It is a new year!

Fireworks in the Sentrum 

Hi all! I hope all of you had a lovely time celebrating 2011 and ringing in 2012. We had the bestest time hanging out at a Stavanger bar with some friends and Mr. Sunshine's cousins R and V. At midnight we walked to the water front to view fireworks over the harbor. Unfortunately, what we thought were the official city fireworks went off 10 minutes before the clock turned 12. But, we were not disappointed - there were hundreds of illegal fireworks all over the Sentrum that we were able to enjoy. A couple of them even looked like they were being set off by professionals. And in true Stavanger fashion, it started raining on the dot at 12 AM, so we rang in 2012 in this part of the world with illegal fireworks and icy cold rain. Fun times! 

Fireworks from one of the Islands

2012 started off really well - I got to cross off one of the items on my life list! The weather gods in Stavanger decided to give us a break for once and let the sun shine through, so at noon, we walked to the harbor and took a three hour boat tour to see the Lysefjord. There were just about 12 people on the boat - in fact, the tour operator almost did not let us board, because he needed a minimum of 15 people for the tour to be a go - so we had the boat deck to ourselves for the most part. The entire trip was amazing! The sights were so extraordinary and breathtakingly beautiful that words cannot even begin to describe them. And I will not even try. Here are some pictures from our trip taken by the very talented Ramnath Bhat and Vijendra Bhat. 

Picture of the fireworks.
I love the colors in it!

I think this is going to be a good year. I tend to not make resolutions (because I forget about them very easily), but I have a few plans/ goals for 2012. Most importantly, I want to stop putting life on hold for other things to fall in place. In the past few months, as I have struggled to get a grip on my professional goals vis-a-vis my personal life, I have come to realize that there is no such thing as the perfect time for anything. So this year, I am not going to worry about all the chips falling in place. I will not stress about things being perfect. I will work on perfection, but I will not beat myself up if things are not perfect. I will not worry about what cannot be and what is not under my control. I will not be concerned about others' opinion of me. I will do what makes me and Mr. Sunshine happy. I will sing more and I will dance more. I will cook more home made meals, and I will learn to make new dishes. I will be more creative. I will try to live healthy lifestyle. I will lose weight and I will become more environmentally conscious. I will try to eliminate the use of paper towels in our kitchen and plastic bags at home. I will try to make my own beauty and personal care products. I will write more handwritten letters and respond to emails faster. I will travel more and I will talk to more strangers. I will call family more often and I will tell them that I love them. I will read more and take more photographs. I will apologize less and learn to take compliments better. I will give more and expect less. 

Let's see how many of these I am able to accomplish this year.

Do you have any resolutions/ plans/ goals for 2012? What do you do to stick to your resolutions, and accomplish your goals? I'd love to hear from you!

XOXOXO

Ms. Sunshine

Things you can do when you own a boat: set a mini fire in the middle of the harbor

All pictures courtesy of Ramnath Bhat and Vijendra Bhat