Current mood:	goodbye, trickpie
Current music:	Texas Tea ♫ Hundred Dollar Bill

And all I know is the winner makes the graves, digs the holes.

          

Here is my 2004 summary.
Here is my 2005 summary.
Here is my 2006 summary.
Here is my 2007 summary.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?

Went overseas (and all the smaller things not done before can be encompassed in this one point - the smaller things like: got my passport, got stamps in my passport, caught the Tube, danced in the snow, drove to Wales, met the Boosh, completely ran out of money in a foreign country, ate bangers & mash in a British pub, etc, etc, etc). Actively participated in International Talk Like A Pirate Day. One-upped my previous industry schmoozing and ran around backstage at/got in free to numerous gigs and festivals. Ran into a police car ajkdlaksj (that's going to cost me $700, btw - fucking insurance excess; if only I'd hit it three months later! If only I'd not hit it at all!). Drank on the roof of the chinatown parking lot and watched the sun go down. Gathered in another city with my besties (MELBOURNE!) for some fun. Pwned Jenga with Em and CP. SHIRT EMERGENCY.


2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't think I bothered making any this year. I could be so wrong about this! Maybe I just borrowed last year's - which shows how well I stick to resolutions. Having said that, I've got a couple already locked in for next year.


3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My stepsisters, I think that's the closest to me it got this year. Sara's little girl Bo Jessica died only five hours after she was born. Rayleen's little boy Fearghus is three or four months old by now, though I still haven't met him. I look forward to answering this one next year, by which time Em's sister Sair will have popped out Emmanuel II.


4. Did anyone close to you die?

The family dog, Sandy, got put down :(. My stepdad's sister Ruth died of cancer, but I didn't know her that well, not like his other sisters. It was still awful, though - she only had a month or two after being diagnosed.


5. What countries did you visit?

England, Ireland, Wales. Do Thailand and Singapore count? I was in Bangkok airport for about seven hours, Changi airport for an hour or two.


6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

More confidence. Less weight.


7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

October 15th, the day I left the country for the first time in ever.


8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Actually making it overseas, I suppose? Not bad with only six months of money saving, and taught myself that if I have a big enough goal, I can be motivated to save money, and perhaps I should give it another shot next year. (The saving money bit, not the travel yet, because I've got a negative figure of annual leave currently.) Oh, I suppose that bit of writing I did was okay, too.


9. What was your biggest failure?

Maybe the cop car incident, hahaha. That was a pretty epic fail.


10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

A few colds, as per usual. I think four in total - three during winter, one in London.


11. What were the best things you bought?

Plane tickets, train tickets. Venetian sunglasses. A fake moustache. Cherry coke, Bulmers Pear, Galaxy Minstrels. A copy of the NME. Highland Spring water. Tickets to Stars/BSS, Beirut, Paul Dempsey, the Gin Club's Junk launch MkII, the Boosh (particularly that front row one), the Notwist, Jenny Lewis, a stack more I couldn't be bothered hunting through my planner to remember right now. NEW GLASSES! My horse necklace from Melbourne, my Topshop necklaces. OH MAN, MY STEVE MADDEN BOOTS.


12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Loops, the ticket nazi. Gemma, my Brighton Vince. Brooke (and everyone really) for putting up with my sleep noises and for being honest about the fact that the majority of them sound quite sexular. Jack Chambers, for winning So You Think You Can Dance? Australia and for not being such a jerk to my little sister any more. TOSH, THE HERO OF BRIGHTON. Saltz and Vicki for hitting me up with sweet freebz.


13. Whose behaviour appalled you?

Fuckface Fielding with his elusiveness. Sam Beam and his fucking half-speed live performance. Some of my workmates for just being incredibly thick. Johnny Marr for having his amp turned up way too loud.


14. Where did most of your money go?

Into pounds. Bloody poms. (I wouldn't take it back for anything.) Travel tickets, accommodation.


15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Does anyone sense a recurring theme, here? The UK, obviously. Also Splendour, but I only had a couple of days to get really excited about that, whilst I had six months to get excited about the UK.


16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

Bon Iver's Skinny Love and Firekites' Same Suburb, Different Park.


17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? it's hard to say. a bit of both, if it's possible.
ii. thinner or fatter? :/ fatter. with plans to change that, because I know I can, now.
iii. richer or poorer? again, a bit of both? poor because of the UK but my salary's just been increased a bit.


18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Exercising. Random adventuring. Reading.


19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Pining. Hesitating. Procrastinating.


20. How did you spend Christmas?

At mum's place in the air conditioning and out on the back deck, with the Loch siblings (mum's side) on Christmas day and then the Grant siblings (stepdad's side) on Boxing day. Waaaaay too much food. I seriously thought I was going to die from too much food. Some Wii efforts (RAYMAN RABBIDS? SO GOOD) and a fair dose of reading (as I was given both Bryson's Shakespeare and Maguire's Son of a Witch (sequel to Wicked)


21. How will you be spending New Years?

Very loose plans this year, that currently resemble the posse gathering at somebody's house to drink wine, eat cyclones, whinge about the heat and listen to each of our top ten songs of 2008. Though this plan has morphed into the new years day plan, minus the wine, plus painkillers and lots of water. I think tonight I'll be going to the Usher's party in Paddington, if Dash and Pete don't mind me tagging along. I'm sad our posse plans fell apart, but then again, I'm not sure anything will ever top Katandra.


22. Did you fall in love in 2008?

With the UK, a little. With my Steve Madden heels, definitely. With a person? Nil chance.


23. How many one-night stands?

This question is so laughable every year.


24. What was your favorite TV program?

The Mighty Boosh, Gossip Girl, Pushing Daisies, IT Crowd, LOST. Awesome. Can I put Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog here, too? I need to get into some stuff I missed while I was overseas, like True Blood and Fringe.


25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Maybe just a couple of stupids that I met overseas; nobody that I knew this time last year.


26. What was the best book you read?

I hardly read at all, this year, and none of it merits this award. OH, WAIT, I SHALL SAY THE MIGHTY BOOK OF BOOSH. :D Omgosh and I just remembered Animals of the Ocean, in Particular the Giant Squid and also Giraffes? Giraffes! HOW COULD I FORGET THOSE.


27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Bon Iver. Fleet Foxes. Washington. Firekites. Vampire Weekend. MGMT. And it took me up until this year to finally appreciate Broken Social Scene and the Drones. THANK MERCY FOR THAT.


28. What did you want and get?

An epic adventure.


29. What did you want and not get?

Let's not go there.


30. What was your favourite film of this year?

KUNG FU PANDA! IT WAS SO AWESOME THAT I WATCHED IT ON THE FLIGHT TO LONDON AND THE FLIGHT HOME AGAIN! Oh, Juno came out this year, too, and despite a lot of people bagging it, I really liked it a lot. Oh, I should also make reference to the movie I've seen four times this month, but the thing is, I actually hate it. I just can't stop.


31. What did you do on your birthday?

Every year I have the trouble of recounting my birthday, as it was eleven months ago. Oh yes, look, I recounted it on LJ. So handy. That's right, I had the morning with my mum and then I had friends over for a den party and then I got violently poisoned by alcohol and wanted to die. Excellent.


32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Closure. And more GBP, and a massive backpack full of souvenirs.


33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Layer 'pon layer 'pon layer. I don't know. I wear what I like and what's comfy. I think I'm starting to get old. I want to lose enough weight to be able to wear the clothes I want to wear, fuck it.


34. What kept you sane?

Did somebody say I was sane?


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

Noel Titface Fielding, I suppose. Let's face it, I probably still would. Julian Barratt and his stripes. Robert Pattinson. D: shut it.


36. What political issue stirred you the most?

Politics schmolitics. Did anyone not get even a smidge excited about Obama? I hope he and Kev become good chums in the same way Johnny and Bush were, but in a good way, not a Johnny and Bush way.


37. Who did you miss?

The posse and my family and Jellyfish (as I travelled overseas) and then my travel buddies (once I got home). My little sister, being all down in Sydney and shit.


38. Who was the best new person you met?

Jlakjldklskjalald;fkhlajks impossible. Freakburger, Foy, Hollington, Gemma, Loops, Marq, Ing, does Brooke count?, most of the people I hung out with in the UK. Oh, and Rapist Greg.


39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.

Just because you're old enough to be a grown-up doesn't mean you have to be one.


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

She took to sea
In a big tin bowl that was filled with dreams
But she didn't know how fortune swings



Happy 2009, everyone! I hope it'll be an awesome one, I really do. I am moving LJ house because I can't really ever say goodbye. I'm not going to talk about the Boosh much there, so if you've friended me this year primarily for that reason, then I'll see you later and have a nice fandom. If you've barely said squat to me this year, too, then am I right in assuming you couldn't really be bothered following? I'm not trying to sound emo or anything like that, I'm just being honest. I don't know, I just want to be quiet next year. Sorry.

Hey, it's 36°C outside today. Gross. It's so dead at work today but I'm not going to leave (even though I could have over an hour ago) because it's air-conditioned here, and I have this LJ stuff, and twitter, and a book to read, and an egg & lettuce sandwich. Keep it real.