2013

Every year since 2007, I post a review on Multiply about the year that passed, and rate that year with stars--5 stars being the best. Sadly, Multiply closed down, and along with its closure went my reviews for 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Those reviews are forever lost but I'll continue that tradition here. 

Photo by Niko Geronimo

Recent years have taught me two things. One, life gets harder as we get older. The challenges just take on a different form. A different demon to slay. Two, there's no surefire, time-perfected way to slay these demons; we slay these demons in ways that best work for us.

This year's nastiest demon came in the form of me being nearly kicked out of law school. Regardless of the wisdom of the QPI rule and the lack of due process that aided its passage, bottom line is, I was one of the 110 students that were affected  by its implementation. Through human and divine intervention, I was one of the fortunate few who got past it, and was given a new lease on my life as a student of Malcolm Hall. I know I shouldn't look at a gift horse in the mouth and, instead, be thankful for this blessing. I am.

However, I cannot celebrate this victory because in this battle I have lost valuable comrades. Long gone were the familiar, trustworthy faces and assuring smiles that used to make classes almost enjoyable, recitations and exams survivable, and law school, in general, bearable. The effects of this loss will be felt more, I think, in 2014 and the succeeding years. Because of this, 2013 sucked big time.

On a positive note, I continued to improve on being sociable and being happy. I was able to strengthen my bond with my best friends, made new ones, turned down friendships I think were not going to last, and cut ties that needed cutting. I was able to follow (sort of) the honesty/happiness timeline I made for 2013. The results were better than I expected--this is one of the very few reasons 2013 rocked--so I will continue to go on this timeline for 2014.

Last year, I had this to say about 2013:

Finally, I hope 2013 will be a year of courage, of wanting to try new things...again.

Although 2013 was a year of courage, that courage wasn't spent trying new things but pushing my self past the harder challenges that went my way. Again, in this aspect, 2013 bombed.

Because 2013 sucked more than it rocked, I give it 3 stars. 

Like always, I hope 2014 will be a better year, which won't really take a lot considering how ugly 2013 was. But this time, I'm specifically hoping that 2014 will be the year I will be able to de-compartmentalize aspects of my life that don't need compartmentalizing; to reconcile things that I thought were impossible to reconcile.