[MEME] 2024 IN REVIEW
Well, that was a year now, wasn't it?
1. What did you do in 2024 that you'd never done before?
Speak on a panel at a conference; attend a German wedding; visit Scotland/Isle of Skye; draft a lawyerly nastygram for personal reasons; gift acrylic paintings to my in-laws; mentored two direct reports; playing a oneshot DnD game run by strangers.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Recap:
- Not get 3-months behind on my daily journaling practice
Uuh, so does it count if I was only consistently 2-months behind on my daily journaling practice? I feel like this one was a wash since I was carrying that deficit for the latter half of the year. I didn't get caught up until two weeks into December.
- Learn to use Blendr and sculpt a 3D mini for DnD purposes
I didn't even crack open Blendr once in 2024. This year was so busy work-wise that any creativity was focused more on existing skills and hobbies.
- Use the airbrush set I'd gotten myself in 2022
Completely forgot about this one. Shit.
For this year:
- Daily goal: 15-30 minutes of physical (workout/yoga) or creative (e.g., drawing) activity.
- Finish putting together one of the Yuumei paper Koi Lanterns
- Use either the Cricut Thomas got me for Christmas 2023 or the airbrush set I got myself in 2022 @_@
- Run at least one TTRPG oneshot as the GM
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, two former private practice colleagues gave birth.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Germany and Scotland.
6. What would you like to have in 2025 that you lacked in 2024?
More sleep/energy. The latter half of the year just felt very rushed and unpleasantly busy.
7. What date from 2024 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Nov 6, 2024. I was in DC on a business trip and waking up that morning was... eerie. Very surreal with an unpleasant sense of deja vu even before I checked the news for the election results.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Gained two direct reports at work I guess?
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not taking more PTO. I actually lost a couple of hours since I had excess of the maximum rollover-able amount. Recovering litigator bad habits are hard to break, it seems.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
None that I can actually recall. I did experience a few days where my seasonal (?) allergy symptoms decided to rise up and completely fuck my with sinuses.
11. What were the best things you bought?
A really fucking expensive Italian egg/nest-like rocking chair.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Those who engaged in humanitarian efforts and didn't shy away from the fact that there is in fact a genocide happening in Gaza. Also, a resounding "fuck you" to anyone who is a Netenyahu apologist on that front.
13. Whose behaviour appalled you?
All those who voted the sentient orange disaster back into office.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Additional funding into our side hustle business (we expanded into Michigan).
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
EPIC the Musical's Vengeance Saga in general (except for 600 Strikes... lol) and The Challenge song from the Ithaca Saga.
16. What song will always remind you of 2024?
The completed EPIC the Musical concept album--but I suppose specifically The Challenge (still waiting on Gigi's animatic for the full release!!).
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Maybe a little sadder? I attribute this to just a bone weariness. I really just want to retire, dammit.
ii. thinner or fatter? Probably fatter. It's not showing that much on my face, but the fact that certain clothing no longer fits is telling LOL
iii. richer or poorer? Probably richer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Sleep and relax.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Work to be honest. For the better half of the year I was pulling the weight of two attorneys at my company. Dude who we hired to backfill the Senior Counsel position ended up creating more work for me while he was there. No bueno.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Very quietly and uneventfully. We headed to my parent's place on Christmas Eve and had a typical massive meal for dinner. Then we played card games until bed (24 and 争上游/Zhēng Shàngyóu). I received a hilarious Circe-themed Tshirt from Thomas as my final advent calendar gift before bed. Christmas morning we had breakfast and distributed gifts to my parents and sibling. We headed back home afterward and had ourselves a quick little gift exchange. I received a lot of very thoughtful gifts from Thomas for all that I am admittedly very difficult to shop for apparently LOL
21. Where did you ring in 2024? How will you ring in 2025?
2024: We tested negative for Covid that morning! We all did various errands throughout the day. Since our original plans for a major NYE bash got killed due to illness, we spent the evening pretty chill. Had homemade lasagna from our neighbor for dinner, ube cocktails, and then just before midnight, went downstairs to the Navy Pier bridges with champagne flutes and rang in the new year there. When we came back upstairs, we did bootlegged version of karaoke and partook in edibles.
2025: We very last minute invited a friend who'd recently broken up with his partner of 5+ years and his new boyfriend over for dinner. We'd spent the entire day cleaning the apartment and I made a massive cottage pie. They came, we really liked the new guy, made plans to hang out more in January, and finished a bottle of champagne, a bottle of prosecco, and a bottle of red. They actually left before midnight so it was just Thomas and I half asleep on the couch. We were so tired we didn't even bother getting up to see the fireworks from our window, ha.
22. Did you fall in love in 2024?
Still very much married.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
I randomly picked up The Librarians--really campy early 2000s humour. Didn't really watch too much TV to be honest.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Kind of? I heavily dislike certain catty persons at my workplace now. Before I was neutral about them--this year as I've had to interact with them more, my neutrality dipped into active disdain.
26. What was the best book you read?
No book, only fic. And a couple of webnovels. I started reading Debut or Die near the end of the year--the irony of actively seeking out and reading idol regression stories is not lost on me.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
No new musical discoveries this year--still riding the EPIC the Musical release/completion wave.
28. What did you want and get?
Winning the corporate building management's pumpkin decorating/carving contest. I would have been damned if I lost again to some papa smurf head monstrosity. Luckily this year actually had some really good entries and stiff competition. And I still won with my macabre take on Cinderella's pumpkin carriage. I also won my company's costume contest (having thrown together a Raven Queen get up), so that really boosted my ego.
29. What did you want and not get?
Still that Rennaissance Fair experience.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Deadpool and Wolverine. Channing Tatum's Gambit was amazing (give that man his own movie dammit), as was the Cavillrine.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was rolling, creeping up to my late-30s. At midnight, I'd received a beautiful Koi teapot and DnD (D4) dice earrings set from Grace, a Kodak portable photo printer from our German couple friends who were still in Chicago visiting us, and a Cricut Maker 3 from my husband (which I still have yet to truly use... fuck). My MIL also had gifted me a bunch of Cricut accessories. OTL Then I went to bed LOL. In the morning, I had to work. It was generally a shitty grey day, but Thomas went out and came home with 6 slices of Jennivee's cake. Grace joined us for some birthday tea/coffee and cake. At 5:30pm, we went to Kyu Ramen so that I would complete the Chinese tradition of eating birthday noodles for longevity. Then we hit up a tiki bar in the area for more drinks, and ended up at Pigtail (a speakeasy). I actually got a free mixology Irish coffee at the last place--it was really nice. :)
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having to deal with all the water damage in both our apartment and in my long-term rental unit. Our neighbor flooded our hallway in March, so we were living with a concrete hole for a couple of months, then had to further live in a construction zone for almost another month while we replaced the flooring. Then there was mold issue at my long-term rental unit as a result of the marlo units flooding for the first time ever. This was not a good year with respect to high rise water issues.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2024?
Jeans/soft graphic tees and dresses in warm weather; flannel/fleece jacket shirts (long live Costco!) in cold weather.
34. What kept you sane?
Webcomics and XiCheng fics--I feel like Xicheng (for all that it is basically a very popular MDZS crackship) has risen to the level of JayTim for me as a comfort ship. Both characters in the pairing have so much fandom interpretation potential and it's always worthwhile to go back to. I think I also had at least two periods where I tried revisiting old fandoms and indulged in a lot of Livejournal/DevArt nostalgia. The old fandom revisit didn't play out very well (ISTG I waded through some old stuff that had me going "wow my standards were a lot lower--what I wouldn't give to be that unpicky again..." I mean, I found a folder on a harddrive containing fics that I apparently enjoyed enough way back when from The Pit for Naruto, Gundam Wing, Bleach, Card Captor Sakura, and Weiss Kreuz?? LMAOOO). Ah, I also played a lot of Idleon.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
2024 Election.
37. Who did you miss?
The me from fifteen years ago who had more energy to be creative and actually draw/colour semi-decently lol.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
To-be-determined with how much staying power this guy has, but the new boyfriend of my former private practice IT friend. He's admittedly super young, but he appears to be very smart and is also into TTRPGs.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2024
Grief can make people mad/crazy... as well as profoundly stupid.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I'm holding on
'Til I'm in the clear, 'til I'm out of here - Charybdis from EPIC the Musical
Bonus. What was your favorite moment of the year?
Random moment: During one of my creative sessions with Linda, we were attempting to brainstorm new stuff for one of our original stories/worlds... but it basically became an hour long rediscovery of ideas that we'd already come up with. We'd spend multiple minutes working through the logistics of a worldbuilding idea, only to find notes documenting the fact that we'd technically already worked through those logistics/idea years ago LOL
1. What did you do in 2024 that you'd never done before?
Speak on a panel at a conference; attend a German wedding; visit Scotland/Isle of Skye; draft a lawyerly nastygram for personal reasons; gift acrylic paintings to my in-laws; mentored two direct reports; playing a oneshot DnD game run by strangers.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Recap:
- Not get 3-months behind on my daily journaling practice
Uuh, so does it count if I was only consistently 2-months behind on my daily journaling practice? I feel like this one was a wash since I was carrying that deficit for the latter half of the year. I didn't get caught up until two weeks into December.
- Learn to use Blendr and sculpt a 3D mini for DnD purposes
I didn't even crack open Blendr once in 2024. This year was so busy work-wise that any creativity was focused more on existing skills and hobbies.
- Use the airbrush set I'd gotten myself in 2022
Completely forgot about this one. Shit.
For this year:
- Daily goal: 15-30 minutes of physical (workout/yoga) or creative (e.g., drawing) activity.
- Finish putting together one of the Yuumei paper Koi Lanterns
- Use either the Cricut Thomas got me for Christmas 2023 or the airbrush set I got myself in 2022 @_@
- Run at least one TTRPG oneshot as the GM
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, two former private practice colleagues gave birth.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Germany and Scotland.
6. What would you like to have in 2025 that you lacked in 2024?
More sleep/energy. The latter half of the year just felt very rushed and unpleasantly busy.
7. What date from 2024 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Nov 6, 2024. I was in DC on a business trip and waking up that morning was... eerie. Very surreal with an unpleasant sense of deja vu even before I checked the news for the election results.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Gained two direct reports at work I guess?
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not taking more PTO. I actually lost a couple of hours since I had excess of the maximum rollover-able amount. Recovering litigator bad habits are hard to break, it seems.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
None that I can actually recall. I did experience a few days where my seasonal (?) allergy symptoms decided to rise up and completely fuck my with sinuses.
11. What were the best things you bought?
A really fucking expensive Italian egg/nest-like rocking chair.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Those who engaged in humanitarian efforts and didn't shy away from the fact that there is in fact a genocide happening in Gaza. Also, a resounding "fuck you" to anyone who is a Netenyahu apologist on that front.
13. Whose behaviour appalled you?
All those who voted the sentient orange disaster back into office.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Additional funding into our side hustle business (we expanded into Michigan).
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
EPIC the Musical's Vengeance Saga in general (except for 600 Strikes... lol) and The Challenge song from the Ithaca Saga.
16. What song will always remind you of 2024?
The completed EPIC the Musical concept album--but I suppose specifically The Challenge (still waiting on Gigi's animatic for the full release!!).
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Maybe a little sadder? I attribute this to just a bone weariness. I really just want to retire, dammit.
ii. thinner or fatter? Probably fatter. It's not showing that much on my face, but the fact that certain clothing no longer fits is telling LOL
iii. richer or poorer? Probably richer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Sleep and relax.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Work to be honest. For the better half of the year I was pulling the weight of two attorneys at my company. Dude who we hired to backfill the Senior Counsel position ended up creating more work for me while he was there. No bueno.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Very quietly and uneventfully. We headed to my parent's place on Christmas Eve and had a typical massive meal for dinner. Then we played card games until bed (24 and 争上游/Zhēng Shàngyóu). I received a hilarious Circe-themed Tshirt from Thomas as my final advent calendar gift before bed. Christmas morning we had breakfast and distributed gifts to my parents and sibling. We headed back home afterward and had ourselves a quick little gift exchange. I received a lot of very thoughtful gifts from Thomas for all that I am admittedly very difficult to shop for apparently LOL
21. Where did you ring in 2024? How will you ring in 2025?
2024: We tested negative for Covid that morning! We all did various errands throughout the day. Since our original plans for a major NYE bash got killed due to illness, we spent the evening pretty chill. Had homemade lasagna from our neighbor for dinner, ube cocktails, and then just before midnight, went downstairs to the Navy Pier bridges with champagne flutes and rang in the new year there. When we came back upstairs, we did bootlegged version of karaoke and partook in edibles.
2025: We very last minute invited a friend who'd recently broken up with his partner of 5+ years and his new boyfriend over for dinner. We'd spent the entire day cleaning the apartment and I made a massive cottage pie. They came, we really liked the new guy, made plans to hang out more in January, and finished a bottle of champagne, a bottle of prosecco, and a bottle of red. They actually left before midnight so it was just Thomas and I half asleep on the couch. We were so tired we didn't even bother getting up to see the fireworks from our window, ha.
22. Did you fall in love in 2024?
Still very much married.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
I randomly picked up The Librarians--really campy early 2000s humour. Didn't really watch too much TV to be honest.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Kind of? I heavily dislike certain catty persons at my workplace now. Before I was neutral about them--this year as I've had to interact with them more, my neutrality dipped into active disdain.
26. What was the best book you read?
No book, only fic. And a couple of webnovels. I started reading Debut or Die near the end of the year--the irony of actively seeking out and reading idol regression stories is not lost on me.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
No new musical discoveries this year--still riding the EPIC the Musical release/completion wave.
28. What did you want and get?
Winning the corporate building management's pumpkin decorating/carving contest. I would have been damned if I lost again to some papa smurf head monstrosity. Luckily this year actually had some really good entries and stiff competition. And I still won with my macabre take on Cinderella's pumpkin carriage. I also won my company's costume contest (having thrown together a Raven Queen get up), so that really boosted my ego.
29. What did you want and not get?
Still that Rennaissance Fair experience.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Deadpool and Wolverine. Channing Tatum's Gambit was amazing (give that man his own movie dammit), as was the Cavillrine.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was rolling, creeping up to my late-30s. At midnight, I'd received a beautiful Koi teapot and DnD (D4) dice earrings set from Grace, a Kodak portable photo printer from our German couple friends who were still in Chicago visiting us, and a Cricut Maker 3 from my husband (which I still have yet to truly use... fuck). My MIL also had gifted me a bunch of Cricut accessories. OTL Then I went to bed LOL. In the morning, I had to work. It was generally a shitty grey day, but Thomas went out and came home with 6 slices of Jennivee's cake. Grace joined us for some birthday tea/coffee and cake. At 5:30pm, we went to Kyu Ramen so that I would complete the Chinese tradition of eating birthday noodles for longevity. Then we hit up a tiki bar in the area for more drinks, and ended up at Pigtail (a speakeasy). I actually got a free mixology Irish coffee at the last place--it was really nice. :)
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having to deal with all the water damage in both our apartment and in my long-term rental unit. Our neighbor flooded our hallway in March, so we were living with a concrete hole for a couple of months, then had to further live in a construction zone for almost another month while we replaced the flooring. Then there was mold issue at my long-term rental unit as a result of the marlo units flooding for the first time ever. This was not a good year with respect to high rise water issues.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2024?
Jeans/soft graphic tees and dresses in warm weather; flannel/fleece jacket shirts (long live Costco!) in cold weather.
34. What kept you sane?
Webcomics and XiCheng fics--I feel like Xicheng (for all that it is basically a very popular MDZS crackship) has risen to the level of JayTim for me as a comfort ship. Both characters in the pairing have so much fandom interpretation potential and it's always worthwhile to go back to. I think I also had at least two periods where I tried revisiting old fandoms and indulged in a lot of Livejournal/DevArt nostalgia. The old fandom revisit didn't play out very well (ISTG I waded through some old stuff that had me going "wow my standards were a lot lower--what I wouldn't give to be that unpicky again..." I mean, I found a folder on a harddrive containing fics that I apparently enjoyed enough way back when from The Pit for Naruto, Gundam Wing, Bleach, Card Captor Sakura, and Weiss Kreuz?? LMAOOO). Ah, I also played a lot of Idleon.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
2024 Election.
37. Who did you miss?
The me from fifteen years ago who had more energy to be creative and actually draw/colour semi-decently lol.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
To-be-determined with how much staying power this guy has, but the new boyfriend of my former private practice IT friend. He's admittedly super young, but he appears to be very smart and is also into TTRPGs.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2024
Grief can make people mad/crazy... as well as profoundly stupid.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I'm holding on
'Til I'm in the clear, 'til I'm out of here - Charybdis from EPIC the Musical
Bonus. What was your favorite moment of the year?
Random moment: During one of my creative sessions with Linda, we were attempting to brainstorm new stuff for one of our original stories/worlds... but it basically became an hour long rediscovery of ideas that we'd already come up with. We'd spend multiple minutes working through the logistics of a worldbuilding idea, only to find notes documenting the fact that we'd technically already worked through those logistics/idea years ago LOL