Christmas & New Year's Afterglow(:

So the new year came and went, and before we've properly settled in, it seems we've already arrived at the end of our first week of 2013.

There's a lot in this past year that I am immensely grateful for. I look around me now, at what I have and what I am heading towards, and I am so amazingly happy.

Today, just a year ago, I'd have been up before the sun and headed for school-Towards something I knew would be good for me. I think the most painful part of that experience was knowing how good it was supposed to be but never quite getting there. It was always a hit and miss. The ground one stood on would never be level. I wore myself out from the inside, and watched my situation eat away at everyone else.
And staring at me, from the borders of that life, were all the things I knew made me happy.

I still get taken aback by all the changes that the last year has brought about. And even though I'm not there yet, it's nice to feel like I am heading in the right direction again. Yes, it might be a long, round-about way, and also a way that promises to be rather pricey but hey, at least I'm on my way.

That aside!
Here's news about the year's end in all its warmth and fuzziness-

Christmas was quiet but strangely tiring, for some reason.

I spent my December weekends, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve being a Singin' Swingin' Santarina.

This was also the year I chose to make a lot of my presents. Erika and I spent an entire afternoon working our little elf hearts out for one group of friends while I spent two other afternoons working on the rest.

I meant to also make an oreo cheesecake as part of the array of gifts I had to give out but, clearly, had next to no time. The cake however, has finally gotten round to being made just last night. So YAY.

And because all that rushing around and spreading Christmas cheer didn't leave me with the opportunity to write-

from Buttons and I(:

This is what my Morning-After-Christmas brekkie looked like for my fam-

 

(:

Because cute little animals are toootally what anyone would want after Christmas.

As the hype slowed down and we got further away from Christmas, things were made slightly better. It was a rare opportunity to spend off-days together and so, on top of finding time to spend with both sides of the family and both sets of friends, the two of us also found time for ourselves in the form of 

 a duck-robot couple who run a chocolate fondue factory
aaaaand...

Some Lego Technic(:

Now, I am a believer in ending off the year well and sailing into it nicely. I often believe that it says something about the way you'll spend the rest of the year.

So, it being my final performance as a Santarina, the family came down to Downtown East to watch. 

After which, we all went for Bak Chor Mee (I mean, how can your year possibly end badly if your last meal of 2012 is Meng's Bak Chor Mee right?!), and Erika tried her darnest to keep me away from the chilli that lived at the bottom of the bowl.

(My throat was well on its way to dying by that point)

Then we brought a bottle of Moscato over to Sharon's and watched the countdown on telly.

Russ, on the other hand, struggled way past his bedtime but switched between napping and getting very excited about new people coming into the house.

And of course,

as I've learnt from Erika's family,

because celebrations call for good food and good food calls for celebration,

we started off the New Year with an AMAZING Brunch date at Wild Honey with Lucas & Cher(:

So now,

if my 2013 is to be anything like my New Year's Celebrations, it's looking like...

a lot of time with each other, with family, with good friends, the occasional drink and an immense amount of good food.

It also means a healthy dose of work, and time for ourselves (with or without each other).

All in all, that sounds like a pretty damn good plan to me.

Happy 2013, you guys(: