My year end post seems to be a tad late by a couple of days. Nevertheless, I still want to share all my thoughts for the year that just bid us goodbye.

Saying that 2013 was a good year was understatement but I could not think of anything more to describe it in just one sentence. I would try my best to explain how grateful I was. The biggest blessing (so far) for me started to came in the very beginning of the previous year.  My goal of landing a job that would take me to different places came really close.  I tried for that one job opportunity that I think could be an alternative route to what I wanted to do.  The rest was history. I am now living in the sandpit for almost half a year. 

Independent life was never easy but I am liking it. I like it because I do grocery shopping, I budget my salary, I wash and iron my clothes, I wake myself up every single day, I cook breakfast before going to work, I cook my own meal whenever I am on day off and etc. etc.  If there's something I dislike was when you're absent on special occasions - Christmas, New Year, Birthdays, Anniversary, etc. etc.

As they say, you couldn't have everything at the same time, and yes, the latter was part of this blessing.  That was the catch of being away from home while getting to places you wanted to set foot in.  I recall Gwyneth Paltrow's line on View from the Top:

I guess, if life was as easy as ABC or 123, I would never grow. As a big girl, I need to make big decisions as well.  God never fails to guide whenever a decision has to be made.

If I didn't come out of my shell, I wouldn't be able to travel to Paris, London, Manchester,Australia, New Zealand in just one month or I might not be able to see my friends in Brisbane, Singapore, Korea and Malaysia. Most of the time, every sacrifice is worth taking. I am glad I got the courage to pack my things and live a life in a suitcase.

Every year is a good one for me. I have my own share of downs and every single time I need to bow down, there would always be a chance to chin up. One thing I am sure, we should be thankful for everything we have no matter how simple it was.  Being thankful for every single thing (even if it's something that challenges) means you're getting ready for the good thing that would be coming. Let me share with you a quote from Henry Ward Beecher:  

The unthankful Heart... discovers no mercies; but let the Thankful Heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!
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