I have picked and chosen the questions which interested me from the few NY memes I’ve seen around.
Where did you ring in 2008?
Banjipur, India. At a wildlife sanctuary.
Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for 2009?
I can’t remember if I made any resolutions last year. This year I am making them.
This year I resolve to:
* keep better in contact with my Japanese family and friends;
* get fitter and healthier;
* master the skills listed on my white board for photography (lighting, white balance, restoring photos,
portraiture and using a lightmeter);
* not take my new job so seriously nor let it stress me.
What did you do in 2008 that you’ve never done before?
Stood up for my rights at work. Quit a job with nothing new to go to. Negotiated salary in a job interview. Tried walking a cat on a harness. Got engaged. Planned a wedding!
What’s something you learned about yourself
I really enjoy doing administrative work and organising things.
Did you fall in love in 2008?
Yes, yes, yes! At various random times zen_cat will do or say something which makes me fall in love with him all over again, and a little bit more every time. I hope I never stop falling in love with him.
Any new additions to your family?
Shakti and Jai, two beautiful Burmese cats. A whole family-in-law!
Did you know anyone who got married?
Yes –we did! Matt and Bree. Euan and Christine. Belinda and Rob.
Did you know anyone who gave birth?
Yes, it seems we have reached the baby zone! Alison, Jody and I’m surely forgetting someone! More due next year.
Did you know anyone who passed away?
Yes, my best friend’s grandfather passed away which was devastating for everyone. One of my sister-in-laws miscarried twins on Christmas Eve 🙁
Have you run into anybody you graduated high school with?
A few tried to Facebook Friend me. A friend ended up working with one of my ex classmates.
What countries did you visit?
India
What date from 2008 will be etched on your memory and why?
Friday January 25th – the day zen_cat proposed to me.
Saturday October 11th – the day we got married.
These dates are etched on my rings as well as my memory 😉
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Having our wedding happen without any dramas on the day (it was a group achievement!). Renovating the study. Spending lots of time encouraging our kittens to be cuddly and affectionate.
What was your biggest failure?
I don’t like looking at anything as a failure as such. My biggest lesson of the year is that I need to learn to manage stress and not put myself so much into a job that I burn out.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
Alas, yes. More colds than I can remember ever having, a mini bout of tonsillitis and an unidentified stomach bug which caused our honeymoon to be cut short. Oh and that stomach thing I got in India at the start of the year.
What was the best thing you bought?
Kittens!!! Two gorgeous Burmese kittens!
New furniture – bookcases, TV stand and proper drawers for all my clothes. Heaven!
Most gorgeous wedding dress ever!!! (yes, I’m biased – I designed it so I’d want to be!;-)
Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My beloved husband, for supporting me through a busy, busy year, for putting up with all my moods and angsts over work and all sources of stress, for encouraging me to quit a job which was making me miserable and most of all for always having a positive, can-do attitude – he inspires me to be a better, more positive person every day.
Kevin Rudd for finally apologising to the Stolen Generations.
Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Upper Management at my old workplace – whoever it is who makes the final decisions on what is and isn’t viable as far as staff and budget are concerned.
The general trends across large companies and corporations to treat staff poorly – I don’t understand why it is so hard for them to understand that treating staff respectfully can really only benefit the organisation in the long run.
Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage, medical expenses, wedding preps, food.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Our wedding! Our honeymoon!
What’s the one thing you thought you would never do, but did in 2008?
Get married.
What was your favourite TV program?
Heroes, So You Think You Can Dance, any Michael Palin travel series.
What was your favourite film this year?
Iron Man and Dark Knight. I *love* the comic book movies.
What was your favourite book you read this year?
Vince and Joy by Lisa Jewell. A gorgoues romance about the journey people take to be ready for their partner.
What was your greatest musical discovery?
I didn’t really make any, unless Iron Maiden counts as it wasn’t something I had listened to much and I discovered that I liked it.
What concerts did you go to?
Iron Maiden – It was fantastic!
Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
I was pretty happy this time last year, and I’m happier now 🙂
ii. thinner or fatter?
Marginally thinner – I’ve been fluctuating about 3kg the last four months and am on the high end of that after Christmas and NY.
iii. richer or poorer?
Poorer – by choice and it’s about to change.
What do you wish you’d done more of?
Photography, swimming, riding, organising, reading, writing to friends overseas.
What do you wish you’d done less of?
Stressed. Been sick.
How did you spend Christmas?
Dinner with the new family on Chrissie Eve, then a day of food, presents, nieces and swimming with my family on Chrissie Day.
What did you want and get?
A perfect wedding.
What did you want and not get?
A bonafide get-away-from-the-house, relax and do fun things in a new place (preferably by the beach) for a number of days holiday.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I went to the movies with my best friend, then went to dinner at Japanese restaurant on Smith Street with zen_cat and two very special friends from the Netherlands, Christina and Niels. I turned 31.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Achieving more towards my own business, especially getting my website up and running. That would feel like a great achievement.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Practical. Smart work clothes most of the time, jeans the rest. I want more pretties but work clothes took priority and I’m currently working out where my fashion is heading – the goth clothes aren’t working for me anymore but I still like soft, floaty and feminine, except when I want to Get Things Done. Trouble is, most of the time I want to Get Things Done, and jeans just feel more practical.
What kept you sane?
zen_cat. Shakti and Jai.
What political issue stirred you the most?
The financial hand-outs to the banks who started the economic landslide which gave them mor emoney but didn’t stop the economy from falling rapidly. I don’t understand the ins and outs of the situation, so from from my untutored eye it looks like the banks were almost rewarded for taking such stupid risks whilst it is the people they loaned to who bear the brunt of the banks’ dodgy dealings.
Who did you miss?
My friends and students in Japan.
Who was the best new person you met
Not new to meet, but new to get to know properlyish was qamar.
Our wedding photographer, David. He has taught me so much in such a short time.
What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Disposable income! (ie. money not tied up by mortgage, wedding and day-to-day life)
A housekeeper and a dishwasher in order to get the ultimate commodity: time.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Just because I react in a certain way to things, or hold a certain view or value, doesn’t mean everyone else has to and other values have their place, even if I can’t see it.
I’m not sure I’ve fully assimilated this understanding, but at least it is in my head and I remind myself of it when I’m getting frustrated or am not understanding someone.
