Hindsight

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Started University study. It’s going pretty good, got B’s on all my papers for this year (Yay me!) and still managed everything else, despite pulling quite a few all-nighters (ok it was mostly all-nighters for about the last 6 months). The best part was seeing the kids do well at school and when two of them received awards at the end of year prizegivings it was confirmation for me that my studying hadn’t taken away from their education, which was a concern for me at the start of the year.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My 2009 New Years resolution was to try 12 new things in 12 months. I kept it up for about 6 months, but most of the new things I tried were new foods and they were all pretty disgusting!

I also remember screaming around the place with my sisters on New Years eve that 2009 was going to be “The Year of the Bitches”. I think what I meant was that we girls were going to put ourselves first for a change and start to have some of those things we’d been saying we wanted. It was with this in mind that I enrolled for Uni, and actually surprised myself when I stuck with it.


Having said all that I’m not sure this really was The Year. One of my sisters feels she had an excellent year, the other would like to kill 2009, and me, I would have liked to have had a lot more fun. And bitches stick together, so it’s not The Year until we ALL say it is.

(I’m sorry if I have offended anyone by using the word “bitches” so many times in this blog post. I won’t say “bitches” again, ok bitches? Oops.)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes my cat. Hahahaha!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No! At least there’s that.

5. What countries did you visit?

Invercargill...aka the butthole of NZ and YES it is another country, or would seem so if you moved here.6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? More tattoos.
More fun.
More sleep.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Jan 1st... cos my sisters and I got matching tattoos and now we are our own tribe.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Having my essay from my first ever uni paper chosen for publication in future study guides.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Tonight, the last New Years Eve of my twenties, and I will not be doing an undie run because it is too cold and my sisters aren’t here :(

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I went insane a number of times, but it was ok, the people knew me there.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Plasma TV for hubby for Father’s Day.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Faith got the end of year merit, Neihana got the top end of year award.

13. Whose behavior made you mad and ill-willed?
Southland(ers)!


14. Where did most of your money go?
Food, mortgage, stationery – can you believe I had to buy the same book 5 times this year because the boys both damaged their reading logs?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I don't generally get really really excited over anything, it's not my style. But I was pretty stoked when I passed my papers, and when I got a camera, and seeing my sisters at New Years prompted a midnight undie run (ok, undie walk).

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
The Climb – Shane sung it with his classmates at his graduation and I almost cried, I so wanted to join in but I behaved like a real grown up.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? sadder
ii. thinner or fatter? Fatter – but that’s a good thing
iii. richer or poorer? poorer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Sleeping lol and travelling and seeing my sisters.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
stressing20. How will you be spending Christmas?I spent Christmas in Invercargill hanging out with hubby and the kids. We had a picnic and stuff, it was very chilled and very cool.

21. How will you be spending New Years?
Probably eating, drinking, and watching dvds with hubby. And freaking out about it being the last new years eve of my twenties and not spending it doing something more exciting.

22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
No, it wouldn’t be possible in Invercargill.

23. How many one-night stands?
Hahahaha, none, that’s not how I roll.

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Outrageous fortune.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
yes, well maybe not hate, but severely dislike. I also like people that I hated this time last year.

26. What was the best book you read?

(still the best)

I also enjoyed

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
It wasn’t a very musical year for me I gotta say, but thanks for bringing that up :(

28. What did you want and got?
camera

30. What was your favorite film(s) of last year?


31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 29 and I got a bit drunk and went for a walk in the cemetery. It was pretty lame. But my mum surprised me by coming down from chch, so that was cool.32. What's one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?a fourth bedroom and my sisters living here too33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?A delightful combination of "Meh" and "Pffft!"

34. What kept you sane?
Nothing, I wasn't particularly sane in 2009. Studying helped prevent me from going completely over the edge though.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Gerard Butler.

Bom chicka wow wow!

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The stupid idea the government have come up with to bring standardised testing into primary schools, and their refusal to listen to the school principals and claiming that NZ wants it cos NZ voted them in. Meanwhile teachers will have no time to trial the idea, and have to implement it in Feb 2010, so there will be parents who have to be told their kid doesn’t meet the national standard, despite the fact the kid may have made huge progress. It’s a disgrace, and it is NOT a solution to drop-out rates, but possibly will be a huge factor in seeing those rates increase, although there’s no way to know really since as I said, they won’t take the time to trial it first.

Ok rant over.

37. Who did you miss?
My sisters, my brother, my mum, my hubby, myself...

38. Who was the best new person you met?
The mother of one of Shane’s friends, she’s a crack up and a good mate.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Not only did I have no idea what I was capable of, but no one else does either, so don’t listen to them when they tell you what you can and can’t do cos they could well be limiting you – even if they’re encouraging you. Just try stuff, and if you fail it’s not that bad and could make a cracker blog post...

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”