Like I said, this year went by in a hurry, didn't it?!
1. What did you do in 2017 that you’d never done before?
Rented a private island for a long weekend. And big milestone - I bought property!
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Pfft resolutions. Does anyone actually keep them?
I'm making two for 2018 though:
1) read more. Now that I have my own personal library, I have the perfect place to curl up with a cup of coffee (or wine!) to enjoy a good book.
2) Journal more. If not on this blog, at least a line a day on my One Line A Day journal.
Let's see how well those go, yeah?
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nobody I'm especially close to, but, let's see. (Ex) neighbour's daughter had her first (it's a girl!) and a couple of my colleagues had new grandkids. So there's that!
Also, just found out that my cousin is pregnant, so I'll be adding her name to this list next year!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Again, nobody I'm close to personally. BIL's granddad passed away last month, RS' ex-wife (lovely lady, I'm glad I got to meet her) earlier this month, and A. Jen's dad breathed his last on the eve of Christmas Eve. May they rest in peace.
5. What countries did you visit?
Let's see. Malaysia - first time in Cameron Highlands (hey, another first!). I went to Jakarta, Indonesia (OMG yet another first!) to hang out with Uncle L & Iona. And then again to Pulau Pangkil.
I'm waiting for this project to be completed before going on a proper holiday. In the meantime, I'm happy with short breaks and long weekends. :)
6. What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?
What is this, the third year in a row that I still haven't bothered to get my driver's licence? Then again, I've been busy with loads of other things, and I've accomplished so much, so...meh. I'll eventually get my licence, but in the meantime, I'm Ubering and Grabbing my way around town.
(also, a love life would be fun. then again, part of me really can't be arsed to deal with a partner hehe)
7. What date from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory?
Not so much a date per se, but more of the entire experience? The Mitches rented a private island for a weekend, as a surprise destination celebration for a 50th birthday, and the party started here in Singapore, with the party bus. At 7am. Complete with smoke machine, blasting music and strobe lights. All the way to Tanah Merah, where the party continued on the ferry, and then the long car ride, and another boat ride...Bonfires on the beach, falling asleep under the stars, enjoying an amazing fireworks show. Ate too much, smoked too much, drank...just the right amount. It was an epic weekend with an epic crew.
And we've decided to make the island getaway an annual thing; that's how much we loved it!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Oh. My. God. Buying a damn HDB flat. And I did run a couple 10K races this year, so that was fun.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Yikes. I guess it was a failure to save up enough, and stick to my budget? I spent WAY too much on my flat and furnishings...and I'm not even done yet!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious, thankfully! Injured my ankle for a bit. Couple migraines, a few "bad days"...and a bout with the 'flu. Oh, I did get quite ill during/after my trip to Jakarta. Something about too little sleep and too many cigarettes, hmm.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Did I not mention my flat yet? Well, that...and everything in it. :)
>12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
I'm so very proud of Babygirl, as always. Niece turned 21 - she's an adult now! I remember holding her in my arms for the first time, and now she's taller than me! - and she's just incredible. She's worked really hard, and continues to work hard at uni.
>13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Nobody close to me, I suppose? Which is a good thing! Then again, I've started to be heartless about letting go of people who aren't exactly healthy for me. Selfish? Perhaps. But so much better for my mental and emotional well-being.
In particular, one of mum's friends. Or perhaps I should say former friend. I didn't like her from the start; something about her just vibed me the wrong way. True enough, her true colours eventually shone through, and after a bit of hurt and anger from Mum (and from me, on behalf of Mum), we've let all that ugly business go.
But hey, if we're talking in general...well, the entirety of the current US presidency, I suppose. That, and the stupidity and blindness of his die-hard supporters (and if I'm to be honest, those on the other end of the spectrum too.)
14. Where did most of your money go?
...My flat. Uber/taxis, the little bit of travel I did...and oh so much food and drinks!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
HAVE I NOT MENTIONED MY FLAT YET? I FLIPPING LOVE IT OKAY.
Got excited over every little step. Signing the papers, making the appointments. Getting it renovated. Furniture shopping. Appliance shopping. Furniture assembly. Curtain installation. Decorating. Just... having my own damn place to do whatever I damn well please.
So stressful, so tiring...but oh so worth it.
Scrapping this question from this year, remember?
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a. Happier or sadder? Eh. About the same?
b. Thinner or fatter? Maybe a wee bit fatter. But I lost lots of weight before that, and I managed to not gain it all back this year, so go me! I can still just about fit into my jeans, so there's that!
c. Richer or poorer? Yikes. Asset-richer, cash-poorer. Goddamn property purchase.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Omg. To quote myself from last year, "Reading. I participated in a Reading Bingo with Crisis, and well...didn't manage to make a bingo. I did read lots of fanfic, but my stash of unread books is getting larger and larger..."
That's still true! But hey, see resolution above.
I also wish I'd done a wee bit more budgeting and saving. But eh, I'm managing.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Procrastinate. There will come a day when I don't procrastinate! ...today is not that day.
20. How will you be spending/did you spend Christmas?
Let's see now. Got a half day on the 22nd, so managed to get some last minute things done. Chilled out at my place for a bit. On the eve of Christmas eve, as with almost every year, I didn't get any sleep! Well, I did, but I didn't go to bed until about 6am. Not partying, no. I was wrapping a few more of my gifts, and wrapped up most of Mum's for her.
Christmas mass on the eve, as always, and then supper at Mum's. Sis #1 and her clan are off in London for the season, so we won't see them til NYE. Which is also when we're doing our Secret Santa gift exchange, so that's another thing to look forward to! Dad was funny though; we were giving the kids their presents, and giving some other random presents to everyone else. He then presented me with a gift, telling me that he was my SS, and we were all like noooo! We're not doing SS exchange til NYE! Whoops! Now I have to spend the rest of the week with that box under the tree just calling my name, and I can't unwrap it for a few more days...
I upheld the grand tradition of sleeping in on Christmas morning, had a leisurely afternoon at home, and then off to Great Aunt's place for dinner. Sis #2 and her lot joined us as well, so that was another lovely evening, full of family joy for Christmas.
NYE will be another late night, I'll probably spend all of the first day of 2018 fast asleep!
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Texting - let's go with texting. And IM'ing. I don't really chat on the phone these days...who does?
Nekowife and Mego for IMing (thank goodness for the Void!); Family chat group...Bella and Misstsy, I suppose.
22. Did you fall in love in 2017?
Yes. With my new flat. MY OWN SPACE, YO.
23. How many one night stands in this last year?
A lady doesn't kiss and tell. And neither do I.
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
Stranger Things, again! Season 2, this time. Parenthood. The Office. Why yes, I'm catching up on shows that are over and done with. Hurrah for Netflix!
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nah. It's just too much damn effort and I can't be bothered.
26. What was the best book(s) you read?
I'm not sure, actually. I guess nothing that made a huge impact on me that now I don't recall? Hmm. I'll have to go look at my list of books read this year. Then again, I didn't read as much as I'd have liked to this year. That said, I have high hopes for my reading habit in 2018... I now have my own library!
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Not so much a discovery, as a REdiscovery, really!
I really enjoyed music by Bastille and Passenger and Imagine Dragons, but the major rediscovery this year is that I really love AC/DC, Led Zep and Queen. Well, I've always known how much I love Queen, but I've been listening to a lot more this year.
28. What did you want and get?
If you haven't figured it out by now...
29. What did you want and not get?
Hmm. A flat with a balcony? One with a better view? A million dollars?
30. What were your favourite films of this year?
Wonder Woman for sure. I'm not much for DC movies, but oh my WOW. That movie was just KICK. ASS.
Followed closely by Thor: Ragnarok. Packed with action, comedy and geekery. What more could a girl ask for?
I also enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Oh dear, all three of my fave 2017 movies are based on comics. What a nerd.
Lots of awesome movies in the line-up for 2018...I'm so excited!
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Well, I wasn't feeling too good, if I recall correctly, and it was a bit of a lazy Saturday. But I did go out for Gin & Tradition with Yaya. :)
A lovely little tradition started in 2014, and we did the same thing 3 years running. I suspect we might be able to keep up with that tradition for a few more years, seeing as how this project is going on FOREVER.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More travel, perhaps? This year has been...terrible, and yet...I'm still really happy.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?
Well, beginning of the year, I bought 5 dresses. One for each weekday, so I don't have the daily "what-to-wear" dilemma. So, personal fashion concept? Lazy bastard. :)
34. What kept you sane?
Music. Hurrah for Spotify! Running, too. Helped clear my mind a fair bit!
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Still the one and only Chris Evans...although Gal Gadot was a close runner-up!
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The #MeToo movement. Something quite close to my heart; it makes me so angry to think and read about it. But it's also made me so proud of the women (and men!) standing up against sexual harassment and abuse. No pity, no shame, no silence!
37. Who did you miss?
I guess BabyGirl, but other than that...nobody much? The general missing the kids or the fam or my girls when they're not around, but there was no pining involved whatsoever.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I probably did meet a few new people, but...nobody worth writing home about, methinks. Sorry, new people.Well, I reckon the only new people I met this year were Uber drivers, food delivery people and new vendors. Oh, and we got a new ConMan in...but wait, technically I'd met him before.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017.
That it's not always possible to do everything alone. I can do lots of things alone, but sometimes...it's okay to ask for help.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?
Hahha, it's gotta be these ones.
>
"I love this bar; It's my kind of place." and "Son of a bitch! Gimme a drink!"
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2018. Bring it.
