*moo* hello 2009!
welcome to the year of the cow/ox/bull/ushi! being of the cow/ox/bull/ushi zodiac, i`m hoping that this is the beginning of what will be a good year for me. *crosses fingers*
this morning i went to a shinto shrine that happened to be conveniently located right across the street from my hotel. it was really busy with people paying traditional visits for new years and as usual i felt a little out of place being there. :x i bought an ushi goodluck charm for my cellphone, yay. other than that, i don`t plan on doing anything else in particular today. it`s too fkin cold outside to go wandering around... i`m trying hard to fight off what feels to be an on-coming cold as it is. ;-;
back tracking to 2008, i did a new years meme that i think was pretty good back in 2007 and i think i`ll do the same meme again this year. as geeky as this may be, perhaps ill make a new years lj tradition out of doing this meme...? lol
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
- lived abroad for almost a year and a half.
- lost someone very close to me for the first time and was unable to attend the funeral.
- successfully traveled alone around Japan to various cities and even went to Australia and New Zealand.
- (hopefully) passed the second-to-highest level of an international Japanese proficiency test, which i had been studying for all year.
- parted ways with my boyfriend of what had been 5 years.
- went to my first ever live concert (Sound Horizon OMGGG<333).
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
* resolutions for 2008:
- cook more = vaguely accomplished
- learn to cook japanese dishes = failed
- study Japanese every possible day = mostly accomplished
- save money = FAILED
- keep my apartment as clean as possible = vaguely accomplished
* resolutions for 2009:
- continue to further my Japanese by studying as often and as much as possible.
- cook more goddamnit.
- save money godfuckindamnit.
- start using/studying Esperanto more.
- have more of an idea what i want to do with my life by this time next year.
that last one is really pushing it, i know. >_>;;
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
- umm... i don`t think so.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
- grandpa... ;-;
5. What countries did you visit?
- Australia and New Zealand, plus America...?
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008
- ...a cat, oh god... ;-; being realistic, however... i`d like to have more free time/me time and more creativity to express in my free time. i feel like i had so little free time/me time last year...
7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory?
- late march: visited my grandpa in virginia for the last time...
- late july: visited my now ex-boyfriend likely for the last time.
- sept. 11th: saw my first ever concert featuring Sound Horizon.
- sept. 13th: parted ways with my boyfriend of what had been 5 years.
- nov. 3rd: grandpa passed away...
- nov. 5th: Obama become the 44th president of the US and the first african american president.
- late dec: visited Australia and New Zealand, my second (and third?) time abroad ever.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
- traveling as much as i did for the most part alone
- my studying for the jlpt level 2
9. What was your biggest failure?
- losing all direction in life
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
- that all-too-long episode with my feet in winter and then the mosquito bites in fall...
11. What was the best thing you bought?
- ummm... i seriously don`t know.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
- *shrugs*
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
- *sigh*
14. Where did most of your money go?
- traveling expenses...
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
- the Sound Horizon concert, trips to America and my trip to Aussie and NZ.
16. What song/album will always remind you of 2008?
- キセキ/Kiseki by GReeeeN
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a. happier or sadder?
- sadder/more confused
b. thinner or fatter?
- neither
c. richer or poorer?
- neither
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
- relaxing
- cooking
- reading
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
- stressing.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
- in Brisbane, Australia with sir figgybee.
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
- family
22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
- no.
23. How many one night stands in this last year?
- n/a
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
- i cant remember having any favorite show this year... `cept 秘密のケンミンショー.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
- no.
26. What was the best book(s) you read?
- havent read any books this year... but i`ve gotten into Vampire Knight (manga series) lately.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
- GReeeeN
28. What did you want and get?
- i wanted to pass 2級 of the JLPT, but i haven`t officially gotten that yet...
29. What did you want and not get?
- stuff... >_>;
30. What were your favourite films of this year?
- The Dark Knight
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
- work...? and wish i had pizza, i think. twaz 23.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
- HAVING A CAT. having my cats... ;-;
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
* pretty much the same as last year:
- grayscale with some brown and orange.
- coats/jackets/sweaters.
- unfashionable.
34. What kept you sane?
- ...my determination and shitty memory.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
- screw celebs. obama is cool, though.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
- the 2008 US presidential election
37. Who did you miss?
- my (ex-)boyfriend...
38. Who was the best new person you met?
- i don`t know... actually, i don`t think ive met many new people this year, as like every year.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
- losing one`s direction in life sucks ass (=understatement).
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?
- "forty-nine percent, one percent short of half and less than half ain`t much of nothin`" - "49 percent" by Röyksopp
ah, 2009... a new year. i hope that this year will be a memorable year that i`ll have no trouble reflecting on come this time next year.