2011 Cheers!

The year of the rabbit  is coming to a close and looking back, it's been a year filled with cascading ups and several downs...

2011 for me will best be remembered as the year that I celebrated my 40th birthday. Where I took time to huddle my inner troops and ponder about what I've accomplished upon reaching "mid-life"; and realizing that what I currently possess is more than enough to make me a contented cow!

2011 also blessed me with several travel sprees, both internationally and locally. First off a big Thank You! to my favorite Mother-In-Law for the US trip in March (San Francisco, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, Dallas, San Francisco) to celebrate her 60th birthday. It was the perfect bonding experience as a family, and it created fond memories that will last more than a lifetime... October also ushered in my (wait for iiittttt...) FIRST Boracay experience - and Shangri-la Resort at that; our gratitude to lady luck since my Wife won it in a raffle (2 nights stay with airfare for 2). The experience is tough to top, so much so that we're scheduled to go back there soon in the coming year!

Business-wise though it's been rough, no thanks to the bad weather and other natural disasters that our country experienced. True to my oath of being the "best supplier" possible, I am one with our clients who got affected one way or another; a special shout-out to those from Cagayan de Oro, Dumaguete, and Isabela. The world is small and interconnected, it's difficult not to say "ouch" when they bleed... We lost quite a few as well, either to a pesky competitor (*%$@#%) or simply to the bad economy. Here's hoping for a better year ahead for all our sake... Though I guess there's nowhere else to go but UP as the dawn of each new year brings new hope...

Honorable mention to the following events:

1) My first "Coffee, Tea By ME!!!" Seminar  courtesy of Studio SnR Workshop. It was a fun-filled "hands-on" experience and I'm glad to have hurdled such a task with flying colors. Thank you Sydney Go (Studio SnR's Marketing Director) for believing in our company, our brand and our vision; and Thank You to our Brand Partners/Sponsors - Boyd Coffee, Evergood Marketing, Yummy Magazine and Appetite Magazine! More caffeinated and creamy cheers ahead...

2) Participating in two major trade shows of the Food & Beverage Industry: the Fil-Chi Bakery Show and World's Food Expo (Wofex). To our booth sponsor Robert Francisco (President of Boyd Coffee). Thank you for another year of friendship and trust, best of all for your never ending generosity.

3) The launch of www.farskyes.com, our very own website. Thank you again Robert Francisco for food- styling our drinks and taking product shots. Special pat-in-the-back to Kelvin Tee for the splendid design and layout...

Good year or bad, there's still a lot to cheer about... What matters is we're still standing on our toes, ready to keep walking in life's long and winding road. Here's wishing everyone a better year ahead... Enter the (Year of The) Dragon!