Reading newsletter #13: my 2024 wrapped is all about first-times
Things I pay attention to, that made me pay attention, and you should pay attention to.
Where should I start? I asked myself as I wrote the title of this newsletter.
A friend once asked me how I started writing. What prompts me to type thoughts into this newsletter that lands in your inbox? I don’t have an outline. I just wing it most of the time. It starts with a trigger: an event, a story, a piece of news, or music. Or, I ride on a trending topic.
This week, I’m writing about my 2024 wrapped — an idea I stole from Spotify’s annual gimmick where it curates your music listening data and presents it in a story-like PowerPoint presentation.
I include my latest read (book or audiobook, depending on what I’ve started or finished). I then share reflections on life, if there are any. Here goes.
My 2024 trips
Where do you look when you want to remember the year that passed? My Instagram feeds, of course. When I looked back at 2024, it is marked by firsts.
This year, my wife and I went galavanting in Tokyo, Japan. As first-timers, we booked a group tour. For four days and three nights, we visited a crowded Buddhist temple in the heart of Tokyo, haggled for locally made Tee that had a unique print, ate konbini food, took and got lost finding the right densha twice, went to Disney Sea (because Disney Land was for the kids, we were warned), and paraded my grey and white hotel bathrobe, wondering if I had to courage to go to a public bath.
We did a lot of walking, saw one of many public parks, including a castle and a huge Gundam (mech) in a place called Odaiba, ate street food, and discovered an ingenious service that lets you rent power banks from strategic locations in Tokyo — a lifesaver; and shopping at Don Quijote. Our trip ended with new friends gained, a bagful of beauty products bought, and new kicks secured.
In 2024, we took domestic trips as eventful as our visit to Japan. One was in Tabuk, Kalinga, a northern city that can be reached by driving 10 to 12 hours from Manila. The way to this unspoiled place is long because of traffic jams between the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, and Isabela. Kalinga is not a top-of-mind domestic tourist destination. Many prefer the Banaue rice terraces in Ifugao or the vast and natural caves of Sagada in Mt. Province. In Kalinga, we found this wonderful ATV-for-rent experience, where you can travel paths for an hour or more through hillsides of greens like that of a golf course. It was picture-perfect.
In 2024, my wife and I also traveled to San Fernando, La Union. Invited to lead a workshop for budding journalists in this city known for its beautiful beach fronts, San Fernando is an alternative destination for younger people seeking a weekend getaway. It is a four to five-hour drive from Manila. It is also close to San Juan, another town known for its surfing.
We decided to avoid San Juan and explored other parts of La Union. We discovered this wonderful remnant of a watch tower called Baluarte in Luna, where kids volunteered to be human tripods for tourists like us.
We found a unique gem called “Bahay na Bato,” roughly translated as House Made of Stone (and pebbles). Formerly a rest house, it was later opened to the public, serving as a walking museum of stone sculptures and Filipino artifacts collected by Korean artist Bong Kim. Nestled along the coast of Luna, Bahay na Bato is like a vast open art gallery featuring a collection of antiques showcasing the Philippines' rich history. You’ll see various kitchenware, farmer workers’ tools, and even old war weapons collected by Kim.
Watching People Sing on Stage while Acting
2024 is also a big year for musicals. In 2023, we witnessed Hamilton, a fun musical that made me pay attention to people singing on stage while acting. It talks about Alexander Hamilton and America’s struggle for independence from the British. Between slow and fast songs, the cast of Hamilton blew us away when they rapped — the modern version of poetry. The music kept replaying in my head for two weeks.
Then, because of Hamilton, my wife and I explored local musicals in 2024, including an original Filipino musical called Mula sa Buwan and a fantasy musical that is a mouthful: “Buruguduystunstugudunstuy: Ang Parokya ni Edgar Musical.” The long word plays on how a drum sounds (try saying it out loud), while the rest of the title is about a local Filipino band called Parokya ni Edgar, which became popular in the mid-90s.
Writing, reading, and sleeping more
2024 is also the year where I spent more time writing, reading, and sleeping. I started this newsletter this year, hoping to write thoughts, reflections, and stories worth sharing.
2024 is also the year when I committed to read more (or listen more) to books and audiobooks. Based on my count, I’m on my 17th book and expecting to finish two more titles by the end of December. According to my Storygraph, I’ve been reading books that are considered informative and reflective. I also ventured into dark and challenging themes. My average time to finish a book is 2 months. So far, I’ve read 2,420 pages and listened to 192.22 hours of audiobook. I also mainly chose medium-paced books, which, on average, are almost 500 pages thick. I also read a lot of fiction this year, which is a deliberate break from non-fiction and business books.
Meanwhile, I feel I’ve been sleeping more this year, catching my Zs before midnight and on weekends. I have been less sick this year, but I took more vacation time — which might be one reason I didn’t get sick more often.
So, that’s my 2024 wrapped. It’s a year of first-times, writing and reading more, and catching more Zs, thus avoiding potential sickness.
What about you? What’s your 2024 wrapped?
Here’s to more travels in 2025!