End of Year Survey 2011

It’s that time of year again, yes yes!
Previously… 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Play an MMO and like it. Host Couchsurfers. Go to New York completely on my own. Stay in Brooklyn. Use AirBnB. Do a motorbike road trip through France (albeit mini). Send in a sketchbook to the Brooklyn Art Library. Spend Christmas in Portland (tho that is yet to come). Sew with a sewing machine (and be pretty darn good at it, hehe). Dye my hair pink. Dye my hair rainbow!

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t make NY’s resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, Joanne, tho she lives far. (uni friend from Hong Kong)

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Loriot and Amy Winehouse. 🙁 (I know “close” seems to be a stretch here, but they both made me sad.)

5. What countries/cities did you visit?
Paris x3, Luxembourg, New York, Norway (x2, one to come), Portland (x2, one to come), Normandy, Venice… eek, that’s it!

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
A purpose in life. 😐

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
30th November, last day of work at NCsoft? *lol* How about 11/11/11? :)) Honestly, I don’t know.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Hum. I don’t think I achieved that much. Oh, maybe finishing the Sketchbook! Tho I think I won’t finish the 2012 one. 🙁 I also did quite well at work and got a few half days of for my performance. 😛

9. What was your biggest failure?
I can’t think of any shocking failures either, thankfully. 🙂 Well, except I still haven’t figured out what to do with my life. I guess that’s pretty sucky.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No. I don’t think I even had a cold this year (tho I sort of have one brewing). I did have annoying headaches tho, I guess that could count?

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My wireless headphones are definitely amazing to have. I also love the Katwise coat, tho I won’t wear it very often, hehe. And I constantly wear the Uniqlo Heattech top I bought in NYC.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Occupy peoples’. 😀

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Hum. No one’s I think. Well, maybe my mum in Paris in September. I did ruminate over that quite a lot.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Travel as usual. Also hosting Thomas three times. 😐 Didn’t buy many (any?) gadgets this year. I should be a lot richer than I am. Oh! Pepsi Max! *lol*

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
New York. 😡 And it was so amazing! Also Thomas-visits. Oh, and finding out about 2012 Placebo concert. 😀

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Lady Gaga’s Hair? Also possibly the Dido & Aeneas Overture by Purcell, tho hopefully I will keep listening to that for the rest of my life and won’t necessarily associate it with 2011. Also Beyoncé’s new album. Oh, and some Amy songs cuz she died this year. 🙁

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

i. happier or sadder?
Hm, good question. Possibly a bit sadder. This time last year I was about to start a new job and super-excited. Right now I’m having fun being unemployed, but am also somewhat worried about my future, and more immediately scared I will slip into complete laziness and potentially depression. My fitness programme is already lapsing.

ii. thinner or fatter?
More or less the same.

iii. richer or poorer?
More or less the same.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Drawing, reading, travelling.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Being lazy, drinking Pepsi Max, wasting time online… I dunno, the usual I guess. Also maybe obsessing over the past.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Apparently in Portland with Kate’s family. Am somewhat scared. So many people! But I will be strong and sociable.

21. How will you be spending New Years?
In Norway with Monica and Jimmy and dogs. 🙂

22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
No.

23. How many one night stands?
None.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
The Big Bang Theory and True Blood. Oh God, I miss both of them. More please? 😐

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No, I don’t think so. I could probably think up someone or other from the news or whatever, but meh.

26. What was the best book you read?
I do not read enough. I’ll probably say Maureen Johnson’s Name of the Star tho. Oh! My True Blood phase was this year, uh? So those. *ahem*

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Henry Purcell! Seriously. 😡 I’d had some of his stuff before, but not enough. Spotify is great! 😀

28. What did you want and get?
My New York back. 😡 (in the sense that I discovered I am still in love with it) A Thomas three times, unfortunately not the fourth.

29. What did you want and not get?
A green card (well maybe I did, but I’d lost my confirmation number so I couldn’t check. 😐 Stupid, uh?). Can’t think of anything else, I didn’t want an awful lot this year. Oh, Placebo concert would’ve been nice. *sigh*

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Er. Don’t even know if I went to the cinema a single time. Tho I did watch some on the plane to NYC but I can’t remember, so they can’t have left much of an impression. :))

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Er. Don’t think I did anything at all this year. If I had the Facebook Timeline I could probably tell you. *lol*

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Shitloads of money. A raison d’être. [same as last] Also Placebo. 🙁

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
*yawn* n/a as usual (maybe I should just get rid of this question. but I’m too lazy to renumber all the ones after this, and if there is one missing people will be all “there is one missing!”)

34. What kept you sane?
I think I am no longer at risk of going insane. At least in the immediate future. So, just life I guess?

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Brian Molko? I also had a Freddie Mercury phase. 😛

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Occupy!!!

37. Who did you miss?
Michael Jackson and my dad. Not those friends I’ve lost – fuck them, I don’t need them. 😐

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Hm at work I’d say Aleks (who taught me to knit), and one or two others. Online, Postcrossing people (wow, that was this year, uh?).

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
I dunno, I don’t think I learnt much, tho I did have that epiphany about normal emotions. Oh, I know one! I absolutely have to stop trying to please my mother, cuz I’ll never succeed anyway.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I’ve had enough, this is my prayer
That I’ll die livin’ just as free as my hair
Gaga. 😡 Actually, this song kept me sane at times.

41. Was 2011 a good year for you?
It was ok I guess.

42. What were your favourite moments of the year?
New York (minus the headaches). Thomas visits.

43. What was your least favourite moment of the year?
Headaches? 😐

44. What was your favourite month of 2011?
October cuz of NYC. 😡 Summer was a bit shit anyways, weather-wise.

45. What was your favourite song from 2011?
Definitely the Dido & Aeneas Overture. Its beauty is something so pure and simple.. I can’t describe it.

46. What was your favourite record from 2011?
Most listened to according to last.fm: Glenn Gould’s Goldberg Variations (1955 version), and Gaga’s Born This Way. And it must be said that it’s easy for Gould to be on top cuz that “album” has 34 tracks. So Gaga I guess. Tho I also liked Maria Mena’s new one. I guess I’ll nominate that one if it has to be “released in 2011”.

47. How many concerts did you see in 2011?
[corrected from previously saying “None”] Janet Jackson at the RAH.

48. Did you have a favourite concert in 2011?
Janet Jackson at the RAH. Since it was the only one. 😛

49. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2011?
Nope. 😀

50. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2011?
No.

51. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
No, don’t think so.

52. What was the worst lie someone told you in 2011?
Oh it’d be too easy to go “Thomas saying he’d come visit me once per quarter” – so I won’t. Besides, I’m totally over that (insert “talk to the hand” smiley here).

53. Did you treat somebody badly in 2011?
Pffft, course not! (don’t think so)

54. Did somebody treat you badly in 2011?
Oh, BT! Bastards. But I won. Actually I should add that as one of my achievements. :))

55. How much money did you spend in 2011?
Dunno. Enough! 😀

56. What was your proudest moment of 2011?
Dunno. Can’t think of one.

57. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2011 and change something, what would it be?
Er. Apparently I wouldn’t change anything. Well, maybe go to Stuttgart after all to see Placebo.

58. What are your plans for 2012?
Plans for 2011 were:
Don’t really have any at the moment apart from going to California in June (shh, that’s still kinda secret/unofficial). Enjoying new job, concentrating on therapy and fixing myself. Oh, and really doing something with my Zazzle store so I’ll make more money out of it!
*ahem* So, I didn’t go to California (which was a good thing cuz Jana would’ve still been in South America then 8-|). I did more or less enjoy the job. I did however not do anything with the Zazzle store, even tho that was on the “to do when unemployed” list as well (and still is). So I didn’t do too well, uh?
Plans for 2012:
Find a job / decide what to do with my life. No idea actually. Probably for the best cuz who knows if I’ll manage to achieve anything at all. Don’t even know if I still have the travel plans I had, cuz… dunno. Headaches, and what on earth do I do with the flat, and countless other things.

Oh, that’s the end! *hits publish*