So long sweet 2011

Last day of the year - time to recount on why 2011 has been special and definitely up there in my list of memorable years:

1. Spent the first half of the year in the US completing my MS - definitely one of the toughest yet fulfilling time in my life. :) As a busy student taking on a full load each quarter, I had to resort to eating lots of processed food that obviously weren't good for me. I love Trader Joe's (and they have lots of healthy options don't get me wrong!) but sadly I ate too much chocolates and baked cheese crunchies. :p Learned my lesson especially since I had my worst breakout then. :( Moving on, I also learned heaps of important lessons, both in class and from friends I made in Stanford - a beautiful place with lots of awesome, awesome (yes I used the overused word twice!) people (ie outstanding friends + outstanding professors!). Looking back from that time I got my acceptance letter, running from the mailbox to the front door of our flat with a big grin on my face, to actually holding my Stanford diploma, it's just so surreal it really is a dream come true!

Touring my parents around Stanford

With my favourite teacher ever Professor Freyberg

With friends at Amanda's Passover dinner

2. Is it just me or do others also get "starstruck" when they see famous landmarks? This year it's the Golden Gate Bridge and Sydney Opera House for me! I'm a fan of bridges being a could-have-been (but not frustrated) structural and hydraulic engineer (I did get to model bridges before!), so adding the Golden Gate Bridge (SF), Story Bridge (Brisbane) and Harbour Bridge (Sydney) in my bridge snapshot collection makes me one happy kid. :)


3. Being with my family for almost 2 months was the longest I had in a while. I'm grateful for the long break after school, taking some time off while waiting for my Australian work visa, and spending time with my parents, nephew and little cousins! I didn't really realize earlier that working abroad at 23 (back in 2008) was the start of being independent and almost permanently being away from my family, and 2011 gave me a long deserved holiday with them.

4. I got the gym fever, which is life-changing in a way. I know I'm never gonna be super skinny (though I saw a recent picture of me looking skinny and I find it disturbing! So lately I've been stuffing myself to my heart's content!), which isn't my goal anyway. I first went to the gym because I knew I wasn't being active enough, not necessarily because I wanted a nice body. As Erwan Heussaff said in his blog (yes I read his blog cos I love Anne Curtis and I've somehow become a foodie), "2-3 times a week is not enough, our ancestors used to walk everywhere, our bodies are made to move". I just wish I could also talk my mom and brother into hitting the gym (maybe if they read this post they'd be convinced somehow). :p

5. Peak and end of long-distance relationship! Again, it was tough. Not for people who settle for convenience I guess (ie people who easily fall/settle for others in their immediate environment - and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that). I remember telling a friend that people I admire include: 1. athletes 2. soldiers/people in the military 3. people who don't give up on long-distance relationships. In short, very disciplined people - which is not easy to become. I'm glad I survived my long-distance relationship! And now I'm engaged! :)

6. Getting engaged was definitely one of the highlights of my year. So much happiness and the feeling of contentment mixed with the excitement that comes with preparing for our own wedding. Nuff said! :)

7. Moving to Australia with Raymund, being a water and environment engineer and working on something I find fulfilling. Hard work pays off - now I get to do what I love and feel passionate about. Which reminds me of one of my life mottos: ad astra per aspera!

8. Slowly realizing what I want to be 10 years from now which is pretty much the same thing though with minor modifications: Have my dream cafe (with gluten-free stuff), preferably with a yoga studio upstairs where I can teach yoga (still have 10 years to become an expert!) and work in the academe to teach environmental engineering (hopefully inspire others towards sustainable living and not taking things for granted).

Though I'm not physically with my family this time of the year, I'm very thankful for the technology that affords me to see them - Nathan's sumo wrestler-esque body, Sam gushing over her Barbie (which I showed her through the webcam), and Johan on his bike. Okay... I'm gonna spend the rest of the night cooking something for media noche (New Year's dinner) - lamb chops with roasted veggies and chocolate lava cake for me (Raymund on carbonara, Ate Rheane on bibingka and coffee cake, and probably Oliver on ham and chorizo).
Watching the 9pm fireworks on TV since we decided not to go to the city tonight

Have a great 2012! Here's to making more beautiful memories! :)