So Long, 2011
'Live each day as if it's your last', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance. -- One Day
The year I was so behind on LJ and my entries, it wasn't even funny was the year I decided there were so many more people to obsess over. It was the year of Emma Stone and all the boys she could possibly be shipped with ( Andrew Garfield and Ryan Gosling!!!) Speaking of Mr. Gosling, everything he touched turned to gold this year and he turned my asexual little sister into a full-blown teenager.
Then of course, there were the royals. Kate married William this year and Harry looked so dapper at the wedding, it only made me more excited for next year's Olympics. I can't help but love me some royals.
The best part? Folks I loved were pairing up onscreen (or off). More than Rob and Kristen and Emma and everyone else, Emma Watson and Eddie Redmayne did their movie, Anne and Jim Sturgess did theirs too and add to that Michael and Mia joined the bunch too!
Yes, I didn't forget how James Franco and Anne tried to make the best of the Oscars but didn't quite make it. Good effort, perhaps? Finally, though we didn't see much of Jake this year, we got some of him while he promoted his movie and the same with Jamie Bell whom I realized I like a lot more than I lead on.
The biggest factor for being set back on LJ was the TV I was watching. More than anything else, I realized watching more than 2 shows per day is highly impossible to recap and yet I surged on, backlogged by weeks and still not caught up on some shows, but frankly not caring anymore. Lesson learned; next year, I'll have to cut down -- on the recapping at least.
The year belonged to Downton Abbey for sure. The lives of the aristocrats and their household had me watching period dramas for two seasons back to back just to catch up. The epic-ness of Matthew and Mary cannot be stopped. Then there were the not-so-great in plot but highly entertaining and frisson filled KDrama, Lie To Me which made me see how awesome Yoon Eun Hye was as an actress to bring a show about nothing into my heart forever.
Of course, network TV still had some gems like Zooey's awfully quirky and surprisingly well-sustained New Girl and the too campy for words ABC melodrama Revenge that had me obsessing as well as the not-so-loved ABC series, Pan Am which was nowhere near the brilliance of the other period drama ( Mad Men) I missed this year, but good enough visually and ship-wise. Of course, there are the staple CW goodies like The Secret Circle, Ringer and of course my favorite, Hart of Dixie which can totally replace the other CW shows I'm thisclose to dropping next year.
Finally though, nothing beats cable tv. With HBO's Game of Thrones that got me reading the books; ShoTime's The Borgias, AMC's The Killing and Starz's cancelled Camelot also had me wishing everything else on TV was this good.
Though rom-coms rule for me every year, it was even bigger this year thanks to Crazy, Stupid Love and the fantastic ensemble cast and of course Friends with Benefits which had me obsessing over JT all over again. And not to be left behind was Woody Allen's awesome Midnight in Paris which had me loving Rachel all over again. And the better late than never, 50/50 which had me bawling and laughing all the same time thanks to JGL and AK's awesome chemistry.
Then the dramas rolled around and I was enamored by Michael and Mia's too beautiful potrayal in Jane Eyre and Rob and Reese's great adapation of Water for Elephants. I do need to mention the Oscar-worthy gems that I surprisingly enjoyed like Ryan's Ides of March and Moneyball which has me crushing all over Brad Pitt (Angie, you lucky girl).
Finally, there were the big budget movies that still got me sitting up. Jake's Source Code had me thinking, I wouldn't mind being stuck in the same time loop over and over again with Jake. Of course, there was X-Men: First Class which had me swooning over McFassy and everyone else too. Then I said goodbye to my childhood with the last installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and also wishing I could already say goodbye to the The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. One more guys, let's hang on.
I set a 25 book quota for myself this year and felt like I outdid myself with almost hitting 50 (or who knows, I might just hit it later). But this year was about the series. I opened the year with The Millenium Trilogy and started with Divergent, the A Song of Fire and Ice saga; continued with Beautiful Chaos and totally fell in love with the The Bride Quartet series.
I also continued my love affair with authors like Meg Cabot and Megan McCafferty and and newcomers like Curtis Sittenfield and Stephanie Perkins. I fell in love with Prep and Man of My Dreams and the glorious American Wife and totally breezed through Lola and the Boy Next Door and Anna and the French Kiss
Still, I got my fill of books-to-movies too with Warm Bodies and One Day and and The Help. Here's to more of those next year -- no matter how bad the movie version will be. I am a sucker for movie adaptations and will be less judgmental about them because I lack imagination and rely on movies to interpret it in my head.
Big year in music too, though I know I'm the most musically illiterate person ever. I learned about new albums like Birdy and Lykke Li which I had on repeat forever and a day. And totally enjoyed follow up albums from Coldplay, Sondre Lerche, Death Cab, Rachael Yamagata, Matt Nathanson and Florence + The Machine.
This year, I obsessed over Adele and The Throne though having listened to their albums over and over and over. Though I'm sure I'm not the only one who isn't sick of them yet despite the many repeats. The holidays had me wishing I had Zoeey and M. Ward right at my Christmas party with their holiday album which really wins at life.
But more than anything, even if I didn't enjoy the movie as much, the Breaking Dawn soundtrack was anything but dragging. If only for the fact that we get two soundtracks for this movie (meaning more awesome), then I'll forgive them for breaking up that movie in two. Because really, Alexandra Pastavas and company are my personal heroes as always.
January; Tried to make it through the January rush at work while also doing Kendi's 30 for 30 Remix. Not that I'm any more fashionable, but I obviously like black.
February; I turned 24 and totally feel the same way. My little sister also attended her prom and made everyone else feel very very old. I am ancient.
March; My sister made it a point to not make us miss her by coming home for a weekend practically every month. Then I felt even older when my youngest brother graduated from high school. Yes, still old.
April; April was a hectic month at work but I managed to take my first extended break during Holy week to visit my siblings in Singapore. Best vacation ever.
May; since everyone else but me was on summer, I tried hanging out with friends and just generally going out more this month. Not so sociable, but working on it.
June; We went through some shitty things at work but managed to come out fighting and I actually took to the beach with friends. Who is this person?! I don't know.
July; I had to attend this work thing but it's all good cause I actually have a teammate now. Life is good. Best part? She likes Harry Potter too!
August; I got to meet up with my old boss and my super good college friend all in the spirit of catching up. Meanwhile, we're getting a hang of work somehow.
September; We finally got a long weekend and my team is finally complete with an old high school classmate joining us in time for planning. That is good timing.
October; I am officially one year at my work and somehow have no plans of quitting just yet. This is a miracle. The other miracle? I succumbed and got myself an iPhone 4. And yes, Mraz Live too.
November; Finally a legitimate long weekend to enjoy, though a bit too late in the year and my very first wedding in a non-relative capacity and my first godchild. I am growing up.
December; We start it sad with the passing of my beloved aunt but end it well with a new kind of Christmas celebration and hopefully new traditions too.
And that was my 2011. I know you all put up with my spams and constant catch-ups but you all know I tried, and in the end, I think that still counts as a merit. Here's to hoping you all had a great 2011 too and hoping we'll be better acquainted in 2012. See you all on the flipside.
2011 LJ Scrapbook | 100 Movies, 25 Books, 10 TV Shows