Veerle's blog

Looking back on 2004 I realize that it has been a hell of a year. Since a lot of people in the blogosphere are making up their ‘list’ I thought I can do this as well.

Here are what I think my personal highlights of the this year:

• First highlight was the fact that my first CSS website, my own blog, was immediately added to the CSS Vault.
  
  
• After playing around with CSS for a while I decided to share the knowledge I had learned so far with other people, especially newbies, by starting a step-by-step CSS tutorial.
  
  
• This tutorial has catapulted me into a whole other level which resulted in being linked on some mayor blogs out there. I've never dreamed to get a link on sites like Zeldman, Stopdesign or Mezzoblue who were responsible to get me inspired to start with CSS in the first place. Who would think a blog like mine would grow so fast in only a couple of months?
  
  
• It was time to get a bit rewarded :-) So without a doubt the best purchase of 2004 is my pink iPod Mini. These days it follows me everywhere.... let's say doing dishes isn't as annoying as it used to be. If there is music there is fun ;-)
  
  
• Also very important is the realization what an important role Apple is playing in my daily life. A few days ago I was telling a friend that in 1996 when Apple was facing seriously rough times I got a bit scared that my daily work probably could be moved to Windows. Thank God for Steve Jobs because he is in a large part responsible for what Apple is today. 2004 was a great year for Apple: the iTunes Music Store in Belgium. Waited a long time for it but loving it as we speak. It's so easy to shop that you almost have to restrain yourself not to buy everything you come across. 2004 also meant the retirement for my trusty old Wallstreet PowerBook, he got replaced by a 17" PowerBook G4. Gotta love that screen!
  
  
• 2004 was the year that 'I' went wireless, so Airport Extreme is one of my highlights. In the evening I disconnect my PowerBook from the office and trade places to work a bit further in our living room, with access to our Xserve and the internet.
  
  
• What I've missed in 2004 was the spectacular sunny Summer of 2003. Never have there been so many sunny days like that Summer in Belgium. The thought of waking up in the morning with a certainty that there will be sun sure does feel great.
  
  
• Hooking up with Roger Sanchez on Ibiza, even if it only lasted less then 5 minutes, was one of the moments to remember. But the guy who was responsible for a big change into my 2004 listening habits was Miguel Migs. I've become a big fan of his smooth jazzy deep house vibes. So meeting him this Summer in Ibiza at El Divino and talking for about 20 minutes gave me such a buzz. You really can tell he's from San Francisco, very laid back. When my boyfriend mentioned that San Francisco is our favorite US city we had a connection, it was so cool that we both were thinking "man, we're keeping this guy busy" and it felt like we could have talked for hours :-)
  
  
• Speaking of music, my absolute number 1 for 2004 is Axwell with 'Feel The Vibe'. I've heard this one the first time on 10 Days Off (at Ghent) when Roger Sanchez was playing. Everybody went nuts, hands in the air etc. All trouble seems to fade away when hearing this smashing song. I can tell, Axwell is definitely a producer to watch in 2005. Axwell is Swedish and Soulfuric's Scandinavian favorite son. He has also these pseudonyms: Mambana and Jetlag. Other songs with good memories are Got To Release by Saturated Soul, Lola's Theme, Call on Me by Eric Prydz and Flashdance by Deep Dish. I got to know these songs when I was in Ibiza by the end of July, this proves that this island is the musical capital of the world. 6 months later they're starting to become popular here.
  
  
• 2004 has also kept me very busy with little time to read a book or go the cinema. I just realized that a whole year has past without going to the movies :-S One of the best things on TV is the third season of 24. I am currently still enjoying the events that take place between 6am and 7am. Each episode has me on the edge of my seat.
  
  
• Reading blogs has become a daily habit of mine. One of my favorite's is Brookelyn.org. So glad there are other women out there like her with such pleasuring readings. She was quiet for a while and took a break from blogging, but she's back again and I always look forward reading her stories taken from life. Too bad she doesn't design anymore, she's a real talent and has an exceptional taste for nice layout and colors.

Wow, I'm realizing this list is getting rather long, guess 2004 wasn't so bad. Well I leave it up to you now. What are your highlights of 2004? And don't be modest here :-P