I do this every year
1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
Went to New Orleans, went to a Lady Gaga concert, started a job in the medical field.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make resolutions, except for maybe reading 50 books and watching 100 movies within a year, but I've yet to achieve either goal. (same as last year :P )
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
My suitemate, Uchenna Moneke, from freshman year passed away in November. My maternal grandfather also passed away. I attended Uchenna's funeral but I couldn't make my grandfather's funeral since the ceremony was in Buenos Aires.
5. What countries did you visit?
NONE! I am so sad :[ Especially when my life goal was to have visited all of the inhabited continents before I turned 25! Ah well, I'll just adjust it so that I would have visited all of them before I turn 30 then.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
No more debts (or most of my debts largely paid off, some sort of pension plan set up, and a car would be nice.
7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
April 22nd-24th, where I had a birthday celebration each day of that weekend :) The 22nd, Ethan had coordinated a pseudo-surprise party for me and my friends. The 23rd, Ethan surprised me yet again with tickets for me, himself, and two of my friends for a Lady Gaga concert. The 24th was my actual birthday, which I celebrated with my family. It was an amazing weekend.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Uhhh... Losing 7 pounds by the end of the year? It was even planned, it just happened.
9. What was your biggest failure?
My immune system sucks and I get sick all the damn time, grrr.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No injuries but I get sick all the damn tick. Currently suffering from a cold that I caught on New Year's Eve :[
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Uhhh... Maybe my new glasses?
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Ethan's, yet again. He's a good person.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My supervisor at the non-profit that I was interning and then working for. She was the founder of the company and she just turned out to be a very demanding bitch with unrealistic expectations. I was putting in an average of 16 hours a day during the week, even when I wasn't actually at work (I would do work for her while I was at the other job, too, eeps!) and the work kept piling up. When I was in the office, she would make me run errands for her, which would of course take time away from the tasks I had to do. Just very out of touch with reality and her behavior was extremely appalling at times. She would routinely call up AT&T (her cell phone provider) and bitch and berate the CSR in order to have charges that she "unknowingly" racked up. Yeah right. Good riddance to her.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills, food, transportation. This doesn't really change.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Hrm, I was pretty excited about going to New Orleans and also about starting my new job.
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
The Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga :P Hah
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?: happier
ii. thinner or fatter?: thinner
iii. richer or poorer?: about the same since I had many bills to pay off and I'm saving for a trip that's coming up soon
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Worked out more. I would still like to run a 10k sometime soon.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Waste money and time. (same as last year)
20. How will you be spending the holidays?
I spent Christmas day with my family in Queens, which Ethan came along for as well. We traded gifts, ate Korean and Argentine foods, and then headed back to Brooklyn. In the evening, we met up with his family to watch The Adventures of Tin Tin in the movie theater by Lincoln Center and then we had dinner at Amber, a pan-asian restaurant close to the theater. After that, we went to their place where we exchanged Hanukkah gifts. For New Year's Eve, me and Ethan went to a pre-fixe dinner at Rayuela in the Lower East Side, a nouveau-Latin restaurant. After that, I met up with Andrew, Kristin, and Kevin and went back to the apartment. Around 3 in the afternoon, my friend Yannick (who I have been talking to for years online and was in town for the holidays) and I finally met in person when he and his friend, Pierre, decided to take a cab down to my neighborhood. We and Ethan (who was in a warehouse party that I didn't want to go to) went to a White Castle and just chatted. The next day, I went to my parents' place and had traditional Korean foods, then met up with Ethan and his family and their friends for dinner at an Italian place in the UWS, then me and Ethan met up with Yannick, Pierre, and Kevin at a bar in Greenwich Village. A jam-packed holiday season, to say the least :P
21. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve?
See above
22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
;)
23. How many one-night stands?
Zip.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
I started watching Breaking Bad, which is pretty friggin amazing. I also watched all the new episodes of True Blood, the Walking Dead, Top Chef, Project Runway, the Amazing Race, Beavis and Butthead, and South Park.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Maybe my supervisor at that NPO? Haha.
26. What was the best book you read?
"Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides and "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
No new music this year...
28. What did you want and get?
A cosmetics train case and Lady Gaga concert tickets :D
29. What did you want and not get?
A job closer to where I live now and is actually relevant to what I'm studying/have studied. I did get a new job but it's not any closer and it's not relevant to what I've studied :S At least it pays better...
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I really really enjoyed Persepolis!
31. What did you do on your birthday?
Look above.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
No more debt!
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Lazy unkempt twenty something, now with a slight hipster edge!
34. What kept you sane?
Really good friends, an excellent boyfriend, letter writing... Haha.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Nobody, I suppose. (same as last year)
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The Occupy Wall Street protests were interesting, but I did not participate nor am I that liberal. My sympathies were more in line with the protesters, though.
37. Who did you miss?
I guess some family members. And some friends that I didn't get to see too often. (same as last year)
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I like my new coworkers :)
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011
You should never have to settle for something that just gets you by. If you want something badly enough, you will find your way out. Never settle.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year
"Don't you try and catch me,
Don't you try and get me,
No! No! No! No!
Don't you try to catch me,
I'm living on the edge of the law, law, law, law. "
Americano by Lady Gaga.