New Year, new.... nothing

Well, another year's come and gone and I, for one, am rather glad to see the back of 2010.
On that note, though, I do want to highlight the good stuff that's happened in 2010, so as to make up for all the shit I've had to deal with.

I got involved with the "site events" team at work, which means I spend a few hours a month thinking up things people in our organization might like to do for an evening. Then I get to organizing it. Most of the time it's good fun and I get a kick out of seeing the joy on people's faces when the event rolls around.

I decided it was time to make this flat I've lived in for three years more of a home. Inspired by the amazing Young House Love blog, I set out to paint the living room, bedroom and hallway, as well as completely redecorate them. That meant throwing out lots of the crappy furniture that belonged to the owner, and buying new stuff, which I singlehandedly picked out. All courtesy of IKEA, of course :) And whilst the place is FAR from being finished, it already feels like much more of a home than it ever did before and I continue to work towards my vision of what it can be.

I continuously contributed a set amount of $100 each month to my new favorite charity, KIVA. On every 1st of each month, I lend 4 different people in need of a loan $25 each. They repay me whenever they can and I then reinvest the repayed money into yet another person looking to improve their lives. It is by far not a perfect situation as some of these people pay ridiculous amounts of interest for these loans. But then again, if it helps just one person, that will be worth it. And I will continue to support Kiva and give monthly and see the money I give being put to good use and make a difference in someone's life.

I have also spent many weekends continuing to volunteer at the Lightbox, getting joy out of seeing tons of exhibitions and meeting new cool people to work with. It's such a blessing to have such a cool place in my little town! :)

Then I was lucky enough to have my auntie visit from America, not just once, but twice in the past year. Having her around was a breath of fresh air and my admiration for this woman knows no bounds! We had a great time visiting Hampton Court Palace and just spending time together hanging out. It was short but sweet and I enjoyed it immensely.

Ally & Julian moved to a teeeeeeny tiiiiny little house, which neither of them enjoys but for me, this was good news. Because the house is about 15 minutes drive from me and it's just so much nicer to know my sister so close and not having to drive miles to get to and from her! So, yey for me! (not so yey for them).

And last but not least, possibly the best part of this year - my choir. After the dreadful experience we had with the last "new" conductor, I was ready to throw it all in. But then came Ben - young, enthusiastic, funny and extremely knowledgable. A guy that is supereasy to deal with, has a good sense of humour and has managed, within three short months, to capture the hearts of pretty much the entire choir. Our first concert with him was simply fabulous. Whether we sounded great or not, I can't say (though apparently, we did) - but the enjoyment factor was there from the very first rehearsal, to the very last note in the concert. Just goes to show once again how one person can make one hell of a difference!
If you're curious - catch a quick video of the rehearsal before the concert HERE . Handel bores me to tears most of the time, but Ben expects concentration and precision at every single note, which doesn't leave much time to fall asleep ;) My joy for singing is back and I singlehandedly owe it to Ben. Let's hope he sticks around for a looooong time!

And now, as 2011 rolls around, I have decided that it makes absolutely NO sense to make any new year's resolutions because, let's face it, I won't stick to them anyway.
Instead, I shall make a list of the things I would like to accomplish this year and see whether at one point or another, I can actually do this.

At the top of the list being - UPDATE BLOG MORE OFTEN. (I know, I know, you've heard it all before ;)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!