CEBU, Philippines - The coming of any New Year usually brings the promise of new beginnings. A fresh start. Hope. A chance to do better this time around. It's also a time to celebrate and look back on milestones from the past year. For a job well done. For triumphs and accomplishments achieved through sheer hard work, determination, or faith. And for unforgettable, beautiful, lasting memories that warm the heart.
Hong Kong
"Hong Kong in 2012, since I spent it with my fiancé, Caroline, at that time. She's now my wife. So every January 1 is special since that's also our anniversary as a couple." - Paolo Quisumbing
(Paolo is the President of ABQ & Sons Realty and Development Corporation. He's a real estate developer of housing projects in Cebu. His wife, Caroline Malagar, is the daughter of the former Mayor of Consolacion, the late Max Malagar.)
Singapore
"My favorite New Year was
in 2012 because we were in Singapore on an Asian cruise. We were in a ship, where there were lots of places you could play in; lots of food; and I met new friends. We went to Singapore, Phuket, Malaysia, and Langkawi." - Daniel Craig Siao
(Nine-year-old Daniel is a Grade 3 student at Paref Springdale. His favorite subject is Math. Apart from school, his interests are in soccer, taekwondo, and golf. He is the grandson of the founders of R&M Dried Mango Preserves.)
Macau
"For me, it's Macau in 2008 because that was the last time we spent New Year abroad. Everyone was there - my mom, my brothers, my cousins, and my uncles. It has never happened again since we've all been busy since then. There's six of us in the family. One brother is in Singapore, three siblings are in the US, and two of us here in Cebu." - Prof. Tiffany Adelaine G. Tan, Ph.D.
(Professor Tan is a transplant from Manila to Cebu, in her own words, "by choice." She was originally in the oil and gas industry before working in the academe. She is currently a Professor of Marketing and Management at the University of the Philippines Cebu College.)
Calicoan island
"As soon as Christmas would be over, we would pack all our (surf) boards and head out on a road trip from Cebu and we would skate in Tacloban, attend an annual skim competition in Tanauan, surf in Dulag, and before New Year's Eve would be in Calicoan or on some offshore island in Samar just enjoying the beaches and the good friends we had made along the years of doing this. Now that I am married, I still go on a long road trip after Christmas with my wife and two children in tow. The most memorable one was when we drove to La Union to have a few days of excellent surfing, then we went even further up north to Pagudpud for even better waves, and then we went back south to Curimao and stayed at a lovely resort full of Filipino art and architecture. After Curimao, we drove up through the Besao Pass to spend the New Year in beautiful Sagada at a place called Rock Inn. It was one of the quietest Christmas breaks and certainly the most peaceful New Year I have ever experienced." - Jukka Holopainen
(Jukka runs a foundation that focuses on environmental education and free energy. He distributes loaded longboards and organizes grassroots competitions that promote skating, surfing, skim boarding, and other board sports that don't use petroleum.)