One year ago I decided to offer myself a very special birthday gift: I accepted a full-time position with Raincity Studios. The wrapper looked cool, the card was inviting and it sounded good when I shook the box.

Little did I know what was to come when I accepted the offer... We were a crew of six at that time, occupying the cosy 525 Seymour office and working on small and engaging projects. Then talented new team members and soon-to-be-friends joined our gang. Next there was the fruitful Bryght acquisition and, more recently, the opening of the Shanghai office. We are now a family of 27 hard-working, dedicated and fun-loving people, collaborating together on larger exciting projects. It feels like I'm still unwrapping the gift...

During this last year I have had the chance to discover new places and meet up with a fantastic bunch of drupalists under the RCS banner. From drupalcon in Barcelona to Shanghai; from Toronto to Montreal to San Francisco, I have learned a lot about what makes the Drupal community so vibrant and stimulating. I am very grateful for having the chance to be in this situation.

I have recently taken on a different role at RCS that will take me partly away from coding. This new position will involve me learning a different set of skills and acquiring new knowledge. Luckily, I am surrounded by so many smart people that the learning curve and challenges that I will encounter will be greatly lessened. Besides learning the management ropes, speaking Mandarin and working within the Chinese culture are some of my top priorities.

In the year ahead I am looking forward to: working on challenging and innovative projects; collaborating more in depth with our Chinese and international colleagues; helping to create a better, smarter and more efficient work environment; and of course, enjoying the good life with the RCS crew, whether that be on snowshoes or in the tasty Gastown eateries!