If 2007 was my year of reconstruction, 2008 would be my year of dismantling. From what seemed like a better life and a better me, I suddenly found myself getting stripped and pulled to pieces... I was empty once again; as if my life was taken away from me -temporarily.

With each year that passed, we always lose something and leave things behind. However, in spite of these losses and harrowing sacrifices, we gain a substantial sum of erudition and blessings. Lindsay Lohan abdicated men but at least she's out of rehab. I left my high school, but I earned my diploma (and escaped the hypocrisy of the school admin). I lost a lover, but gained a best friend. I missed out on a bunch of summer parties, but I gained an ample sense of grace (thanks to YE). I chopped off all my hair and garnered more attention (pardon my cockiness, it's the sad truth :D). I moved hundreds of thousands of miles away from my best friends, but we garnered an even closer and stronger relationship. I lost the privilege of having maids, but I learned to be more independent. I lost my privilege of having a personal chauffeur, but I got my own car. I failed a number of tests, but I acquired a vast sense of responsibility, faith and even more adeptness. My life seemed to flow aimlessly, but I learned to be patient with myself, with time and with God.

The list goes on, as it would for everyone else. Just 24 hours from now, I will be stepping out of 2008 and into 2009, and I could never be more excited! This will be the year that I rebuild my entire life from a clean slate.

So cheers to us, for having survived a year of insanity and coming out in 2008, and for an awesome 2009 to come! May all of us be sober enough to find our way home alive (and intact) this evening. And when we wake, let's start 2009 by detoxifying with lots of water, green tea and cardio.