Holidays, Birthdays, and a big Suprise

I'm sitting in Poole on Janet and Tony's computer. Carlo is still asleep and Nick is crashed out on the sofa. I think he arrived back from Thailand around 4am so i'm sure he'll be sleeping for a while yet. The cats are curled up in their chairs and the whirlwind of Christmas has now settled. Christmas was so wonderful this year, no accidents thank goodness. We had a lot of great food for days and fun company with all the cousins, aunties and uncles. I tried out the new nintendo Wii which is the new hot toy and it was super fun; i did best on golf and bowling. We also played playstation Buzz which is a game show you play with individual buzzer buttons. Very cool.
Carlo gave me the most amazing suprise gift for Christmas, starting with a list of clues that had me hunting on the internet for answers. I guessed the first part in the morning, which was a trip to Stockholm Sweden for New Years! Then, in the evening, i received another clue which were map coordinates that landed in Lapland! So we leave Saturday, heading up to Stockholm for the big bash, and then take a night train up to the Arctic Circle to stay at the Ice Hotel and go dog sledding and snow mobiling. It's the dream of a lifetime for us, and i had no idea he had already planned it way back in September. He truely is my James Bond :)

On December 20th, I finally registered my company. It is called Global Citizen Properties. The website is under construction, and Carlo and I are working on it ourselves in the evenings after work. It's a project which i'm so excited about. And, another dream of having my own company is coming true too. There is so much to look forward to for the new year, and i've been in reflection the last couple weeks reviewing where i've been and where i wish to go to now. I also notice that certain things i've held on to i'm not as sentimental anymore, and i'm slowly letting go of things that have prohibited me from moving forward. Letting go has always been a sad thing for me, but in the last couple of weeks i have felt myself feeling more liberated, excited, and wanting to celebrate. I truely feel i am starting a new chapter, I want to create my future and i'm projecting my thoughts there more than what's been behind me.

I read up on Swedish philosophy and found the most amazing quote by Queen Kristina of Sweden from the 15th century. It goes like this:

"Quench with Your hand all that does not come from You; of Your goodness and for Your glory, complete Your work. Let Your goodness overcome my ingratitude and weakness. Protect me from myself as You used to protect me from my enemies. By You and through You I long for You. Do not be unmoved by the immense burning longing You have lit in my heart, for I look upon it as the greatest grace that You have bestowed on me. Make me worthy to possess You in that blind and utter renunciation that I owe You, for no one can withhold it from You without courting eternal unhappiness. Detach me from my secret bonds, however fair and guileless they may be. Help me to dedicate my work, my life and my death to You alone for ever and ever."

Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689)

I'd like to make this my resolution for the new year too.

Banksy Show in London

Banksy's never shown his face, and this mysterious artist out of the UK has captured the attention of millions with his controversial art. I wish i took more photos. The show was held on Oxford Street near Tottenham Court Road. We checked it out on the Sunday afternoon on our way to Dim Sum.

In the window front, Tony Blair takes a photo with his phone capturing the war in the background.

Elvis

Michael Jackson offering a candy cane to two small children. This painting sold for £100,000


















Here a child who's had one of his legs blown off is wanting to buy a prostethic from a vending machine.