My 2015
The time has come! I've actually been looking forward to making this post because 2015 has been an interesting and overall positive year for me.
1. What did you do in 2015 that you'd never done before?
Open a savings account! I had a couple of them while I was younger, but those were always managed by my mother, and ever since I've become an adult I've never had enough money to make it worth putting any of it away. Until this year...
2. Did you keep your New Year resolutions and will you make more for next year?
Last year I said that I was going to do anything in my power to get Mark and me out of that single room we were living in, and I did! This year I resolve to work on achieving greater job satisfaction next year, whatever that may require.
3. Did anyone close to you get married?
Yes! Mark's brother James married his long-time girlfriend Nienke and we got to attend.
4. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I think this is the first time since I started doing these year in review things that I can answer this with a resounding yes! Petra had her little Till in February and Chrisi gave birth to little giant Philipp in September.
5. Did anyone close to you die?
Nobody really close to me, but I'm going to count Mark's grandmother since we attended her funeral, and Frau Schultz, the neighbour I mentioned in this post.
6. What countries did you visit?
Just Austria again, twice.
7. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?
More job satisfaction.
8. What date from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
The day we got the keys to our flat.
9. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finding and securing a flat just across the road.
10. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting a promotion? That didn't feel that bad though. At the risk of sounding conceited, I feel like this was a pretty successful year for me.
11. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Fortunately nothing too serious, just a nasty bout of flu in spring and a mysteriously wrenched back in summer.
12. What was the best thing you bought?
A super fluffy dressing gown from Marks and Sparks, which has really helped against me being cold in the evenings all the time.
13. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
I discovered Humans of New York this year. The guy who runs it is pretty much a saint and his site is one of the rare beacons of positivity on the internet.
14. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
People still killing each other over religion in 2015? Gah. On a smaller level, some stuff that happened at work.
15. Where did most of your money go?
Into my brand new savings account! (See answer to question one.)
16. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving house.
17. What song will always remind you of 2015?
Justin Bieber's "What do you mean?", which is so awful that I've never listened to it in its entirety, but some work colleagues of mine were a bit obsessed with it for a while.
18. Compared to this last year are you
a) happier or sadder?
Happier because of our flat, but otherwise more or less the same.
b) thinner or fatter?
I actually bought some scales when we moved in but I rarely use them because I don't like what they show me, haha! So probably fatter yet again.
c) richer or poorer?
Richer again - did I mention my new savings account?
19. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Spend more time on my hobbies, again. Except that there is never enough time.
20. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Spend time being angry about random crap that happened during the day. I'm not someone who gets angry a lot, but this year some events really pushed my buttons... and showed me a freightening potential future in which I'm more like other members of my family, always angry about something.
21. How did you spend Christmas?
With my family in Austria, for the first time since 2009!
22. How was your love life in 2015?
Solid. Last year I wrote about being worried about Mark and me fighting a lot compared to what I was used to with Graham, but that has really settled down - I don't really recall us getting into any major arguments at all this year; we're definitely more attuned to each other by now. Mark still manages to mystify me sometimes though, and I can never decide whether that's a good or a bad thing (keeping the relationship fresh and full of surprises vs. not really understanding each other).
23. What was your favourite video game?
Still a loyal Star Wars: The Old Republic player, though I also spent a fair amount of time in Neverwinter and even dabbled on a private Vanilla WoW server for a bit.
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
We still don't have a television, though we sometimes talk about getting one since we do have the space now. We managed to watch another season of Person of Interest while visiting my Mum though and it's still a good show.
25. Do you dislike anyone now that you didn't dislike this time last year?
I felt quite let down by some people at work this year.
26. What was the best book you read?
I actually managed to read quite a few books this year! Earning my own money, having space to actually store new books and working near a Waterstones have definitely contributed to that. I think my favourite was probably Andy Weir's The Martian, since it had been a while since I last read some "hard" sci-fi and it was really enjoyable.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I've listened to so little music this year that I really don't have anything to say here.
28. What did you want and get?
A nice flat for Mark and me that didn't require us to move very far.
29. What did you want and not get?
That promotion... but never mind that now.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I should probably add that it was also the only film I saw this year, but it was still good!
31. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I turned 32 and I think I just took the day off to be lazy? Don't remember for sure.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Last year's answer of "having more than 24 hours in a day" still applies I think!
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2015?
Jeggings are amazing.
34. What kept you sane?
Feeling fulfilled and secure in my everyday life.
35. Which celebrity/public figure caught your attention the most?
Probably Donald Trump. How can this guy be for real?
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The shootings and bombings in France. I could tell that my French colleagues were heavily affected by them, and it's just scary that this kind of thing can happen in Europe and what sort of fear it inspires in many people.
37. Who did you miss?
My Mum, because I really wanted to be able to be there for her more than I actually can be.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
My now not-so-new-anymore co-worker Verena. Thinking about it though, I really didn't meet a lot of new people this year! That's what happens when you stay in the same job and continue engaging in the same hobbies all year.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015.
I realised that I'm incredibly paranoid about my life ending in disaster somehow (having no money and becoming homeless, people I love leaving me or dying, that kind of thing) and that I need to become a bit more zen about things that I have no control over.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Apparently I've used "don't worry, be happy" before, but I think it applies again.
1. What did you do in 2015 that you'd never done before?
Open a savings account! I had a couple of them while I was younger, but those were always managed by my mother, and ever since I've become an adult I've never had enough money to make it worth putting any of it away. Until this year...
2. Did you keep your New Year resolutions and will you make more for next year?
Last year I said that I was going to do anything in my power to get Mark and me out of that single room we were living in, and I did! This year I resolve to work on achieving greater job satisfaction next year, whatever that may require.
3. Did anyone close to you get married?
Yes! Mark's brother James married his long-time girlfriend Nienke and we got to attend.
4. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I think this is the first time since I started doing these year in review things that I can answer this with a resounding yes! Petra had her little Till in February and Chrisi gave birth to little giant Philipp in September.
5. Did anyone close to you die?
Nobody really close to me, but I'm going to count Mark's grandmother since we attended her funeral, and Frau Schultz, the neighbour I mentioned in this post.
6. What countries did you visit?
Just Austria again, twice.
7. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?
More job satisfaction.
8. What date from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
The day we got the keys to our flat.
9. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finding and securing a flat just across the road.
10. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting a promotion? That didn't feel that bad though. At the risk of sounding conceited, I feel like this was a pretty successful year for me.
11. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Fortunately nothing too serious, just a nasty bout of flu in spring and a mysteriously wrenched back in summer.
12. What was the best thing you bought?
A super fluffy dressing gown from Marks and Sparks, which has really helped against me being cold in the evenings all the time.
13. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
I discovered Humans of New York this year. The guy who runs it is pretty much a saint and his site is one of the rare beacons of positivity on the internet.
14. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
People still killing each other over religion in 2015? Gah. On a smaller level, some stuff that happened at work.
15. Where did most of your money go?
Into my brand new savings account! (See answer to question one.)
16. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving house.
17. What song will always remind you of 2015?
Justin Bieber's "What do you mean?", which is so awful that I've never listened to it in its entirety, but some work colleagues of mine were a bit obsessed with it for a while.
18. Compared to this last year are you
a) happier or sadder?
Happier because of our flat, but otherwise more or less the same.
b) thinner or fatter?
I actually bought some scales when we moved in but I rarely use them because I don't like what they show me, haha! So probably fatter yet again.
c) richer or poorer?
Richer again - did I mention my new savings account?
19. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Spend more time on my hobbies, again. Except that there is never enough time.
20. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Spend time being angry about random crap that happened during the day. I'm not someone who gets angry a lot, but this year some events really pushed my buttons... and showed me a freightening potential future in which I'm more like other members of my family, always angry about something.
21. How did you spend Christmas?
With my family in Austria, for the first time since 2009!
22. How was your love life in 2015?
Solid. Last year I wrote about being worried about Mark and me fighting a lot compared to what I was used to with Graham, but that has really settled down - I don't really recall us getting into any major arguments at all this year; we're definitely more attuned to each other by now. Mark still manages to mystify me sometimes though, and I can never decide whether that's a good or a bad thing (keeping the relationship fresh and full of surprises vs. not really understanding each other).
23. What was your favourite video game?
Still a loyal Star Wars: The Old Republic player, though I also spent a fair amount of time in Neverwinter and even dabbled on a private Vanilla WoW server for a bit.
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
We still don't have a television, though we sometimes talk about getting one since we do have the space now. We managed to watch another season of Person of Interest while visiting my Mum though and it's still a good show.
25. Do you dislike anyone now that you didn't dislike this time last year?
I felt quite let down by some people at work this year.
26. What was the best book you read?
I actually managed to read quite a few books this year! Earning my own money, having space to actually store new books and working near a Waterstones have definitely contributed to that. I think my favourite was probably Andy Weir's The Martian, since it had been a while since I last read some "hard" sci-fi and it was really enjoyable.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I've listened to so little music this year that I really don't have anything to say here.
28. What did you want and get?
A nice flat for Mark and me that didn't require us to move very far.
29. What did you want and not get?
That promotion... but never mind that now.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I should probably add that it was also the only film I saw this year, but it was still good!
31. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I turned 32 and I think I just took the day off to be lazy? Don't remember for sure.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Last year's answer of "having more than 24 hours in a day" still applies I think!
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2015?
Jeggings are amazing.
34. What kept you sane?
Feeling fulfilled and secure in my everyday life.
35. Which celebrity/public figure caught your attention the most?
Probably Donald Trump. How can this guy be for real?
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The shootings and bombings in France. I could tell that my French colleagues were heavily affected by them, and it's just scary that this kind of thing can happen in Europe and what sort of fear it inspires in many people.
37. Who did you miss?
My Mum, because I really wanted to be able to be there for her more than I actually can be.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
My now not-so-new-anymore co-worker Verena. Thinking about it though, I really didn't meet a lot of new people this year! That's what happens when you stay in the same job and continue engaging in the same hobbies all year.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015.
I realised that I'm incredibly paranoid about my life ending in disaster somehow (having no money and becoming homeless, people I love leaving me or dying, that kind of thing) and that I need to become a bit more zen about things that I have no control over.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Apparently I've used "don't worry, be happy" before, but I think it applies again.