awful enough a feeling. Shake that guilt off now and enjoy next year with the freedom you've acquired from breaking someone's heart. If you never felt guilty, then you're either a bad person, or the person whose heart you broke is the bad person. Either way, spend next year with caution.

For those who didn't break hearts nor had their hearts broken this year, chances are, you will have the same experience next year. It's either you're physically unattractive or socially awkward. Or both. Your only saving grace now is money. Use next year to start your hefty savings for both the sunny and the rainy days. Yes, Lead Character does not advocate just saving money for emergencies but for luxuries as well. Buy that iPad you don't really need, or that expensive watch that can make people think you're rich.

For Katrina Halili, it's high time that she examined her life and see how the next year can be spent more fruitfully. Is she going to pursue another attempt at making Hayden Kho pay for what he did? Or is she going to pull a Maricar Reyes, be a big person, and just move past a mistake that she shared responsibility for? As per the Pasig Regional Trial Court's ruling, there was insufficient evidence that she was unaware she was being filmed while getting it on. Unless you are peripherally blind, girl, just admit that you knew you were being filmed. Of course, you can't be peripherally blind. If you were, you wouldn't be as bad an actress as you are now (read: unaware of the camera = natural acting).

For P-Noy, it's been quite a year, huh? From the Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking to the RH Bill to the fracas surrounding the Department of Tourism campaign. Lead Character didn't vote for you but he didn't think you were going to be a lousy President. Thank you for supporting the RH Bill. Please, continue acting on your intellectual moral code and not on the church's.

For those who oppose the RH Bill because of the Holy Spirit, it's high time that you shut the fuck up. However, if you oppose the RH Bill for other reasons, say, it does not really prevent overpopulation and that it's an extravagance that affects the national budget, then by all means continue fighting for what you believe in. Lead Character has respect for you.

For the team that makes up the Department of Tourism, here's an idea for a tourism campaign: "Pilipinas kay Happening!" Why? Because things are happening in our country. It's not about beauty anymore; every country claims the same. Selling our country as beautiful is too generic. Besides, it's not completely true. So to make us stand out, why not say that things are happening here? And once the tourists come pouring in, let's start making things happen. What kinds of things? Ask help from the gays!

For Lauro Vizconde, Lead Character cannot even begin to imagine how you're feeling right now. For Lead Character, our justice system is a joke not because Hubert Webb et al. were acquitted by the Supreme Court but because no one present has been found guilty. Two of those that were convicted by the lower court remain at-large. What is going on here? Lead Character was in grade school when the heinous crime took place, and since then he couldn't help but be bothered by how it must be like to lose your entire nuclear family in just one night. You must no longer be looking back into the year that was and look forward into the year that is to come. Rather, you're probably thinking of those 15 years without your family beside you, and dreading another 15 years of justice not being sought. What for most people is the season to be jolly, yours is the season to be grieving yet again. What for most people is the new year for a new life, all you have are memories. Irrelevant as this may be, please take this post as a dedication to you and your family. May you find peace in a place where we promise tourists beauty, but we cannot even provide our countrymen the same.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!