A Surprise Reunion, My 2025 Hive Recap, and HPUD: A Beautiful Year of Growth

Ending the year might be scary, but things will lay themselves perfectly next year on your ground if they are meant for you. What arrived means it is a gift, and what departed means it’s a lesson. Regardless of what happens, even if it is the other way around, please make sure to understand and reflect on it so you won’t end up getting confused with all things stocked like a book on your shelves. Put a bookmark on it and slowly understand things every day that require maximum effort to create a healthy environment for yourself.

A SURPRISED REUNION

Why am I saying this? Well, lately, I just found out that what departed doesn’t always mean not arriving again, and what was learned doesn’t mean it cannot be unlearned. It is a matter of leaving and arrival that made most of my December season, and no one would give me this sense of poignancy and nostalgia more than the people who arrived at my door lately, whom I forgot for a year or two.

In simple words, I had a best friend visit my house on the crisp afternoon of December 30. One that I completely forgot while I was busy growing and helping myself navigate the real world for two years. I outgrew this person, and seeing her again in a quite different version of ourselves gave me this feeling of confusion and amazement.

It started when I arrived from the town of Bogo, where I bought New Year necessities. When I arrived at the house, there was this familiar voice I hadn’t heard for a long time. Yes, it was my best friend, and I really was emotional upon seeing her face I hadn’t held for years. It was a surprise, and I think I manifested too much this December season for surprises because it gave me a literal one.

We had our dinner at the MilkT Cafe I featured here, since I was so confused and not ready for this reunion, but at the same time wanted it and couldn’t process it while being in the house with my family, who knew nothing about our companionship, watching us. My mother and sister were the ones who planned this surprise. I would say I was disappointed at first with them for bringing back the person I forgot for years so I could grow, but at the same time, I am happy that my best friend reached our home in this season of love.

To relieve myself in this tense and unprocessed situation, we ate at the cafe while talking with words I can’t remember because they were thrown just for the sake of communicating. Pork chop with green herb sauce served with rice and calamansi, beef steak, and garlic beef served with rice were what we ordered. We had Okinawa, soda fizz lychee, and taro milk tea for drinks, which we didn’t realize at first wouldn’t be a good complement to the meals we ordered.

The food was good, but it didn’t fully pass our taste buds. I rate the garlic beef with an 8.10 rating, given it was almost perfect, but the aroma of the garlic in my mouth dominated the taste of the beef, which I didn’t like. I’m not a food expert, but that way of eating garlic beef just made me nauseous afterward.

My best friend and sister both rated their food 9/10, where the 1 for the beef steak is due to my sister’s standard of Jollibee beef steak, and the 1 lost for my best friend’s pork chop is because it was too hard to eat. She wanted it to be softer and more tasty since the lemon made it overpower the serving.

We talked in the cafe for hours. Sometimes I would ask my best friend to have a quick walk outside for a deep talk and renewal of our friendship, and sometimes my sister would join the conversation in this warm and cozy cafe. A reunion I never expected but desired for a long time. It was pride that stopped me from calling her, but I’m still grateful that I chose growth and peace for two years.

MY 2025 HIVE RECAP

I started my journey in Hive on May 21 of the year 2025. It was a journey I didn’t expect to take this year, but it became one of the biggest plot twists of my year to be part of this community that is home to great personalities and writers. The experiences are memorable and gave me lessons I didn’t learn in the real-life world. It was a long path, and I am grateful to have walked with people and advice in Hive that brought me to the next year with my name still engraved on the platform.

For the record, I’ll be sharing some of my Hive recap and the people who were enthusiastically part of it.

I published 239 posts last year, and this post will close it at 240. For seven months, I wrote these 239 blogs passionately, and I can say it is one of the most productive outputs I had in 2025. I hope to reach more numbers and people for another 365 days.

I’m happy to know December was my most productive month, since it was also the month that Hive made sense to me in an odd way. The encounters, the blockchain system, the community, and the passion turned meaningful to me this month, and I am glad that alongside the nostalgia I felt during the season, December also became my most productive month.

I’m excited to share my top buddies with you in seven months. @worldmappin tops my list since I fell in love with its travel digest that features stunning and hidden places. I’m hoping for more interaction with @worldmappin this year. @papilloncharity is a personality that drove me more toward photography even as a beginner. I have always been a fan of this man’s photography that tells a story and his iconic line “Such is life” at the end of his blogs. @wiseagent made my snaps feel alive and belonging through his consistent engagement and humble appreciation. His Christmas contests also made me meet many users I was happy to interact with, as I was shy saying hello to them. @ruffatotmeee and @gen-quimba proved to me how quality narratives give value to the blockchain. I read their posts every day in a quiet manner to get inspired and understand what is actually happening on this platform.

To the people I mentioned and those I did not, thank you for being part of my 2025 year in Hive. I’m hoping for more this year with you. Happy New Year, dearest Hivers!

HIVE POWER UP DAY

I have always been thinking of joining HPUD but was not able to take record of it. Although I power up from time to time, it didn’t get listed in HPUD as I did it on another timeline. Now that the year has thumbed through its pages and Hive is making more sense to me, I am joining HPUD and will continue to do so as long as I’m here.

I powered up 49.614 Hive today. From 1,872.107 staked Hive, I reached 1,921.722 after powering up. Reaching 2,000 HP was my goal for December, but I believe I’ll achieve it this month. And 3,000 HP, and more of life soon. As I grow, so does my Hive journey.

From me and my family, Happy New Year to you

For the formal closing of my narrative, I wish you a Happy New Year from our home, and Happy Hive Power Up Day to anyone who gets to read this blog.