christine's brain

In about 2.5 hours, my age will increase +1. It’s hard to believe 2009 went by so quickly. When I think about it closely, a lot of exciting things really did happen this year.

• Celebrated our 1st year as a married couple.
• Memorable travels to the land Down Under and to the lands of our family heritage.
• Bid farewell to my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew as they moved away and down to San Diego.
• Increased happiness and growth in my professional life. Amazing how much of a difference it makes on your mental outlook and well being when you’re genuinely happy with your work environment.
• Lot of progress on the interior of our cozy little house!
• Nickey had surgery to remove a MCT and got snipped. (He’s forgiven us)
• Snowball also got snipped. (I think he’s forgiven us, but it’s too soon to tell)
• Close friends who, after many years of living far away, have moved back to the area.
• Made significant progress in terms of getting in shape. I’ve actually been running - not consistently, but at least once a week. Significant strides over last year.
• So many announcements and new trends happening in technology this year - this article is a nice little summary of 2009 and this one reflects specifically on Google. (Extra props to the latter article for calling out Google developer-relevant launches and Google I/O!)

Many people lament about getting older (especially as they hit the first year of a new decade). I feel differently about this. I might jokingly complain about being old and an increased number of fine lines & wrinkles, but overall I welcome these birthdays. As the years have gone by, I’ve felt more secure and content with life. I cherish the long-lasting relationships I have with my family and friends. They’re bonds that can’t be broken. I’m optimistic it only gets better from here.

Here’s to a great 2010.