vendredi, janvier 02, 2004 1. What did you do in 2003 that you'd never done before?I wrote a thesis, graduated with honours, went to Europe*, got my first temp job, worked at Tanjong Pagar, got my first permanent job, first paycheck, discovered just exactly where Mohd Sultan Rd is, visited DBS Arts Centre, got a pet (a few pets! my fish!), bought a fish filter, used a lanyard, bought my first pack of 100 CD-Rs (previously only bought max of 50), bought (and bought and bought) Neil Gaiman books, got a flu jab, got one of my essays published in a journal, invested... * Hung around cute ang moh guys long enough that they actually knew my name, drank beer, tried schnapps, went up the Swiss Alps, visited Venice, saw (NOT PARTICIPATED) in a wet t-shirt competition, tried and LOVED escargot, visited the Rhine River and Rhine Falls, went to an international conference, visited the place where Name Of The Rose was set - that Benedictine monk library, smelt marijuana, saw the Eiffel Tower, bought French perfume, nearly got mugged... SO MANY THINGS! 2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make new years resolutions. 3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Uh... thinking... nope. 4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes and yes. My maternal grandmother passed away a couple of months back. I don't really miss her because I never really knew her; she was in Malaysia all the time, and she spoke only hokkien, and by the time I managed to learn some passable hokkien was the time when she started to go senile from dementia. From what my mother tells me, I think I would have liked to meet her when she was my age. She apparently had quite the fighting spirit. The second was not exactly what you would call very close, but she was important to me all the same. Her name was Miss Hamimah, and she was my literature/GP/form teacher during my first 3 months in NYJC. She was one of the best teachers I've ever had - she was kind without being soft, and sharp without being cutting. I remember she gave each of the students in my class a blue-coloured 20 cent notebook, and she would encourage us to write anything we wanted inside. The books would be collected every Friday, and would be returned to us on Monday, always with a little scribbling inside - not a lot, she never wrote a lot, but the few words she did pen were personal, and always heartfelt. She passed away in an unfortunate accident in Australia while studying for her Masters in Higher Education. 5. What countries did you visit? Ooh! England, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, ITALY!, Switzerland, FRANCE!, and of course, Malaysia. 6. What would you like to have in 2004 that you lacked in 2003? Diplomacy. Tact. Political savviness. And of course, WORLD PEACE! :) 7. What date from 2003 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? The day that the US unilaterally decided to act on Iraq, because it was so irrational (they were looking for Osama, how did they shift to Saddam Hussein?). The utter lack of political will that the checks and balances were SUPPOSED to have in play was shocking. 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? That I didn't kill myself or die. 9. What was your biggest failure? That I didn't kill myself or die. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nope. Nothing major anyway. 11. What was the best thing you bought? Many things! Zara pants. My Contiki Europe tour. Very funky underwear. My Nokia 6220 (Christmas present from my mom, but I think it still counts lah.) 12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? Mine, for not killing myself. My brother, for rising above grunts-language this year. 13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? No comment. George Bush? Appalled yes, depressed no. 14. Where did most of your money go? Food, transport, Europe. 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Flying to Europe FOR FREE ON SWISSAIR. It's like one of those good-better-best things. Good - Going to Europe. Better - Flying there FREE. Best - Flying there FREE ON SWISSAIR. (the only thing better would be "flying to Europe free on first class" :) ) 16. What song will always remind you of 2003? Busted - Year 3000. Heh. None, actually. They were all pretty forgettable. 17. Compared to this time last year, are you i. happier or sadder? None. Number. ii. thinner or fatter? About the same. iii. richer or poorer? Richer. Marginally. 18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Making more friends, getting involved again in the theatre scene earlier. 19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Same as Kris - being such a b*tch. 20. How did you spend Christmas? By myself. At home. THERE IS NO Q21. Because there is no spoon. 22. Did you fall in love in 2003? No. 23. How many one night stands? None. (darn.) 24. What was your favourite TV programme? Toss up between The West Wing and Gilmore Girls. 25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, not really. I think. 26. What was the best book you read? Toss up between: About A Boy by Nick Hornby Sandman series by Neil Gaiman The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren 27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Don Richmond... uh... I know, uncool cos it's pop and it's local... uh... Corrine May... another local... Michelle Branch. Pink! I KNOW! Scrap all the above, this girl's the BEST: Jennifer Knapp's Kansas. Gorgeously poetic lyrics, great guitar, lovely voice. What more could you ask of her? BUY THE ALBUM. 28. What did you want and get? Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. Most of them, anyway. Zara pants. Funky underwear! Oh, and a job. 29. What did you want and not get? Not much. Nothing, really. 30. What was your favourite film of this year? Uh... was Spiderman this year? Heh. Jeux d'Enfants (Love Me If You Dare). FANTASTIC show, weird and wacky and French at the same time. Bizarre love story, with a twist of lemon. Yummy. 31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I don't recall, and 23. 32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Getting a job which paid me loads for doing what I like doing whenever I want to. I think that would make my LIFE immeasurably more satisfying. 33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2003? Shirt and pants, baby. Shirt and pants. 34. What kept you sane? My friends and family. And the thought that it would be such a pity to go insane at this point in my life. 35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Mr. Darcy, from the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice! Always! 36. What political issue stirred you the most? Again, the bloody unilateralist move by the USA to wage war. "I smell blood and an era of prominent madmen", I quoted W.H. Auden about a year ago. 37. Who did you miss? My friends. A lot. 38. Who was the best new person you met? Mark P. because he's absolutely brilliant. In Imperial College, London studying Medicine on a MUSIC scholarship. Brilliant or what? 39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2003. Never ask God for something that you aren't prepared to receive. Never ever. EVER. 40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Same as Kris: NO SUCH THING John Mayer I just found out there's no such thing as the real world - just a lie you've got to rise above. and IF GOD IS A DJ Pink If God is a DJ, life is a dance floor you get what you're given, it's all how you use it So open your mouth and stick out your tongue, you might as well let go, you can't take back what you've done I seriously encourage everyone to do this evaluation form. If anything, just do the first question, and then think that hey, your life wasn't that bad, was it? [Evaluation form: 2003] |
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