Roundup

This year will be the beginning of change. First, I WILL BE MOVING BACK to the Peninsular! Being able to see my family more than three or four times a year, getting our OWN place, having my parents/brothers/cousins stay come over for weekends, celebrations or just dinner, these are just a few of the things that I plan to do once we get back. Plus all this, of course.


Having said all that, it was not an easy decision to give up on a posting opportunity to come back on local. Having grown up, studied and worked local, I have always dreamt of what it's like to live abroad. But as AK said, we've been away long enough. It's time to go home.


And another year passed by. Here's a lookback:


I read quite a bit (could have been more), quite a few on my newfound interest no less. The best one so far is Nouriel Roubini's Crisis Economics. Damning, fascinating and powerfully informative all at once. I plan to continue my learning and education on the state of world finance and economics. One of the gravest mistakes I ever made was to invest solely based on little details and not taking into account the bigger, more serious picture. I am playing catch-up now, and no doubt it has been made all the more difficult given today's votality and uncertainties, but it is hugely fascinating and most of all, truly essential.


I cooked and baked quite a bit. Nothing groundbreaking like making pizza or bread or gyoza for the first time, more of revisitations of my past successes and little tweaks here and there. Fun nevertheless.


I travelled! India, Bali, Bangkok, Seville, Cordoba, Venice and London! I am so thankful for the opportunity. India especially, I have been wanting to go for like, forever! And finally I decided to just DO IT, coming back feeling altogether overwhelmed, grateful, sorry and ecstatic. Next year will be year of travel austerity for me, as I expect my finances to be tied up in a new home, and other things involved with settling down. So the plan is to cut down on travel and instead visit BKK to shop for home stuff and maybe another sojourn to Sri Lanka or Vietnam, both of which have been on my list of must-go's for the looongest time.


Most importantlt from now on, I resolve to be more myself. To practice confidence, to NOT be afraid of who I really am and most of all, to not be afraid to show it. I am an emotional, tear-easy shopaholic who loves to cook, who dreams of entertaining, who travels because she seeks both spiritual and material fulfillment. Who still dreams of being successful on the virtue of writing about food. Who loves football and the act of watching it with father and brother. Who would rather stay home and re-arrange the furnishings than go out drinking till wee hours. Who would rather spend money on a cast-iron teapot than a pair of really pretty shoes, much to the horror of her best friend. Who really appreciates the simple joy of a sparkling clean home, as well as brunching with her friends. Who invests. Who voraciously devours news and information on economics. Who sobbed uncontrollably reading both Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper and Nicholas Kristoff's Half the Sky. Who keeps up to date with what is happenning in the world. Who thinks her cat is the cutest, most precious thing in the whole world. This is who I am.