I was one of those kids in school — perhaps not so atypical — who loved starting a new semester, not necessarily because of the school work, but because of new school supplies. I loved the smell of freshly sharpened yellow pencils, still perfectly squared pink rubber erasers, and those fresh pages of a brand new spiral notebook. New supplies symbolized a fresh start, a level playing field, a new hope, and a belief that this time, it’ll be different – that I’ll do every assigned homework, make lots of wonderful new friends, and have the time of my life. It was time for a brand new me!

But we all know how that ends. After a couple of weeks, the notebooks start to look raggedy, my dog starts eating my homework, and I am still invisible to the cute boy I had a mad crush on. In a matter of days, I was back to the old, self-loathing, nerdy self!

New year’s day is the adult’s version of a new school year, where hope is very much alive and expectations are high. When the ball drops at the stroke of midnight of the day’s eve, all the nitty gritty things that bothered us suddenly disappear into the past and we are welcomed to a new world where nothing negative exists. I think I’m too jaded now to make any New Year’s resolutions (what a cliche) but I still have a little bit of optimism left to believe that this new year, and perhaps the new decade, will be the best time of my life. And maybe this year, I may finally blossom into the woman that I’ve always meant to become.

Happy New Year, everyone, and may this year be the best time of your life! I leave you with the beautiful pictures of Osechi Ryori (above), traditional Japanese food that we enjoy on the new year’s day, courtesy of my boyfriend’s talented family! (Click here to learn more about the food and each of the dish’s meaning.)  Cheers to a wonderful 2010!  🙂