Like bamboo, like water, like the wind

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” --Neil Gaiman 

reading, writing & drawing

I'm still reeling in the feel of the new year and the things yet to come. I think that even if it wasn't the start of a new year I'd still be feeling the same amount of expectation about what lies ahead. At the beginning of the last month of 2013 I concluded a very important stage in my life -- I finished my undergrad career. And while as always I have a never-ending list of things I could have done better, truth is I've managed to persevered through a very unsteady and long road and it feels damn good. I actually compared my undergrad career with Homer's Odyssey (it was that tumultuous) but it was also equally rewarding to know that I endured and was able to achieve my goal. 

Barely minutes into the new year and I was already "surprising myself" and I think I like that. There's an abundance of new year traditions in different cultures and I'm never been one to abide by any of them, but this year I joined in as my mom and grandma eat 12 grapes at 12 o'clock and even as they carried luggage outside, the most surprised of course were my family that could not believe that I was taking part in said traditions. Whether the things I did will work not does not worry me, I must confess I had fun counting grapes and then running around our parking lot. And I also liked that I allowed myself to look past my pre-conceived notions and started the year doing something I've never done before! 

Here's to a year of being like bamboo, and water and the wind.