best of 2010

Great year, great moments, great memories. Here are a few highlights:

dance.
The Boston dance family emerged with force in 2010: Static6 on ABDC, the evolution and great success of Static Noyze, the debut of ProNailz and Weapons of Mass, and new blood in the MIT dance scene.
My last shows with Ridonk were bittersweet (love you guys!).. three wolf moon shirts, Footwork2010 with Fannypak, winning the Roxy battle, an epic set without a happy ending, Adlai losing his shoe in Rahway.
I transitioned into ProNailz, which has been such a wonderful thing in my life. I never thought I'd be in a girl group, but spending time and dancing with such talented, fun, and strong women has been my balance in life and a real source of energy and happiness. I love you girls (and Mama and Papa)!

love.
It's been a year of expressions of love. Naba and Bejan got married and I've truly loved seeing their relationship and marriage strengthen each of them as individuals. My cousin Sarah's wedding was perhaps the most beautiful and sincere wedding I've ever attended - also sparking my desire to start this blog. Janina and Dan got engaged! Liz and Eric got engaged! It's been a great year for love, and it will continue into 2011 with weddings, wedding receptions, and celebrations.
EDIT: And Andrew and Jess got engaged! Just today!!! Aw baby brother...
life.

I've done a bit of growing up in 2010, and little things have changed as a reflection. After a year+ being blond, I went back to brown. And I'm starting to lose interest in my piercings - let one close in.I recently celebrated my 4 year anniversary at work, and I feel I've actually accomplished quite a lot. Coming in I never expected to stay longer than two years. It was a bit of a struggle for me to decide whether to move on or to stick around for a little longer - I'll be sticking around.
After two years in a studio apartment (which was supposed to be my last Boston home and my last years here), I came to terms with my actually liking this city and upgraded to a bigger place. It took months of scouring listings and trolling the streets of Boston - only to bring me back to the same neighborhood - but I love it. New home, check.


It flew by, but 2010 has been the year. Bring it on, 2011 - I've been waiting for you!

one-way mirrors

Coming home always ends up being a time for reflection.

This time around, the big realization that hit me in the face is we are growing up. This Christmas it was just me, Mom, and Dad. With significant others strongly in the picture, it's never going to just be the five of us again; I have to share my siblings with other families. It depressed me for a little. But I've gotten over that. I'd still be depressed if I didn't like these pending additions to the family, but it's quite the contrary. They are absolutely wonderful.

Doing a quick recap in my head, this year presented significant challenges, introduced exciting opportunities, and resulted in a lot of evolution. Looking ahead, 2011 promises to continue this trend. Here's to the fruits and pains!

I'll be back in Boston in a few hours with some good company. I'm totally impressed with my packing skills and cannot wait to keep working on the apartment. Taking two weeks off was the greatest idea ever.

too busy chasing sheep

What Google thinks of me, courtesy of googlism.com

amelia is a single mexican woman from hermosillo
amelia is trendy
amelia is cool
amelia is awesome
amelia is annoying and so are all the l/z shrines
amelia is the second most popular pair when you are pairing up
amelia is open 7 days a week
amelia is probably the most controversial of all the good guys in slayers
amelia is often tagged with such undesirable names
amelia is a total freak when it comes to her father philionel
amelia is always cause for celebration
amelia is not writing and teaching workshops in animal communication
amelia is a very beautiful maine coon
amelia is president of faces
amelia is a friendly little tail
amelia is in love with him
amelia is down in a position remote from travel by ships
amelia is out looking for a better life
amelia is very fuzzy
amelia is enchanting
amelia is actually two places in one
amelia is now a much sought after child model and has appeared in numerous commercials including panadol
amelia is an innocent looking girl
amelia is seven when the book opens in 1969 at the very start of the present troubles
amelia is full of adventure
amelia is a 36 foot rival
amelia is prince teran
amelia is a champion of justice
amelia is on a stagecoach deep in the arizona territory in april of 1879
amelia is too busy chasing sheep
amelia is too possessive to send georgy to school
amelia is a princess
amelia is in the garden of the grimaldi palace
amelia is horrified
amelia is the only girl in all of nasel
amelia is streaking it from mexico

saint nick

Merry Christmas, world.

It's been a while. I guess I could say "things have been crazy busy", which would be true but that's not the reason I haven't written. It's really because I feel like I don't have any good photos! Maybe it's time I invest in a new camera, and channel that asian in me (i.e., start snapping some photos already!)
I still owe a post from Thanksgiving, but now that the next holiday is upon us I figure I'll delay more and just think about Christmas.

It's a little unusual this year - just me and the parents. We drove down from Boston today and will be spending tomorrow / Christmas just the three of us. I suppose this is what happens as us kids get older and start having our own lives.
Part of me feels sad to not celebrate Christmas as usual this year. But it's also never been a huge holiday for us; really it's just been a time to come home and be with family. And that's just what I'm doing. There will be lots of cooking and feasting. And while there may not be a huge thing with piles of gifts and Santa Claus, I think it will be pretty great.

Plus, my parents already gave the invaluable gift of visiting and helping decorate! The apartment is still not photo-ready, but here are some new (or planned) additions:

(some assortment of west elm, ikea, pottery barn, cb2, etc...)

warszawa

Warsaw Photodiary, Part II:

(24 hours of warszawa)

Saying goodbye to Warsaw was bittersweet. It would have been ideal to extend my stay to truly explore the place... the museums, the parks (although summertime would have been ideal in this case), all the history and culture - Chopin, Cracow. Regardless it was a lovely whirlwind.

Photos above of my traipse through Old Town, the Royal Castle in all its gilded opulence, the Palace of Culture & Science, and other things:

Things that caught my eye (ornate clock-urns, men precariously cleaning snow from roofs, sparkly shiny things)...

Things that made me laugh (Ossolinski's great hair, free willy?)...

And things that made me happy (fuzzy fur hats, pastel reconstructed buildings, fun money, new passport stamps, and aerial sunsets).