Photo taken with Pentax K10D and
Vivitar 24mm f/2.8 with 'A'

This was my first photo taken on new year on 1/1/2008 when my family and I took a spontaneous overnight stay in San Francisco and I was up in the morning to get breakfast for my boys and spouse in our unplanned trip.

My sweetie complained as usual as we were not prepared as we took the public transportation with Bart to San Francisco and walked a mile plus from downtown to Fisherman Wharf area. We did not have our car which was usually staffed with spare clothings and our daily amenities. I was the nut case in the family who jumped on ideas of fun, romance and spontaneity. Unfortunately, my sweetie did not see the romance that I saw and envisioned in the cold night with fireworks, lovely restaurants, great artist galleries in Fisherman Wharf, warmth and spirit with hope for a better year with peace in the last evening in 2007. With begging and convincing words, my sweetie said yes for the occasion while my boys jumped in joy when we found a Wharf Inn that happened to have one vacant room. It was the 4th hotel that we tried our luck on spontaneity.

Came next morning on new year day of 2008, I got up early to get breakfast and as I turned the corner on 2nd floor, I saw this Coroner Extra beer bottle sitting on the rail quietly, I thought of good luck in 2008 with lots of celebration in the year to come. The beautiful morning shined brightly through the bottle. It was a scene of surreal beauty in the morning and the beer bottle invited me for positive thoughts as well as safety concern. Someone from last evening must have left it there unknowingly of the danger of falling to the street down below. I had my 1st thought of throwing it to the recycle bin and there wasn't any around. And my 2nd thought was my picture of celebration and a good year to start in 2008. Not a drunken year but a year of celebration. I took few pictures and moved the bottle to the floor so that the janitor would pick it up easily. On I went for the breakfast hunting.

Now that I looked back, I just remembered all the bad things in 2008 related to economy, the continuing war in Iraq, the Bush administration and the continued struggles in family with Asthma and others. And I could not remember a thing that is worth celebration. Perhaps I was drunk all year in 2008 and forgot to appreciate life and let alone the celebration that was much needed and absent for a balance. And 2009 is about to end shortly and I have got to to celebrate every positive thoughts, praises, milestone, goal achieved, challenge fulfilled that the Lord almighty have planned in my life before my negative mind plays tricks on me in not remembering the good things.

The more you praise and celebrate your life,
the more there is in life to celebrate.

by Oprah Winfrey