Seasons' Greetings from Joanna (2007)

Dearest Family & Friends,

I trust you have had a wonderful year! As I think back on 2007, two words perfectly reflect my state of mind - GRATEFUL and BLESSED. It is a simple statement of God’s goodness, for which I have done so little to deserve.

Many of you who know me well will understand that change is a constant in my life. This year has been no different. In September, I accepted a new job at AMD with responsibility for the Asian region and am now based in Singapore.

Here are just some of the many blessings that I’m grateful for in 2007:-

• Starting the year with a BANG when the roof of my hotel room came crashing down on the spot I was standing just 3 minutes before!
• Blogging my way to fame on 2 of my favourite topics: BBGS (back2bbgs.blogspot.com) and travelling (aunty-jo-jo.blogspot.com)
• Re-claiming my musical skills by signing up for Play By Ear piano lessons. My repertoire has been steadily increasing and I was practicing so feverishly that my neighbour thought I was a piano teacher :-)
• Spending a weekend in Belgium with Martin, Claudia & their 3 kids. It was the first time the little ones had ever met a real-life Asian so I felt like a natural history exhibit! I enjoyed their company and my first visit to Brussels’ La Grande Place, Mannekin Pis, European HQ and Galeries St Hubert – the world’s first shopping mall built in 1847
• Experiencing the spring floral paradise that is Keukenhof Gardens (Holland). The thrill of walking into a park filled with thousands of tulips, lilies and flowers of all kinds was a dream come true
• Discovering inspirational Dutch painters from the Golden Era like Vermeer (whose painting “Girl with the Pearl Earring” is now one of my all-time favourites), Gerard ter Boch and Jan Steen
• Celebrating my 37th birthday in New York City with my sister Julie and dearest friends, Isabel & Andrew. Their boys are gorgeous and the accommodation …sigh…how does one describe a house with views of Manhattan & the Statue of Liberty?
• Soaking in the quintessential NYC delights like “Spelling Bee”- this season’s Broadway hit, the Warhols and Mondrians on display at the Museum of Modern Art, strolling through Central Park, Gray’s Papaya hotdogs and massive pastrami sandwiches from Carnegie Deli
• Puzzling over the “weird”ness of Austin, the capital of Texas – which isn’t really like Texas at all! I just couldn’t get enough of the Tex-Mex food especially the breakfast burritos
• Visiting China for the first time, after my ancestors left four generations ago. I’m amazed at how fast the country is developing, how hungry the people are for knowledge and business skills and how proud they are of their historical heritage. The ancient classical gardens of Suzhou are pristinely beautiful, while Shanghai is BUSY, with a capital ‘B’

Here’s wishing all of you a Happy New Year and

a Fantastic 2008!