Sunday, December 30, 2012

Looking Back

I found these on http://kvlv.tumblr.com/ and thought about answering them publicly.  I think I will, but I'll give you a chance to answer them, too.  I think it's neat to reflect back on things that have happened before jumping into the next year.  Why not?


1:What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
2:Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
3:Did anyone close to you give birth?
4:Did anyone close to you die?
5:What countries did you visit?
6:What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012
7:What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?  
8:What was your biggest achievement of the year?
9:What was your biggest failure?
10:Did you suffer illness or injury?
11:What was the best thing you bought?
12:Whose behaviour merited celebration?
13:Whose behaviour made you appalled?
14:Where did most of your money go?
15:What did you get really, really, really excited about?
16:What song will always remind you of 2012?
17:Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
18:What do you wish you’d done more of?
19:What do you wish you’d done less of?
20:How did you spend Christmas?
21:Did you fall in love in 2012?
22:What was your favourite TV program?
23:Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
24:What was the best book you read?
25:What was your greatest musical discovery?
26:What did you want and get?
27:What did you want and not get?
28:What was your favourite film of this year?
29:What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
30:How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
31:What kept you sane?
32:Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
33:What political issue stirred you the most?
34:Who did you miss?
35:Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
36:Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

The best of the Dam


The People, Bikes, Clouds, and Trees of Amsterdam

















Burgers and Beauty of the Dam















Saturday, December 29, 2012

Moving in the Dam

Houses in Amsterdam are all equipped with a pulley for exactly this purpose...





The Dam on a Bike

Though it might not seem this way, the Dutch seem very happy atop their bikes, whizzing through the streets, ringing a distant bell at ridiculously oblivious foreigners (myself included), going to all the places at half the time.  They might have something here...















Amsterdamian Food


 We popped over to a local market for some market-esque sight seeing.  Here's some of the food we spotted...







Sacre Coeur


Sacre Coeur is quite possibly my favourite place in Paris.  In summer,  crowds line the grassy hills, but in winter it's alive with Christmas markets and food stalls.   It was magical.