2015 in review.
1. What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before?
- Started a PhD programme
- Got accepted to the University of Cambridge
- Presented a paper at an academic conference
- Casually dated different men for fun
- Went to Penang, Langkawi and Yangon
- Lived in a basement room
- Had housemates
- Travelled with people that I didn't know (but definitely liked after knowing them!)
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any. I wanted my new year's resolution to be to get over G, but I am pretty much over it already. I would resolve to pass my first year assessment but I know I will pass, so that's pointless. I guess a good one would be not to mess around with people guys that I shouldn't mess around with, and you know, be a better person. (I think I will forget all about this by tomorrow.)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I don't remember, so if someone did give birth, the person obviously isn't close to me. The answer has to be no.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Taiwan, the UK.
6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?
PhD funding, I guess.
7. What dates from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I honestly couldn't think of a single date, but I can think of many moments, such as the moment I found out that I got into Cambridge.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I would say getting into Cambridge, but I'm not sure that counts as an achievement because it wasn't entirely up to me. As such, I would say writing a conference paper while working on my PhD at the same time against my supervisors' advice, and somehow managing not to screw up.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Allowing myself to, first, feel too much for someone who wasn't going to be in the same country as me, and subsequently, to be hung up on him for months and letting him affect me negatively.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I have a weird rash on my neck, but that's about it.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
I honestly can't think of anything.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My parents for being supportive of my PhD; Mag and Rui for being awesome friends; Elissa for being my bitching counterpart throughout the whole G crap; and Dominic for being sweet.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
G. Who else? I don't need to rehash this, I'm sure.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Plane tickets, food and clothes.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting into Cambridge! Duh.
16. What song will always remind you of 2015?
'Communication' by the Cardigans.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
a. Happier by a mile. I am doing something that I want to do and finally on a career track that makes sense to me.
b. Maybe slightly fatter but more or less the same, I think.
c. Slightly richer, I would hope, considering I was employed for six months!
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Write. Same damn answer every year. Also I wish I'd worked harder on my PhD.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Giving that much of a shit about G when it was obviously not worth it.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Lunch at uncle's, then dinner with my family. Pretty perfect.
21. Did you fall in love in 2015?
Unfortunately, yes. Fuck.
22. What was your favorite TV programme?
I stopped watching TV shows after I met G. I don't know why. Anyway, nothing stood out in my memory.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I dislike G with an intense passion.
24. What was the best book you read?
Wow, this is a tough one. Toni Morrison's Beloved; Gerard Woodward's Joneses trilogy, August being my favourite; A S Byatt's Possession: A Romance; Jeanette Winterson's Written on the Body; and Ford Madox Ford's The Good Soldier.
Julian Barnes has a new novel coming out this month. His new novel will be my answer to this question later this year.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
George Ezra and The Cardigans.
26. What did you want and get?
A place to do a PhD in Cambridge!
27. What did you want and not get?
G. But I think that's a good thing. I am so much happier now that he's out of my life.
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I can only answer in terms of films that I watched in 2015, not films that were released in 2015. Even then...I don't know. I didn't watch that many films. I watched a lot of French films (mostly on planes) and some German ones. I'm honestly really bored of Hollywood movies.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I think I went to work. I had dinner at home with my parents, then my favourite chocolate cake. I was, sadly, 29.
30. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting into Cambridge. There was nothing else that was of that magnitude in 2015.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2015?
I wear whatever I want, innit?
32. What kept you sane?
My rationality and fierce belief in myself.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don't care about these things anymore.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
I am getting increasingly apathetic. There is little point in being stirred by political issues or outraged, because the world is what it is. Posting cute hashtags on your Facebook profile to express your outrage will not change jack shit and it therefore serves no real purpose. Having said that, the haze issue pissed me off. This answer sucks, but I think my general point is that....nevermind, I don't know what my point is.
35. Who did you miss?
My family. I also missed G, but I know now that it was a waste of my emotions.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Dominic, followed closely by John.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015.
If your instincts are saying one thing, listen to it. Your instincts are usually right. Also, it's stupid to unlearn lessons already learnt. I knew in 2007 that no man in this world is worth the cost of my pride, and yet I let the G crap go on for as long as it did. How stupid of me. I knew better, and yet, I couldn't make myself stop. Well, it won't happen again.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
If this is communication, I disconnect. - Communication by the Cardigans
And this, too: And I hold a record for being patient with your kind of hesitation. Same song.
- Started a PhD programme
- Got accepted to the University of Cambridge
- Presented a paper at an academic conference
- Casually dated different men for fun
- Went to Penang, Langkawi and Yangon
- Lived in a basement room
- Had housemates
- Travelled with people that I didn't know (but definitely liked after knowing them!)
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any. I wanted my new year's resolution to be to get over G, but I am pretty much over it already. I would resolve to pass my first year assessment but I know I will pass, so that's pointless. I guess a good one would be not to mess around with people guys that I shouldn't mess around with, and you know, be a better person. (I think I will forget all about this by tomorrow.)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I don't remember, so if someone did give birth, the person obviously isn't close to me. The answer has to be no.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Taiwan, the UK.
6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?
PhD funding, I guess.
7. What dates from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I honestly couldn't think of a single date, but I can think of many moments, such as the moment I found out that I got into Cambridge.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I would say getting into Cambridge, but I'm not sure that counts as an achievement because it wasn't entirely up to me. As such, I would say writing a conference paper while working on my PhD at the same time against my supervisors' advice, and somehow managing not to screw up.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Allowing myself to, first, feel too much for someone who wasn't going to be in the same country as me, and subsequently, to be hung up on him for months and letting him affect me negatively.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I have a weird rash on my neck, but that's about it.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
I honestly can't think of anything.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My parents for being supportive of my PhD; Mag and Rui for being awesome friends; Elissa for being my bitching counterpart throughout the whole G crap; and Dominic for being sweet.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
G. Who else? I don't need to rehash this, I'm sure.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Plane tickets, food and clothes.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting into Cambridge! Duh.
16. What song will always remind you of 2015?
'Communication' by the Cardigans.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
a. Happier by a mile. I am doing something that I want to do and finally on a career track that makes sense to me.
b. Maybe slightly fatter but more or less the same, I think.
c. Slightly richer, I would hope, considering I was employed for six months!
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Write. Same damn answer every year. Also I wish I'd worked harder on my PhD.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Giving that much of a shit about G when it was obviously not worth it.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Lunch at uncle's, then dinner with my family. Pretty perfect.
21. Did you fall in love in 2015?
Unfortunately, yes. Fuck.
22. What was your favorite TV programme?
I stopped watching TV shows after I met G. I don't know why. Anyway, nothing stood out in my memory.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I dislike G with an intense passion.
24. What was the best book you read?
Wow, this is a tough one. Toni Morrison's Beloved; Gerard Woodward's Joneses trilogy, August being my favourite; A S Byatt's Possession: A Romance; Jeanette Winterson's Written on the Body; and Ford Madox Ford's The Good Soldier.
Julian Barnes has a new novel coming out this month. His new novel will be my answer to this question later this year.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
George Ezra and The Cardigans.
26. What did you want and get?
A place to do a PhD in Cambridge!
27. What did you want and not get?
G. But I think that's a good thing. I am so much happier now that he's out of my life.
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I can only answer in terms of films that I watched in 2015, not films that were released in 2015. Even then...I don't know. I didn't watch that many films. I watched a lot of French films (mostly on planes) and some German ones. I'm honestly really bored of Hollywood movies.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I think I went to work. I had dinner at home with my parents, then my favourite chocolate cake. I was, sadly, 29.
30. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting into Cambridge. There was nothing else that was of that magnitude in 2015.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2015?
I wear whatever I want, innit?
32. What kept you sane?
My rationality and fierce belief in myself.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don't care about these things anymore.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
I am getting increasingly apathetic. There is little point in being stirred by political issues or outraged, because the world is what it is. Posting cute hashtags on your Facebook profile to express your outrage will not change jack shit and it therefore serves no real purpose. Having said that, the haze issue pissed me off. This answer sucks, but I think my general point is that....nevermind, I don't know what my point is.
35. Who did you miss?
My family. I also missed G, but I know now that it was a waste of my emotions.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Dominic, followed closely by John.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015.
If your instincts are saying one thing, listen to it. Your instincts are usually right. Also, it's stupid to unlearn lessons already learnt. I knew in 2007 that no man in this world is worth the cost of my pride, and yet I let the G crap go on for as long as it did. How stupid of me. I knew better, and yet, I couldn't make myself stop. Well, it won't happen again.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
If this is communication, I disconnect. - Communication by the Cardigans
And this, too: And I hold a record for being patient with your kind of hesitation. Same song.