I’m swamped with books and booklets to read…
Eat Pray Love and How We Met for pleasure and relaxation; studying Singapore with The Lonely Planet’s Guide to Singapore; learning how to use my new camera with Canon’s Instructional Manual.
Getting ready for an exam via the Becoming An Australian Booklet; learning photography via topics downloaded from the Picture Correct Website.
So help me God. Pati sa pagbabasa, multi-tasking! 
My husband always saves the best for last, even if he’s always late (hehe)…but it doesn’t matter, he always make sure that what I wait for is worth it.
This came in the mail today…
Can you guess how happy I am?
Yehey!!! I have my own DSLR!!!!! Mrs. Kanyon is here! 🙂
And when I opened the card, I saw another gift in a CD—it was a copy of his artwork of Me—a cartoonized Me!!! He told me it would take him months but he tried his best to get it done before Christmas. I’m still speechless (and thoughtless) til now because of so much happiness…so just I’ll end this entry with a very big THANK YOU to my dearest Husband for being sooooo generous and for giving me what I want, I’m equally lucky to have him for a partner.
The husband called 5 minutes to 2008 so we could “celebrate” the new year “in Sydney together”.
At the stroke of midnight, I shouted “Happy New Year!” to him with a little tear in my eye.
I will sleep now but in a couple of hours, he will call again so we can “celebrate the new year in Dubai.”
Next year it will different. It will be better. It will be sweeter. Next year we’ll be together
It’s already 2008 here in Australia. We’re one of the countries that celebrates the new year first. And for the record, we are the first country in the world that celebrates the new year with the biggest fireworks display you will ever see. It was only tonight that I learned that it takes 500 people, 365 days and 100,000 fireworks for Australia to have the best fireworks in the whole world.
This year NYE’s theme is THE TIME OF OUR LIVES and it was symbolized by the hourglass in the Harbour Bridge. It was the most amazing fireworks production i’ve ever seen. Australia has really outdone its past NYE fireworks display. They only get better every year. If you were to ask me what is one of the things a person should do before he dies, my answer would be to witness Australia’s NYE fireworks. I’ve witnessed it once and it was nothing short of amazing. Australia celebrates the New Year’s Eve like no other.
Why the theme The Time of Our Lives? Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP states:
It is a night to celebrate with friends and family, to reflect on our achievements and to think about our contribution to the future.
It is a time to think about working together to protect our world and create a better future.
It is a time to think of others less fortunate than ourselves, what we can contribute personally and how important it is to value and engender peace.
It is a time to think about giving. Giving is an integral part of our celebrations, with donations pouring in each year for the City’s nominated charity. This year we ask you to be generous in your support for World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Australia), organisers of the world’s first Earth Hour and champions for the future of our precious planet.
It is a time to get together. The festivities bring together people of all ages from the 200 cultures that make up the Sydney mosaic, and they highlight the very best qualities of this City…our glorious harbour and easy lifestyle, our capacity to party and our caring attitudes.
Whether you’re coming down to our beautiful foreshores or taking a front row seat at home for the broadcast of the spectacular fireworks, I hope you will enjoy the party.
Links:
Official NYE Australia Site: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nye/
Fireworks Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVb9gnCrHKI
Fireworks Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb8lanW_VYw
How Australia Welcomed 2008: http://www.bigpond.com/news/national/content/20080101/2129640.asp
The year 2007 will always be special to me because it is a year of Transitions and Discovery. This was a year that has given me so much opportunity to grow and spread my wings. This was a year that tested my strength to the limit. This was a year of finding out what I am capable of doing, feeling, thinking and sharing.
As my Daddy said yesterday over the phone, “Nakaraos din.” and I couldn’t agree more. This year was one hell of rollercoaster ride for me as I had a lot of highs that made me love life even more and some lows which made me get up and say, “Bring it on!” Thru God’s grace, the year was very kind to me in lots of ways and so here goes my Thank you’s to 2007:
Thank you for giving me a lot of reasons to celebrate: my marriage to Chris, my 30th birthday, healthy parents, Chris passing his interview and medical exam for his spouse visa application, getting a permanent job in a government office, acquiring a learner’s license, my 5th syota-anniversary with Chris and my 2nd year in Sydney.
Thank you for the challenges that made me stronger: changing my name, adjusting to married life, leaving the Phils again, being apart from my husband, robbery of our house in Taytay, dysfunctional dramas of our car in the Phils, being interviewed for the position I applied for, waiting for Chris’ spouse visa approval and going thru an ultrasound exam alone just to know whether I’m healthy or not.
Thank you for the biggest transitions I’ve experienced so far: being a wife, being 30 and becoming one of the senior member of our team in the office.
Thank you for the gift of travel: Going home to the Phils for a visit, my honeymoon with Chris which took us to Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, Hongkong and Shenzhen, China, and I was able to visit more areas in Sydney.
Thank you for family and friends: Chris who loves me unconditionally, my parents and relatives who supports me, old friends who never tire of being there for me and new friends that added vibrance to my life.
Thank you for the gift of learning acquired thru my passions in life: people, food, coffee, travel and photography.
Thank you for re-uniting me with activities I love: watching theatre plays and playing badminton.
Thank you for the opportunity to do something I thought I never could: to model and be photographed.
Thank you for the gift of writing: I am able to reach out to people and share my thoughts.
Thank you for a lot of material blessings and comfort in my everyday living, some of which I am able to share with the less-fortunate.
Thank you for the little things: the ones I notice and the ones I seem to take for granted.
Thank you for the gift of inner peace and faith: that even if circumstances sometimes give me uncertainties, I am able to sleep well knowing that tomorrow will be a better day and that God will always be faithful to me.
With all the memories made this year–with all the joys, challenges and learning–I will say goodbye to 2007 a little more better and bigger of a person. I will leave 2007 with more hope, faith and love.
And to my dear family and friends, may your 2008 be as sparkling as you hoped it to be!
Credits: Photography by Jonathan Dael and Graphics by Chris Sanchez.