What 2009 Has Taught Me
First of all, a happy Christmas/Boxing Day to everyday! I hope this blog finds you well and stuffed with Christmas cake and ham. Possibly pickling in some sort of alcohol as well. How did your Christmas go?
We had dinner at Shangri-la and played a little bit on the beach before we went home and opened pressies. Papa was happy with his antique typewriter and Mum liked her blue necklace. Arnold the cat was ecstatic at all the wrapping paper and ribbons and fireworks. There is nothing cuter than watching a cat at his first Christmas.
As per tradition, on the last weekend of every year I recount all the special lessons I've learned. 2009 was a major year for me, moving to and studying in another country, living away from home and doing my own stuff. There was a lot of freedom involved yes, but at the same time it came with a lot of responsibility. I guess that what growing up is about I think, learning about where you stand on certain things, how you react and cope with situations and dealing with various kinds of people. My favourite parts of the year were all the traveling I managed to get done. The first time I took a plane by myself was to Wellington, and that was a lot of fun. Except maybe landing and takeoff, but never mind. I ran around Cuba street by myself and even took the bus out to Seatoun without getting lost.
And so without further waffling, here is what I have learned from this year:
1. Boys will come and go but friends will never leave you. Real friends, at least.
2. Always separate the darks from the whites because nobody likes a blue duvet that was supposed to be white. Underwear an exception. Who's going to care that your yellow panties are now slightly pink after sticking them in with a fuchsia dress? Nobody.
3. When drinking Mudshakes, stick only to Mudshakes. Milk-based drinks do not go well with anything else but are otherwise a surefire way to have you hugging the porcelain throne the next morning. But Midori and Baileys make a yum shot.
*3.5 When out drinking with friends and Daniel tells you have a sip of his feijoa vodka, just say no. It is fouler than off Bleu cheese.
4. Don't take everything too seriously! Smile!
5. She who brings a grocery list to a road trip gets laughed at, unless you include chips and beer.
6. Low self-esteem brings you a lot of trouble. The quickest way to get back up is to look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that you are beautiful and that you could look a lot worse.
7. A friend will bring you to bed when you are too drunk to do it yourself. A real friend will not touch you when you have to share the same bed.
7.5 A friend will make fun of you for trying to outdrink him and failing miserably. A real friend will take you orange juice anyway after hearing you spewing the next morning.
8. Eso es lo que dijo is a fun phrase to remember.
9. A good way to know your mates is to know who they are when they're drunk. I've been lucky that I haven't met a violent drunk yet, just happy and talkative ones.
10. In relationships, keep to yourself the important bits and only let them know when you feel they are deserving enough.
11. Always go for cheap Tuesdays at the cinemas. You will never be short of people to watch movies with.
12. When planning road trips, always make sure you have a place to stay first before sorting out anything else unless you are ready to camp out in a field next to cows.
13. Red hair + blue dye = violet hair
Cheers everybody, I hope you all had a wonderful 2009! May 2010 be even better for you guys and may you always have good friends to spend time with. Thank you to all the wonderful people I have met this year, and a big hug to those who are still my mates here. :)
Have a happy New Year!
~doublesharp
ps. What are you guys doing for New Year? Is there anyone willing to adopt two Riveras?
We had dinner at Shangri-la and played a little bit on the beach before we went home and opened pressies. Papa was happy with his antique typewriter and Mum liked her blue necklace. Arnold the cat was ecstatic at all the wrapping paper and ribbons and fireworks. There is nothing cuter than watching a cat at his first Christmas.
As per tradition, on the last weekend of every year I recount all the special lessons I've learned. 2009 was a major year for me, moving to and studying in another country, living away from home and doing my own stuff. There was a lot of freedom involved yes, but at the same time it came with a lot of responsibility. I guess that what growing up is about I think, learning about where you stand on certain things, how you react and cope with situations and dealing with various kinds of people. My favourite parts of the year were all the traveling I managed to get done. The first time I took a plane by myself was to Wellington, and that was a lot of fun. Except maybe landing and takeoff, but never mind. I ran around Cuba street by myself and even took the bus out to Seatoun without getting lost.
And so without further waffling, here is what I have learned from this year:
1. Boys will come and go but friends will never leave you. Real friends, at least.
2. Always separate the darks from the whites because nobody likes a blue duvet that was supposed to be white. Underwear an exception. Who's going to care that your yellow panties are now slightly pink after sticking them in with a fuchsia dress? Nobody.
3. When drinking Mudshakes, stick only to Mudshakes. Milk-based drinks do not go well with anything else but are otherwise a surefire way to have you hugging the porcelain throne the next morning. But Midori and Baileys make a yum shot.
*3.5 When out drinking with friends and Daniel tells you have a sip of his feijoa vodka, just say no. It is fouler than off Bleu cheese.
4. Don't take everything too seriously! Smile!
5. She who brings a grocery list to a road trip gets laughed at, unless you include chips and beer.
6. Low self-esteem brings you a lot of trouble. The quickest way to get back up is to look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that you are beautiful and that you could look a lot worse.
7. A friend will bring you to bed when you are too drunk to do it yourself. A real friend will not touch you when you have to share the same bed.
7.5 A friend will make fun of you for trying to outdrink him and failing miserably. A real friend will take you orange juice anyway after hearing you spewing the next morning.
8. Eso es lo que dijo is a fun phrase to remember.
9. A good way to know your mates is to know who they are when they're drunk. I've been lucky that I haven't met a violent drunk yet, just happy and talkative ones.
10. In relationships, keep to yourself the important bits and only let them know when you feel they are deserving enough.
11. Always go for cheap Tuesdays at the cinemas. You will never be short of people to watch movies with.
12. When planning road trips, always make sure you have a place to stay first before sorting out anything else unless you are ready to camp out in a field next to cows.
13. Red hair + blue dye = violet hair
Cheers everybody, I hope you all had a wonderful 2009! May 2010 be even better for you guys and may you always have good friends to spend time with. Thank you to all the wonderful people I have met this year, and a big hug to those who are still my mates here. :)
Have a happy New Year!
~doublesharp
ps. What are you guys doing for New Year? Is there anyone willing to adopt two Riveras?