My 2010 was a good year.  Not spectacular, not as I what I hoped it would be but it was good to me.  It was year of extremes—moments that brought me enormous joy and moments that gave me so much heartache.  The challenges that 2010 faced with me with situations that resulted to an imbalance in my world.  Lots of times, I lost my sense of equilibrium.  If not for my faith in God, a sunny disposition and support from loved ones, I would have never surpassed this year.

2010 rocked my world!  My phrase for 2010 was, “STEP UP!”  I learned that challenges are a means for breakthroughs to happen in my life.  The difficult moments of 2010 gave me a chance to find my centre and learn that I have the capacity to step up and do more than what I can do.  In 2010, I have learned to use whatever negativity happening in my world to motivate good actions.  I have also learned to be more humble and accept that some things are meant to happen in order to make me a better person. 

Some 2010 Highlights:

Reunions and Meet-ups: My Mom visited us last year.  Our friends Jeanny and Agnes visited Sydney.  Our Melbourne trips gave us the chance to be with friends Dith and Lui.  Chris’ College friend, Jemma, migrated to Sydney and we were able to spend time with her.

Photography:  We were able to cover several events and engage in photoshoots last year.  This is something we wish we could do more but time is always a concern because we have a 9 to 5 job that needs to be prioritized.  Last year though, I realized that photography is something I would really love to do in the future.  I see myself having a real career in photography given the right time and opportunity.

Blogging:  2010 was a good year for “A Wife’s Charmed Life ” (AWCL).  In 2010, AWCL was recognized as a food blog and was finally granted a Page Rank of 3.  A great milestone for the blog and a huge source of happiness for me.  AWCL has also increased in readership and I have received lots of appreciation from readers (turned online buddies) and loved ones.  I’m very thankful for all the comments, feedback and suggestions for AWCL.  I’m doubly thankful to everyone who take time to read what I share here.  Your time is precious and I value the time that you spend here.

Writing:  I never dreamed of writing for a newspaper but last year, I was gifted with a column of my own in a Filipino publication called “Ang Kalatas”.  This blessing has given me the opportunity to improve my craft in writing, learn new things and meet new friends. 

Career:  The big bulk of my 2010 was work.  Last year, I had to give up a lot of my time for photography and blogging, even sacrifice time for myself and family, just to give more attention to my job.  Work has taught me to step up and get out of my comfort zone.  I think 2011 will still be busy but I hope and pray that things at the office will be a bit more stable than what it was last year.

Health:  I gained weight last year…and no it wasn’t because I ate too much (hehe).  Due to my surgery in December 2009, I had to fully recover from that.  While I was able to do physical activities and even served time at the gym for a while during 2nd quarter of 2010, I still felt pain.  So I had to minimize doing physical exercises and followed my mom’s advice to wait a year.  True enough, after Christmas, I tried doing my usual exercises and the pain was gone.  One of my immediate goals for 2011 is to get rid of the kilos I gained from being inactive.

A challenging and humbling 2010, I’m grateful to you nonetheless for the many blessings you brought me and my family.    Thank you dear God.  Thank you, universe.  May 2011 be a kinder and better year to us all.