I’ve developed a liking towards Ettusais lately, and got myself a couple of products after reading good reviews about them. I’ve tried 2/3 of what’s shown here, and I’m liking it so far!

This hymn was written by John Newton, and published in 1779. This is a song we sing not only during church services, but also during weddings and funerals, and is recognised by both Christians and non-Christians.

I came across this version by Il Divo last night, and as I watched the video, the song touched me in a way it never did before. This is one of the best versions of the song that I’ve come across – the singing was great and the location at which they shot the video was really beautiful as well. But while these things added to my enjoyment of the song, it was the meaningful lyrics that really reached out to me. I’ve sung this many times in church, but somehow the lyrics never struck me this hard before…

Kimi ni Todoke (Reaching You) is one of the series I really enjoy. I’ve read the manga, watch the anime and now the live action as well. I first watched the movie in Japanese, and now that the English subs are out, I’m rewatching it while I’m typing this.

It’s the end of the year once again… to be honest, I’ve been too unmotivated to write anything lately, but writing my end-of-year reflections on this blog has been something that I’ve done for the past few years, and I don’t want to stop that tradition now, hence I’m making myself write.

2009 was a year full of changes, and it’s no different this year as well. From starting my PhD to setting a date for my wedding and many other smaller things as well… there are many new things that happened this year. As I’ve said many times before, I’m not very good at handling changes, and it took me some time to adapt after some of these events, but I hope that I’ve become better at accepting changes, even if it’s just a little bit.

Last Sunday was the last service I had in church, and as per my church’s tradition, a few people were asked to go up on stage to share about their year. As I listened to their sharing from where I was seated, my heart felt full, and I was reminded of the many things that I had been blessed with, and the many things I could give thanks for.