Dear Family and Friends,How quickly the years have flown! This is the 8th edition of my Christmas newsletter and I'm so grateful for your feedback and encouragement. An amusing refrain that I've heard over the years is this - "Joanna, where do you get the energy? I'm tired from just reading your letters!" Ha..ha..I promise not to disappoint this year :-)
2008 has been a very fulfilling year on a personal level because I spent six months living in Shanghai, China. During that time, I kept a blog journal entitled The China Diaries, which you're welcome to read in full. Some of the highlights include:
- Visiting Xian and seeing the 2000-year old terracotta armies of Qin Shi Huang with my parents
- Climbing the magnificent Great Wall of China
- Entering the majestic Forbidden City in Beijing
- Exploring the noisy, bustling streets of old Shanghai while living comfortably in Pudong - the new city
- Sailing along the Grand Canal that stretches almost 2000 kms from Hangzhou to Beijing
- Eating scorpions, whole frogs and duck's tongue and all other manner of bizarre Chinese delicacies
- Seeing the treasures of the Chinese dynasties at the National Palace Museum in Taipei
- Making some wonderful new friends along the way
More than anything, I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn the language, history and culture of my ancestors. Being able to speak Mandarin is really a dream come true.
Some equally memorable moments in 2008 include:-
- Exploring the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Phrom in Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Boarding a school boat in Tonle Sap Lake to present stationery to Cambodian schoolchildren
- Learning about the battle of Alamo in San Antonio, Texas and seeing Davy Crockett's rifle and hair!
- Celebrating Barack Obama's win with Californians in Sacramento
- Tasting meatloaf for the first time at Mel's Diner in San Francisco
- Enjoying my fill of musicals with "We Will Rock You" and "Avenue Q" in Singapore, and "The Color Purple" in Sacramento
- Accepting Permanent Residency (PR) in Singapore, which effectively binds me to this city state for the longer term
And as I reflect on this past year, my heart is filled with gratefulness. I thank God for carrying me safely through these journeys in a fragile world of earthquakes, terrorist bombings and political & economic strife. My prayer for 2009 is that all of us will continue to dream big dreams, live full lives and believe that the world can be a better place because we're all M.A.D (Making A Difference).
Here's wishing you a HAPPY NEW YEAR and a wonderful 2009!
4 comments:
ok, I am envious to death. Where do you find all that time to do cambodia! Definitely a place to bring my 2 kids when they grow up. You look and sound great!
Joanna, Thanks for sharing. You are now a singaporean PR? hemm...
How is your apartment in KL?
I have had those crickets, duck tongues etc. in Beijing and Taipei too.
Seemed that you are doing very fine. May the Grace of God continue to shine upon you. Cheers
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too :-)
May 2009 be a better year for everyone in spite of the economic downturn.
It has always been a joy reading your New Year's message (this is probably the third for me). Merry Christmas to you too. God bless!
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