A long overdue update to the blog, and to get me back into the groove I thought I'd repeat last year's review to recap on what's been going on in the last 12 months.
The same questions, hopefully with different answers:
1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Where do I start! 2010 was all about new things. We went on a big European holiday in June, covering 13 cities in 9 countries over 18 days. It was amazing fun and I'm so glad we did it. The other main thing we did for the first (and hopefully only time) was to emigrate to New Zealand. It was mostly trauma free, and the settling in process has been quite painless (especially for me as I reach the end of my 3 month holiday!). Things in Auckland are broadly similar, but with little difffences letting us know we're not in Kansas anymore!
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next this year?
I only made a loose indication that I wanted to be less lazy last year, as I don't make resolutions. I didn't deliver on that so am even less fit now. I have joined a gym here so the plan remains the same. Also with a bit of luck I'll give surfing a go this year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My good friends Rick and Fiona had a baby boy weeks after we left the UK. He's called Adam and is by all accounts behaving himself well!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Last time out I mentioned that my nephew's girlfriend Rachael had been killed in a car accident in January so I'm not going to talk about that again. Our remaining cat Magus was put to sleep just 10 days before we left the UK. It was very sad as he was in the final preparations for being flown out with us at the time. The final diagnosis was that he was getting blood clots that were causing temporary limb paralysis. It had started to give him pain and would only get worse so the only thing to do was to have him put to sleep. It was truly heartbreaking as he was the most gentle, loving animal I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and had been with us for 14 years. He was pampered right up to the end though and wanted for nothing in his life.
5. What countries did you visit?
Right, lets see. We visited Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium. And moved to New Zealand.
6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
I can keep this the same as last year as although I have a new house, it is rented. By the end of this year I want to own my own home again, have a more active lifestyle and earn that platinum trophy on one of my PS3 games (though completing SARPBC felt like a platinum achievement!)
7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 15 was the day of Rachael's accident. It was a horrible time, with everyone in the family completely heartbroken.
May 1 was my sister's wedding. It was great fun, met up again with a lot of friends and family and I got to do some public speaking. :O
November 3 was the day we arrived in Auckland to start our new life. The only odd thing about it was how easy it seemed.
Other than that, no particular dates jump out. It was mostly a year of plodding along, which was another reason that we needed to move.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Emigrating. Hands down the best thing I have done in years, and the kick in the butt that was needed. I now have a new job with good career prospects and the potential to do anything with my life outside the office. It is a very liberating feeling.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Limiting myself based on what I think I can do. I have for a long time found the UK to be putting a damper on ambitions, with a can't do attitude towards opportunities if you don't fit the exact criteria. NZ seems different and I am learning to break out of that mindset and see the options available to me.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, nothing more than a cold, though my personal trainer at the gym did work me a little too hard on Christmas Eve meaning I could hardly walk for the rest of the year.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
I love the John Lennon Rickenbacker guitar controller I bought for Rock Band, extravagant but I don't regret it! Also our Sonos sound system which is every bit as good as I thought it could be.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Moving to NZ. It was an expensive business but we were prepared for the various costs along the way.
13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
PS3 - really got into gaming again last year, helped ably by my nephew Sandy. Bought a ton of games, just need to find the time to play them now.
Euro holiday - being taken around so many famous sights in Europe was an eye opener. If anyone in the UK hasn't visited the main European destinations I would definitely say get out there and do it!
14. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Hmmm. Not been much this year to get excited about. Bruno Mars has been advertised on TV non-stop since we got here, and I find his song "Grenade" particularly amusing with it's desperate rhyming. The worst lyrics I've heard since either of the Bedingfields.
"I Still Remember" by Bloc Party is probably my song of the year though, as it woke us up on the bus every time we reached a service station. It still makes me smile when I hear it.
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
Happier overall I'd say. After my life being on hold for 2-3 years I now feel like we're moving forward again.
b) thinner or fatter?
About the same as before, which means too fat in the paunch. This pot belly has to go!
c) richer or poorer?
Poorer following the move and buying a car, but the foundations are in place now for us to prosper.
16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercise. I remember when it used to feel good to have done a workout, now I dread the thought of the gym. Some concerted effort and that will change though.
17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Commuting. The journey to and from Edinburgh each day was a drain, taking up about 3 hours of our day. J didn't mind but I am glad that I now live a bus journey from work, which only takes about 30 minutes each way.
18. How will you spend Christmas?
Oops, too late on this one again this year! We spent Christmas lunch with our friends Natalie and Erik at Natalie's mum's house in Howick. It was great fun and meant we didn't have to spend our first Christmas here alone. We went home mid-afternoon and had a big Christmas dinner, which we hadn't really intended to. Phoned my parents at night, then J's family who were having the usual big get together. They had the Skype webcam on and we really felt part of it.
19. Did you fall in love in 2010?
No. Well, maybe with Sonos.
20. What was your favourite TV program?
Big Bang Theory was probably the best of the year, it has really hit its stride. Psych has gone a little off the boil, but Lie to Me and Mad Men were good new shows I started watching.
21. What was the best book you read?
Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut. I love his strange style of writing. It is a very sad story, moreso as it is influenced by his real life experiences. I read it soon after visiting Dresden and it had a strong effect on me.
22. What was your favourite film of this year?
Tricky one as I’ve seen a lot of films this year. The special effects and 3D in Avatar was amazing (really, really amazing) but the story, while entertaining, was not the greatest. Still very good but not the best I’ve seen in 2009. Watchmen was pretty good, I Love You Man was surprisingly hilarious, Star Trek was excellent but I think my favourite was (500) Days of Summer. Biggest laugh of the year was the karaoke scene!
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Hmm. I don't actually remember what I did, J was working so I think I just played games all day. In the inimitable words of Pete Gibbons, "I did nothing. Absolutely nothing. And it was everything I hoped it would be."
24. What kept you sane?
A healthy diet of comedy. Inbetweeners and Big Bang Theory while in the UK and How I Met Your Mother in NZ. Legen - wait for it - dary! Laughter truly is the best medicine. Laughter and codeine, preferrably together.
25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None I can think of.
26. Who did you miss?
Not sure I missed anyone too much. I had the good fortune to see most of my friends and family at some point in the year (sorry if I missed you!) and the internet makes it easy to keep in touch regardless of physical distance.
27. Who was the best new person you met?
I really liked my work colleagues at my last job in Edinburgh which ran from January to October. It was such a great working environment and everyone enjoyed being there, which makes a massive difference. Gordon was a great boss and possibly the cheekiest man I have ever met - I don't know how he gets away with it! Sara provided a wealth of information on all things nutritional as well as all things Canadian, Paul had a fantastic caustic sense of humour, Michelle found my jokes funny and Katie was always there if advice was needed (or if Gordon needed taking down a peg!).
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