It is hard to believe that one year ago today, we packed our family of four (and then some), got on three different planes and moved 9,000 miles from our home country of Malaysia to Washington, the US of A.

Since then I have

• moved once more, from our rental to our own home. Told Lokes I’m not moving until he finds a job in either Ireland or Scotland. Why? I have no idea.
• become a better parent. Not just for my kids, but emotionally and mentally. I am now a parent I’ve always wanted to become, and it’s not only us moving here that’s allowed that to come to fruition, but also because my husband is so goddamn talented. I love you, baby. 
• made many dear friends (Karli, both Sharons, Mia - you know who you are!) both in real life and through this blog.
• experienced the most extreme of Washington weather: floods, winds and snow. Conceited but did our moving here tilt some kind of meteorological balance?
• improved my blogging and writing by leaps and bounds. It’s a wonder what a little solitary confinement can do for your creativity. It’s still too early to tell but something major - at least for me - is in the works. Three of my stories will appear in Dark City 2 this year, and I have found myself an agent in Singapore who’s putting something together. Wish me luck!
• improved my cooking/homemaking skills. Although my chicken curry kinda sucked today. Okay, it was burnt. I haven’t burnt dinner in a while, so statistically, it was bound to happen.
• become more well-read, thanks to the King County library system. Awesome stuff.
• become a better photographer, but thanks only to the subjects (my kids, the beautiful scenery here in Washington). Am keen to make more of this.
• rekindled my love for drawing. I had not drawn anything since a very short experiment during my years living and working in Singapore in the early ’90s. I knew I had it in me, and I’d lost it. I’m so glad it’s giving me a second chance.

As we look towards another year here in the land of good and plenty, I want to do more: become a better friend, a better mom and wife, a better writer, a better artist, a better person. Thanks to everyone who’s made my blog, and our lives here so very rich and meaningful!