2013 : A New Voice.

Happy 2013! I hope your New Year's was amazing. :)

Thanksgiving is the most obvious time of the year to give thanks, since that is what the holiday is actually called. But to me, the best time for that is at the dawning of the new year, and goodness, I have so much to be thankful for.

2012 was supposedly the year that the world would end. While I have always been skeptical of that, at one point in the year, a tremendous hurdle appeared that, pardon the dramatics, made me feel like my life was over. But I thank my lovie, friends, and family for all their love and care for pushing me through it. Also, I am ever so grateful for all the support and receptiveness of my readers on my first legitimate web endeavor. You all are amazing, and if I could magically send you hugs and cookies, I would ♥.

Each new year is a new start. A fresh page, needing to be filled with new memories, experiences, and thoughts. And it is my goal - or resolution, really - to make it more exciting than the last.

source.

For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice.

- T.S. Eliot.

In my journal, I have a list of New Year's resolutions to keep in mind. It seems only right that I have a few for my blog as well, and hopefully, by putting these goals in a post, I will more likely complete them. So here we go (hover over images for text. it will not show up properly if viewing on a mobile device.) :

1. Simplicity.

One of my greatest flaws is my love for the extraneous. I have a great admiration for minimalism, yet in most things I do, I cannot break away from my "more is better" mindset. But it is in the things I show the most restraint, such as papers and posts I write or the photos I take, that I am the most proud of. One of my favorite modes of editing photos now is in black and white. Although the multitude of hues from colors are gone, I realize that the photos are infused with a new dimension of vibrancy and in them, I find a greater depth of appreciation to what has been captured. In my next few posts, I hope to really put this into effect - more concise posts with a tightly focused topic and elegant photos. What better way to mark this change than with a new layout (coming soon!) ? :)

2. Sweet & savory.

Red velvet cupcakes with luscious buttercream frosting. Juicy dumplings filled with pork and spring onions. Round and fluffy pancakes with scrumptious chocolate chips sprinkled in. Kimchi fried rice topped with a sizzling egg and seaweed cutouts. The list of mouthwatering foods is never-ending - just visit any of the plethora of food blogs to get your tummy rumbling - but what I love most about them all is the moments they create. The cupcakes remind me of baking with friends; the dumplings take me back to rolling out dough and having heart-to-heart conversations in my mama's kitchen; and I can go on and on. To me, food is all about connection. Connecting between family, between friends, and between the dish itself. So for the rest of this year, my goal is for more culinary adventures: more dinner sessions with friends, more risk-taking in trying out restaurants, and, of course, more food posts!

packaging for my madebyhank purse. i wish i could adopt her quaint, modest, and lightly romantic style.

3. Style.

Back in high school, we still had these rubrics that would break it down, all nice and neat, where our points were coming from. For papers, the categories were: content, focus, organization, grammar / conventions, and style. It was the latter that tripped me up the most when I was writing and ended up stealing points away from me, like a goblin. What was "my voice"? If I didn't have it, how was I supposed to find it? Even now, I am still not entirely sure what constitutes as my voice, my style. But it is my hope that by keeping my blogs more tightly focused around the inner workings of my life and my work, I will eventually find my elusive style.

4. Coding.

My studies, internships, and future profession all center around computer science and programming, yet it only makes rare appearances on here. Time to change that. Working in this field has enabled me branch out and transform into a creator, à la Dr. Frankenstein except minus the horror and grotesque elements. In the process, I've met amazing people who have developed groundbreaking applications and truly humbled me by their achievements. My hope is to feature this more in 2013.

and of course, that means more penguins! :)

5. Memories.

Already, I am in my early twenties, and while I am not considered old by any means, it is time to truly capitalize, and I hope to infuse as much life as possible into the rest of my years. Hopefully that didn't sound too morbid. By the end of this year, my goal is for this blog to be filled, hopefully overflowing, with bright and vivid memories that I can reminisce on fondly. What this means is that I need to break out of my comfort zone a smidgen and really utilize my lovely camera to capture those moments I wish to look back on five, ten years, or maybe even a few weeks from now. So look forward to more candid shots (and bear with me as I strive to improve my photography skills).

Perhaps the most important aspect of life is making mistakes, adapting, and reflecting. That is why I think the new year is so amazing. We all have that fresh and powerful desire to change and better ourselves, to make the year filled with even more memories we can be proud of.

p.s.

feel free to share what new year's resolutions you've made! i'm thinking of posting a list later. for the sake of accountability. :3