Year in Review – 2010

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before? A large amount of travelling (see question 5.)

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year? I don’t really make resolutions but now that I have my “30 by 30″ list, consider working on it my new years’ resolution for 2011.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My dog Winston passed away in April, if you don’t think this counts as an answer you’ve obviously never had a pet you loved a great deal.

5. What countries did you visit? England, Wales, France, Scotland, Ireland, Austria, Hungary, Belgium. I am sure this will be the only year I’ll have visited that many countries.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? Steady employment.

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? August 31st, the day I moved back to Canada after two years living in England.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Honestly, falling back in love with Canada and Saskatoon. I was so sure I wouldn’t get over having to leave England but the transition was easier than expected (not always reflected in this blog though, I’m aware.)

9. What was your biggest failure? My money and job situation. Or I guess it is more like my lack of money and lack of job situation.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had food poisoning twice in 6 months (both times by my own cooking, whoops) and more colds than I usually get.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Definitely my Wrangler denim jacket with retro patches I got from a charity shop in London for 8 quid. It may be a size too small, but who buttons up jean jackets anyhow?

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My mom’s. I’m so incredibly thankful to have her support both emotionally and financially.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? My own, just in terms of concentrating on the negative instead of all the many great things in my life.

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

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? All my visitors in the last 6 months I lived in England (my mom, my dad, an aunt, two different cousins, a friend.)

16. What song will always remind you of 2010? Any song off Mumford & Sons album “Sigh No More”. Couldn’t turn around without hearing something of theirs.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Sadder- I leave Cariad in a few days and won’t see him again until the summer, whereas this time last year we were still 8 months away from the sad reality of long distance.
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter- love made me gain weight, happens to everyone?
c) richer or poorer? Poorer- there is definitely less work for substitute teachers in Canada than in the UK.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Saved money.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worry about the future. Que sera sera, right?

20. How did you spend Christmas 2010? With Cariad’s family in Wales.

21. Did you fall in love in 2010? Yes, with a puppy named Sadie.

22. How many one-night stands? None.

23. What was your favorite TV program? I don’t watch much TV but I suppose one I always enjoy is Come Dine With Me. I was excited to see there is now a Canadian version though I’ve yet to see an episode.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I try not to hate anyone and I think I succeeded.

25. What was the best book you read? “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Way too many to choose from.

27. What did you want and get? Tickets to Green Man Festival.

28. What did you want and not get? A visa to stay in the UK.

29. What was your favorite film of this year? The Greatest, Paper Man.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 27 and I celebrated at a fancy pub in London. Champagne, cigars, chocolate… it was lush.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Less worrying about financial matters!

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? I grew my hair out to my natural colour, I wear glasses more often and hardly wear makeup. I suppose “natural” would describe my personal fashion concept.

33. What kept you sane? Music, family, friends.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? None come to mind.

35. What political issue stirred you the most? The massive budget cuts in the UK, if only because Cariad’s job in the public sector is on the line.

36. Who did you miss? While I was still living in England: my family. When I moved back to Canada: Cariad.

37. Who was the best new person you met? I suppose all of Cariad’s friends in Wales, they’re a lovely bunch of people.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010: This quote by Gilda Radner that I blogged sums it up well “I always wanted a happy ending… Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.”

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: “My heart isn’t big enough to take the whole world on and the world isn’t small enough to make this part my home.” from the song “Oh Sorrow” by Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir.

40. What are your resolutions for 2011? As mentioned, working on my “30 by 30″ list is my resolution for 2011.

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