53. Go to Barcelona again

Guess where this year's holiday went? Me and my lover (that's a whoooole different story!) went to the north of Spain, spent a few days in beautiful Barcelona and then went to stay at the Picos de Europa. I can now happily cross off 63. Have a big multi-course meal at the Hard Rock Café and 60. Climb a (new) hill and enjoy the view as well. The pictures speak for themselves. We had a great time together, perfect weather and intense long walks. Looking forward to many more traveling adventures!

58. Celebrate New Year's with friends

It's funny going over this list after a while and go "Oh! I already did that one!" without remembering it had been planned. I celebrated the 2007-2008 new year with a bunch of friends in the north of our country. It was extremely misty that night, which scared the hell out of me since I couldn't see any fireworks coming before they blew up in the small alleys. Oh, did I mention we brought champagne? Company was good, but the cold and mist have kept me from repeating this the next year. Guess New Year's is just about staying at home for me.

Written inspiration for life

Just finished reading a book that I'd really like to share something about. It is the true story of Canadian Kyle MacDonald who made a dream that started out tiny turn into something huge. He traded a paperclip for a house through 'trading up' in only a few steps. Of course, turning the paperclip into a fish pen into a door knob didn't seem to get him on his way at the speed of light, but from there the story evolves and takes on huge proportions that neither Kyle himself nor anyone else could have imagined. Local and regional press pick up on his idea and the project website starts to bloom. Exactly one year after starting out with one red paperclip, Kyle and his partner Dominique are proudly living in their traded home in Saskatchewan.

And it's not only this amazing outcome that's inspiring. The journey itself has possibly even been more interesting. The down-to-earth Canadian has managed to touch many people's lives and create opportunities for them, while not investing more than his time, guts and energy. It's very refreshing to read a story like this in times like ours, where there's so much negativity around. It gave me lots of hope that big things are possible even when you start out small and that positive energy and quick wit are really contagious. What else can I say? Try the book or visit http://www.oneredpaperclip.com/.

79. Read a book a month

Well... I've lost count as to whether I'm actually reading a book a month. The important thing is that I have found the joy of reading again. In high school and university, I had to read ever so much. I was so glad when that was over that I only went with magazines and other short bits and pieces, but never sat down to read a whole book again. The obligation of doing something just totally takes away the fun of it.

But moving to a new home about 50 meters away from the library has changed that around. I became a member and now truly enjoy walking between rows and rows of colorful and potentially interesting stories. I've actually taken home a pile of books to sit/lay down on the couch and read with a pot of tea on the side, something I'd never done before in my life. And I find it strangely relaxing.

101. Buy a nice lapis lazuli cross and wear it on a necklace

On one of my last days in Chile, I went after the lapis lazuli cross that I was looking for. I ended up buying another one than I had in mind, because of the ridiculous price of the one I had seen some time before on the airport. I mean, nobody pays 400 euros for a tiny silver item - much less in Chile. So I settled for this one. In the end, it's all about symbolism. Lapis lazuli is a typically Chilean blue stone. And I wanted the cross as a symbol for my coming to faith during that period. The necklace is actually my mother's. I've been wearing it every day for the last few months.

44. Send a letter with pictures and/or presents to my Foster child

So why exactly did it take me years and years to write a letter to my foster brother in Ecuador? I don't have a clue. It has just been a matter of postponing every time, while the actual writing took me about half an hour all together. In the eight years that I'm sponsoring Cristián in the Manabi district, this is the second letter I have sent him. And it took me all those years to enclose a picture of myself, while I knew he and his family would really appreciate that gesture. I feel ashamed of myself. Here I am preaching about loving and caring for other people, while I let them down.

Well, somehow I found some long-needed courage yesterday and the letter is on its way now. At the same time, I read there have been huge flooding problems in the Manabi district and in other parts of Ecuador. People are struggling and it makes me hurt more. But lining up the yearly pictures of Cristián and seeing him grow (he should be around 15 years old by now) also put a smile on my face. I might be able to make a difference in this boy's life, albeit a small one.

2. Cook a 'good' meal once a month

'Better late than never' also goes for updates, right?

I've been cooking here and there, but not everything counts as healthy and/or three-course. But at Christmas, I really tried my best to cook up something nice for my parents and myself. The menu:

• A salad of smoked salmon, rucola, olive oil and pine kernels


• Oven-roasted chicken legs with sea salt and thyme, served with roasted chopped potatoes with rosemary and sea salt and stir-fried vegetables


• Fresh fruits dipped in hot chocolate sauce

Completing the NaNo challenge

So, little over a month ago I managed to complete the NaNo challenge. Around midnight on November 23rd, I had put my 50k in and received my winner's certificate! Since then, the whole pace of my life has changed drastically and my novel has been sitting quietly in its corner. I came back to The Netherlands on November 30th, picked up on a temporary job at the post office which during the Christmas holidays is busier than ever before, and moved back in with my parents. Storm's Embrace has proven to span 77 pages and I'm still wondering where I got all those crazy ideas from. I'll definitely sit down to edit the story at some point and may even try to get it published, but honestly, I have a feeling we shouldn't discuss its quality. In other words, I sincerely doubt anyone would care for it. Yet it has been a nice challenge as far as setting goals and pushing through goes. Next year, if real life allows, I'll definitely do it again and take a newbie or two under my wings. As silly as the whole thing may seem, I can recommend it to anyone looking to do something special just for themselves.

WordCount: 50,927

NaNo day 15 & 16

Somehow, my writing sort of keeps flowing. Not the type of flowing some people seem to experience, where they crank out millions of words and the story seems to write itself. It's still hard for me to sit down, concentrate and actually write, and to go past those first moments where I'm trying to settle on the next scene. But once I do, I get 500-1,000 words easily. It's been going in a steady pace these last few days, at about 2,500 each day. Which means I'm finally finding the rhythm I was looking for in the first place. I try for about 1,500 and think of any paragraph extra as a bonus. I'm so hoping I can keep that up! The weekend looks like it's going to be about friends and fun, so probably little writing, especially on Sunday. And then in just a week and a half I'll be going home... It's the strangest feeling. I've gotten so used to living here! As for NaNo - 30k I'm on my way.

WordCount: 29,232

Little NaNo treat

Found this in the mail today:

It's from one of my NaNo mentors, who also manages to send out long daily encouragement e-mails to the group of newbies he has under his wings. And all that while juggling a busy real life and finishing his own novel in the first two weeks... Thanks, Devon!