Hello 2009!

Remember my 2008 New Year resolutions?

(Let the sun shine, 19 december 2007)
“And as we move into 2008, I have a few resolutions; one is to restore my balance and go full steam ahead, strong, positive, independent and happy. Two is to share my happiness with all those around me, be there for those who need support, enjoy the good times with those who have some to share with me… Three is to keep my door open to all my friends and family, meaning the front door of my new apartment in Singapore, as well as the door to my heart. And four is to let the sun shine, every day.”

Evaluation:
One: Done, completely, totally, entirely, more & faster than expected!
Two: You tell me!
Three: Door’s been open and the guest room has been well used! Ah, and my heart... :-)
Four: Thank you Egypt!

And remember my New Life’s resolutions?

(RTFM*, 20 July 2008 )
“Anyway, here are a few “New Life’s” resolutions I will strive to accomplish during my stay in El Gouna:
- learn how to speak Italian (I discovered I already understand 80%!)
- learn how to communicate with the boat crew in Arabic. So far the extent of my vocab is: hello, thank you, good, no good, slowly, enough and inshallah, and that’s of course not enough
- keep hydrating my face, body and hair with an obscene amount of expensive creams, sun protection, conditioner, masks, scrubs, etc... because I think mummies are cool but not when I see them in the mirror
- keep doing yoga (new classes starting in August, jippieee!)
- never take the ferry from Hurghada to Sharm
- and become a hell of a divemaster.”

Evaluation:
- Italian: hmmm, slow progress... needs further improvement
- Arabic: no comment
- body hydration: on track
- yoga: on track
- ferry to Sharm: managed
- divemaster: I'm having a lot of fun, does that make me a good divemaster? :-)

2008 was a fantastic year, one I will forever remember and tell all my grand-children about when I want to teach them about life (if I ever have children who have children of their own, that is...) because I:
... discovered that ‘diving’ beats ‘desk job’, ‘sun & sea’ beats ‘banks & budgets’ and ‘no plans’ beats ‘planning life according to expectations’
... travelled in 12 countries, discovered beautiful places and had fun everywhere
... made many new friends and found many old ones too
... recovered from an emotional roller coaster and came out stronger, wiser and with a big smile on my face
... got to know someone who makes my smile even broader just thinking about him
... my oldest friend is now sort of my sister-in-law
... my little brother is doing fabulously well in love & life
... lived in 2 countries, but no matter where I live, I always have friends crazy enough to come and visit me for some adventures
... managed to slim down to the size I had when I was 18 years old
... stored all my belongings away in boxes and haven’t missed anything since (except for my books)
... found out that if you live your dreams, you still have plenty of dreams to look forward to!

Concluding 2008, I can look back upon a wonderful year, better than I dreamed of, and I have many friends and family members to thank for that. So thank you :-)

Now 2009 will be a fantastic year too of course (give me one reason why not?) and as tradition requires, I have a few resolutions:
... become a hell of a diving instructor
... dive in as many amazing places as I can and extend the list of ‘countries I’ve visited’
... manage my finances so that I can keep living this life for as long as I enjoy it
... really learn Italian
... continue to do yoga and regain the flexibility I had when I was 14
... try to remember the names of all your newborn babies. Sorry people, I can’t for the life of me recall all the names of your little ones, there are just too many!

Dear friends, keep having babies, keep loving, be loved, travel, discover, drink, eat, listen, learn, live, laugh, breath, dive, fly, run, shop, work, dance, sleep... Do whatever makes you happy, you will never regret it.

Big Christmassy hug to all and wishing you a splashing 2009!

xYx