Argh, I woke up with a cold today that knocked me flat on my feet. Or rather, I’m mentally competent, but I can’t spell or think coherently. I can at least physically interact with the world, and so, I want to do this in the gap that begins the New Year for the East coast, and be done with it before the West coast celebrates its own New Years.

This is a Meme that some of my friends have done annually for a while, so I think I’ll join the tradition.

AND I STILL HAVE OTHER THINGS TO POST A-DURR but that can wait. :B

LET’S GET STARTED

~
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?:
I NEVER SPENT A SUMMER AWAY FROM HOME
AND I NEVER HAD TRIED ALCOHOL BEFORE (10 sips in 8 weeks over the summer. I CAN NAME EACH ONE AND THEIR CONTEXT HOO-HA! And then full complete drinks in Spain)
AND I HAD NEVER BEEN TO EUROPE BEFORE
AND MOROCCO FOR THAT MATTER
IT’S BEEN A LOT OF NEW-NESS THIS YEAR :B

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t even remember what my resolutions were last year. NORMALLY THESE THINGS JUST KIND OF GO UNMINDED

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
..no? I don’t think so anyway..

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not that I can recall.

5. What countries did you visit?
Spain! And Morocco, France, Italy. Stopover in Germany if that counts? I did a lot but really not that much considering Portugal and England were RIGHT THERE

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Work ethic, I want mine back. It was better before, and I left it at home in Spain, a-durr :B Thankfully it wasn’t terribly necessary there, but still. Maybe now that I’m energized I’ll be able to work again at Amherst. OH, AND CONCLUSIVE LAB RESULTS, THAT WOULD BE NICE.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Hmm.. This day towards the end of the summer, and then my last Friday in Spain, and also the night Brawl came out.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I didn’t lose myself in Spain 8D AND SURVIVED THE EXPERIENCE WHOO
Aaand I guess making friends with a buncha people I never really completely expected to be friends with. It’s a good thing.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Let’s not discuss

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Your typical colds and such. Stomach flu in Spain soon after switching host families, that was fun.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
MY SPAIN JACKET
IT’S SO COOL
Otherwise I like the t-shirts I got

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
i dunno :B

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Hahaha I could name a few
But non-specifically, the contradictory-conservative side of Spain appauls and depresses me. MORE ON THIS LATER.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Food and Travel.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
OMG SPAIN
OMG BRAWL
OMG MOTHER 3?
OMG ______

16. What songs will always remind you of 2008?
Umm… See You Again by Miley Cyrus
Put Your Ass In The Air
Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield
Scared of Yourself by Zornik
Scheherazade by Eiko Shimamiya

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i) happier or sadder?
Probably happier, but more cynical. THANK YOU SPAIN
ii) thinner or fatter?
I lost nine pounds in Spain, so thinner, it seems :U
iii) richer or poorer?
Probably poorer D:

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Being confident? Seeing certain friends, seeing those two countries I missed out on, i dunno

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Less stubborn I MUST BE BEING OVERSENSITIVE AS USUAL I’LL TRY TO HOLD OUT AGAINST THIS CRAZY HOSTMOTHER OF MINE because no, I wasn’t being easily hurt, as usual, there really was a problem and I should have gotten away sooner.
So I guess being steadfast in  the wrong situations is a good way of putting it?

20. How will you be spending the holidays?
At home, seeing people, catching up on games and life before hunkerin’ down for biochem and electromagnetism. Whee~

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
hahahaha

23. How many one night stands?
OH MAN YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW

24. What were your favorite TV programs?
I would have gotten into pushing daisies if I kept watching it. I really didn’t watch much TV this year oO
I feel like I should watch more TV but those are dangerous words.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
…Mmmm, not hate, persay. There are people I dislike now that I did not before. And then others who I don’t know how to feel about.

26. What was the best book you read?
Duuuuuuh
I can’t think of OH
Einstein’s Dreams.
That was the one book I managed to finish that I started this year. There were others but they got lost in the busy-ness that was school.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hmm there was a lot this year.
Technically the voice-synthesizer technology is 2007 so I’ll have to go with..
Genki Rockets. It’s probably the thing that’s most consistently tickled my fancy for the longest period of time this year, and also the most interesting in terms of how they do things. I GOT THEIR ALBUM I’LL WRITE ABOUT IT LATER.

28. What did you want and get?
Replacement iPod, which I got. I generally don’t have very many desires, frankly.

29. What did you want and not get?
I don’t think there was anything, really oO

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
WALL-E
JUST, OH SO TOTALLY

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Went to an organic Italian restaurant in the center of Seville with a small group of friends for Lunch. Cordoba the previous day. Cleaned my room and pumped the music with the apartment to myself. It was pleasant
I turned 20 on November 9th. I’M A YOUNG ONE

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
NOT HAVING AN EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN BROUGHT BY HOSTMOM#1 WHILE IN FRONT OF THE REST OF THE FAMILY
THAT MIGHT HAVE MADE ME FEEL BETTER ABOUT MYSELF AND ABOUT LIFE IN GENERAL

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
I became more t-shirt-y over the summer and then snapped back into being nicely dressed in Spain.

34. What kept you sane?
The effort and support of a whole ton of friends, and in particular a few who were there when I really did need it.. Thanks.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Durrrrr ask Robyn because I never have answers for this sort o thing

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
In all truth, I would have been fairly ok if it had been between McCain and Obama and the former one
BUT WHEN PALIN APPEARED, ALL I KNEW IS SHE COULD NOT BE ALLOWED NEAR SUCH POWER. D:

37. Who did you miss?
everyone

38. Who was the best new person you met?
I met a lot of neat people :B Before Spain and during Spain. DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
There’s a distinct line between being understanding and open to the ideals of others, and bending over backwards just to satisfy the arbitrary whims of an individual. Regardless of how important it is to be adaptable, what is important to you should never be sacrificed, and you should always hold onto your ideals if you believe they are right.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Pokito a Poko - Chambao

Volveré a encontrarme con vosotros
Volveré a sonreír en la mañana
Volveré con lagrimas en los ojos
Mirar al cielo, y dar las gracias…

Pokito a Poko entendiendo
Que no vale la pena andar por andar
Que es mejor caminar para ir creciendo…

—-

Will this become a tradition? I DUNNO MAYBE we’ll see.

Otherwise..
It’s been a good year.
I am thankful for those friends I made
For those who I have met
For those who have allowed me to share with them certain experiences.

Thanks.

Happy New Year.