Like all the other cool kids on Twitter, I signed up for a Formspring.me account that allows anyone to ask me anything.  (You can even ask anonymously if you want to be all incognito.) To be honest, I really wasn’t expecting anyone to ask me anything — but was surprised to find a couple of questions in my InBox that were not system-generated.  The nice thing about it is that it gets me thinking about topics that might not otherwise have entered my mind.

Here’s a great one from @scrivener who makes it a point to write awesome questions each and every week for Friday5.org, so it would stand to reason that he would hit me with a real thought-provoking, soul-searching question on Formspring.me.

Q: Do you have any regrets at all about marrying so young? by onebadscrivener

A:  I can say with all honesty that I absolutely have no regrets about marrying young (age 20).

Although I don’t consider it a regret, perhaps the only “regrettable” thing might be that it sidetracked my education. Although at the time, I was still unsure of what I wanted to do in life and didn’t want to embark on an aimless pursuit without having a clear goal in mind. Once I made up my mind, I returned to school and finally obtained my BS/IT degree at age 33.

I wouldn’t trade those years with Hubby, even the rocky ones, for anything. Had we not married when we did, who knows what path my life would have taken? But I know that I am so glad that I am walking this one with him.

Here’s another question, this time from my childhood friend, @bkGirlFriday:

Q:  What’s surprised you the most about becoming a mom? by bkgirlfriday

A:  I am surprised that my maternal instinct actually kicked in — and that I even HAD a maternal instinct to begin with. There is something about being a mom that just comes naturally that I would have never imagined prior to having Baby Champuru.

Are there any questions you’d like me to answer for you?

As @rsuenaga would say: props be to @scrivener for bringing us this week’s Friday 5:

1. Be honest: what are some rules you have for yourself that don’t really make much sense?
What are you talking about? All of my rules make sense!

2. What rules of questionable sense did your parents have for you when you were young?
Most of them relate to catching a cold: 1)  don’t go to sleep with wet hair,  2) if caught in a rainstorm, take a hot shower immediately and bundle up to avoid catching a cold, and 3) don’t leave without a jacket when it’s chilly outside (i.e., sub-70 degrees) or else you’re sure to come back with a cold!

3. What’s a rule most people (if not all people) seem never to obey?
Speed limits. It’s okay to give or take 10 mph, right?

4. There are no rules governing the giving and receiving of Valentine’s Day gifts, but what rules should there be?
Valentine’s Day is overrated and merely an evil ploy by retailers to boost their post-holiday sales figures.   I believe Valentine’s Day is every day and it shouldn’t require a dozen long-stem roses, a box of gourmet chocolates, dinner at a fancy restaurant, or a Tiffany blue box to show someone you love them.  So, in short, my rule for Valentine’s Day gifts is none should be given on February 14th.  What a party pooper, eh?

5. If the Golden Rule says you should do unto others as you’d have others do unto you, what would the Silver and Bronze rules say?
Silver:  If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Bronze: If you can’t park it, don’t drive it.

As we embark on a new year, it seems only appropriate to reflect on the events of the year behind us. Inspired by Burt Lum (@bytemarks) who actually shared his top 10 list on Twitter and encouraged others to do the same , I decided to take a look back at the past twelve months and make a list of my top 10 moments of 2009 in no particular order:

Baby Champuru takes her first steps (August 12, 2009) - At 10 months, Baby Champuru started walking and she hasn’t slowed down since!

Baby Champuru Photoshoot with Simply Baby Photography (September 2009) - The talented Lisa Hoang photographed me for my maternity photos and Baby Champuru’s newborn portraits, so it was so great to be able to get some shots of Baby Champuru as she neared her first birthday.  We set up a “cake smash,” although Baby Champuru didn’t seem interested in smashing the cupcake at all.  I was so worried that she might get too much sugar from eating the cupcake, but she barely even touched the frosting.  What a fun experience and Lisa captured some beautiful shots of Baby Champuru that day.

Being named one of Bytemarks’ Top 20 Social Media Geeks in Hawaii (July 2009) - Completely unexpected and flattered to make this list.

Served as the matron of honor at Shari & Darren’s wedding (October 24, 2009) - Shari was a beautiful bride and it was such a privilege to serve as the matron of honor at her wedding at the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki.

Celebrated my first Mother’s Day (May 10, 2009) – After struggling with infertility for so many years, the passing of every mother’s day would be bittersweet. I loved celebrating and honoring my mom and mother-in-law, but was saddened that it seemed that I might never become a mother myself.  This year, I was able to celebrate my first mother’s day as a mom!

News about more babies on the way (not mine) - One of my best friends Joyce is pregnant with twins!  I am overjoyed for her and can’t wait to meet her babies!

Our first staycation in Waikiki with Baby Champuru (September 2009) – Hubby, Baby Champuru and I stayed in a hotel in Waikiki for our first family staycation.  We attended the Okinawan Festival and enjoyed the sights around Waikiki.  It’s fun to take advantage of the attractions in Hawaii and play tourist every once in a while.

Taking on more clients, getting serious about my business – Took on a couple more clients, doing more work, from home and on location.  Interested in expanding my freelance business to enable me to continue to stay at home with Baby Champuru.

Celebrated Baby Champuru’s 1st birthday (October 2009) – First birthdays are a big thing in Hawaii. Baby Champuru, the long-awaited (15 years!) miracle baby that she is, deserved a celebration as special as she is.  Although we don’t have the means to throw a gala event, we managed to have a nice gathering of close friends and family to commemorate her first year of life.

I resigned from my job (February 28, 2009) – The decision to leave my secure, comfortable, and decent-paying postal job to become a full-time mom was not an easy one — but one that I do not regret for a moment.  Sure, the budget it tight, but the opportunity and privilege to be with Baby Champuru full-time is unspeakably valuable to me.  I am so grateful to Hubby for working so hard to make this a reality, and of course, to God for meeting our needs and providing for us!

Bonus: And here’s my favorite video of 2009: Baby Champuru enjoying her first musubi (rice ball) at 11 months old:

Found some old Super8 movies of myself, circa 1976.  The quality is poor because I videotaped it being projected on the wall. Yes, low tech, I know. I’ll probably try again later with this stuff and do some actual editing, but I am just testing this stuff out. Oh, and I didn’t upload it to YouTube because it made my grainy video even more pixelated which made it downright unwatchable.

I went to Walgreens (School Street, Honolulu) to get the Super8 film transferred to DVD, but the throngs of people deterred me from the task.  (This location just opened recently.)  When I saw the lines, I simply turned around and walked out of the store.  I’ll have to take it again later when the hype has settled down — or perhaps during off-peak hours, say at 3 am on a Tuesday?  $24.95 for the first 100 feet of film, then $0.18/foot thereafter.  Not a bad deal, huh?  However, the turnaround is 3-4 weeks.

Anyway, enjoy the grainy goodness. Ah, when life was simple…