Getting Older

In the last seven days, two events pertaining to my age took place. First, I received a request from Rutgers University, where I went for my undergraduate studies, for a donation to its "Our Rutgers, Our Future" program. It wasn't just a plea for money. It came as a plea for money from the class of 1991. The astute ones of you reading have just done the maths. Yes, 2011 is my twenty year anniversary since graduating from RU. As I read through the letter, in the back of my mind, there was a little voice that kept saying "Twenty years. Where did all the time go?"

As I listened to that inner voice - of awe or guilt or regret or whatever I was feeling - I thought about, not so much where the time went, but what has happened during the last twenty years since I graduated up to the end of January 2011, which was the second of the two events pertaining to my age. Yesterday, the 31st of January was my birthday. I turned 42.

Anyway, looking back on my life, I made a list of the major events of each year since my undergraduate graduation, a ceremony I didn't even attend. Below is a list of those events; landmarks that have in some way influenced me and shaped me into who I am. Some of them are things that I did or were done to me directly, some are things that happened to us - as a people - and some had positive outcomes while others didn't.

As you read my list, think of your events and make your own list. It was fun to go back and reminisce and it was interesting to see how far I've come to becoming the best version of me I can be. I hope your list has more positives than negatives and I wish all of you the best for 2011 and beyond.

1991
Graduated from Rutgers and got my first real fulltime job. I was a personal trainer at a health club.

1992
Started my own Tae Kwon Do business (teaching out of the health club), lost my virginity and got paid for my writing for the first time. It was an article that appeared in Tae Kwon Do Times Magazine about the master I was training under at the time.

1993
Opened my own Tae Kwon Do school, closed my Tae Kwon Do school, got my first teaching job, got my first tattoo and got my ear pierced.

1994
Had my first one-night stand and got KO'd at a Tae Kwon Do tournament.
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1995
Ran the New York City Marathon, something I'd always wanted to do since watching Rod Dixon cross the finish line in 1983 and began graduate school at Montclair State University.

1996
My screenplay, ALIENS AMONG US, PART I: DISCOVERY, got to the quarterfinal round of the Austin Film Festival screenplay competition, tried out for the 2000 USA Olympic Team Handball team, attended the 1996 Olympics (with an ex-girlfriend) where we traded tickets with another couple that took us away from the park bombing.

1997
Handover. The British lease ends and Hong Kong goes back to China. A very emotional time.

1998
Began my years as what Runners World Magazine calls a 'serious amateur' runner and ran the Disney World Half Marathon and I bought my first new car, a green Jeep Wrangler with a removable tan hardtop that I miss terribly.

1999
Took my first Gotham Writer's Workshop class in Screenwwriting, did stunt work for a Fresh Samantha Juice commercial, moved into my first apartment and my parents sold their house in South Orange and moved back to The Philippines.

2000
Y2K. Well, nothing happened so does this really count?

2001
The 9/11 attacks on The World Trade Centre and I got my fourth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

2002
Visited family in London and got to see Arsenal beat Newcastle, 1-0, at Highbury.

2003
Went to Boracay for the first time and got engaged.

2004
Got married

2005
Adopted a dog

2006
Finished Graduate School - finally - and, yes, I went to both ceremonies this time around.

2007
Took my first fiction writing class, at Gotham, went to my first Book Expo America and attended the Asian American International Film Festival where I got to meet and chat with director Justin Lin.

2008
Became a dad, joined Facebook and got to see the first non-white American president get voted into office.

2009
Reacquired Filipino citizenship, turned 40 (this was difficult to deal with), joined Twitter and saw my friend become a black belt.

2010
Cancer scare with my father, finished my novel, voted in my first Philippines presidential election (my guy didn't win this time) and took my son to his first live football (soccer) match - Tottenham v. Sporting Lisbon followed by NY Red Bulls v Manchester City - at NY Red Bulls Arena while the two of us wore Arsenal jerseys.

January 2011
Went to the Writer's Digest Conference where I pitched six agents (they all want samples of my novel; two of them want the full manuscript) and turned 42. Oh, yeah, and started teaching Tae Kwon Do again.