Auld Lang Syne ROC 100

The glorious and magnificent 100th year of ROC is coming to an end!

On New Year's Eve, there is a long list of people I wish to express my gratitude and thankfulness. I shall hum Auld Lang Syne to them wherever they are, when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve in Taipei. Thank you with kisses and hugs! And wish you a prosperous and happy new year!

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

And surely you'll get your pint mug! And surely I'll get mine!
And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

While remembering the good times with family and friends in 2011, I received a surprising email from a professional wedding photographer in China in the morning of this last day of 2011. Mr. Li Jian-yu sent me five beautiful photos he took of me when I visited Drum Wave Islet in October.

Drum Wave Islet, an island of 1.87 kilometer square, is a hot spot for wedding couples to have photos taken on the coastal city of Xiamen. No matter where you go, you bump into colorful and dressy wedding couples with their entourages of photographers and assistants in front of old consulates of many Western powers and grand mansions that used to be financial institutions.

I was lucky to run into Mr. Li after he finished shooting a wedding couple for the day. Mr. Li is a young photographer from Chuan-zhou. When I asked him if I could borrow the bouquet of red roses, he asked me if I would like to to pose for his camera with the beautiful flowers. What a serendipity it was to be turned into an instant bride (in heart) by an enthusiastic photographer on the famous resort of Drum Wave Islet when the sun set! I felt the long-gone bliss on my wedding day waiting at the end of the aisle for my father to give me away!

Now it is time I wrote down the New Year resolutions for year 2012 before the clock strikes midnight!

1. I shall stay healthy by leading a simple life.
2. I shall clean up the storage area at home, donate clothes, shoes, bags, and hats which are not in use.
3. I shall work as a friendly pharmacist at the new branch of Taiwan Biotech Pharmacy at RT Mart in Chung-ho.
4. I shall study French in order to charter a French speaking Toastmasters club in Taipei.
5. I shall practice flamenco more in order to excel at the flamenco performance at Armed Forces Cultural Center.
6. I shall visit the Toastmasters in District 76 Japan.
7. I shall go to China to have profile photos taken.
8. I shall join the Fubon Taipei Marathon to run with Toastmasters from District 76.

Happy New Year! A mysterious year that marks the beginning of a new era, the end of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, awaits us!