Follow me on Twitter The history of Valentine’s Day is shrouded in mystery. Yet every February, in most Western countries, cards, flowers and chocolates are exchanged between lovers all in the name of the mysterious St. Valentine. Other countries around the world have their own unique customs and meaning of Valentine’s Day. In Finland for example, Valentine’s Day is called Ystävänpäivä which translates into “Friend’s day”. The day is more about remembering all your friends, not only your loved ones. In Guatemala it is known as the “Día del Cariño”, “Day of the Affection” and in the Philippines, Valentine’s Day is called “Araw ng mga Puso” or “Hearts Day”. While the tradition and celebration of St. Valentine’s Day may vary around the world, the central theme is honoring friendship and love.
Love is another of life’s great mysteries. There are countless songs, books, poems and places that evoke the feeling and/or memory of romance and love. For me, one of those places is Paris. I took my daughter to Paris the year she turned sixteen and despite the cold and continual rain we both fell in love with the city and the joie de vivre of the people.
It is one of my dreams to one day pack my camera gear, move to Paris and capture the essence of Paris while sitting in a cafe perfecting my one and only phrase of French – café au lait s’il vous plaît.
To love, romance, friendship, and all the places and people in our heart………Happy Valentine’s Day.
I recently posted the photographs below to a group on Flickr; an image and video website used to share personal photographs. The following day I received an email informing me that I had been banned from the ………… group. No explanantion as to why, or the name of a contact if I chose to inquire, was provided in the email. I appreciate there are guidelines, but this felt somewhat drastic. Straight out of an episode of ‘Survivor’ [insert Jeff Proust's v/o here]. “The tribe has spoken……you have been banished from the group and must immediately return to your photostream“. What’s a girl to do? How does she console herself and gather the strength to carry the stigma of a lifetime Flickr group ban? With a couple of cherry pull-n-peel Twizzlers! My go to food whenever I’m faced with a crisis (or anytime with tea)!
So, here’s to not taking life, or ourselves too seriously. 
A new year begins, bringing new adventures, new beginnings, the opening of new doors and propelling us one step closer to fulfilling our dreams. Most of us in the northern hemisphere start the new year bundled up in the warmth to escape the frigid temperatures and winter storms. Not so for the Polar Bear Club dippers, who strip down and plunge into icy waters to raise money for various charitable organizations. Here is an invigorating video posted on iReport for CNN of the Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver, British Columbia on January 1, 2010.
Christmas in Western Australia is usually spent trying to escape the sweltering summer heat. I spent my first Christmas in New York City as a tourist in 1996. During my time in New York I experienced a severe snow storm often referred to as the ‘Blizzard of 1996′. This photograph is one of the Snowstorm series taken from the balcony of an apartment on Third Avenue and 33rd Street.
Some snow storm trivia: the blizzard of January 7-8th, 1996, dumped approximately 20″ of snow in Central Park, making it the second biggest snowstorm in New York City history.