Happy New Year all... apologies for not being round much recently... I'd make a resolution, but we all know how useful that is... instead, I'll give you this meme.

1. What have you done in 2005 that you'd never done before? Shitloads! Coming to Japan being the big one... and so many things that I have done here (getting naked in the onsen, praying at a Shinto shrine, doing a tea ceremony, eating many weird (konnyaku)and wonderful (anpan!) new foods, wearing a yukata, climbing mountains) have been new and exciting. Oh, and of course there was the whole 'getting drunk and falling out of a tree and nearly breaking my arm' incident, never done that before either :)

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't think I made any last year... but this year I made two: first of all, to stop correcting people (unless it's important) because I am becoming an annoying know-it-all, and secondly to be more curious about the things I don't know, to make the effort to research new things that I encounter that I don't know anything about instead of letting them pass me by.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yep, my grandad's daughter gave birth to her first child.

4. Did anyone close to you die? I knew a couple, but no one especially close.

5. What countries did you visit? Japan!

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005? A more relaxed and easygoing temperament :)

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? June the 14th, because it's when I met my boyfriend. Also, March 30th, the day I arrived in Japan.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Being here... becoming a decent teacher (I hope) and over-coming the initial home-sickness and culture shock and managing to function in a country where I do not speak the language!

9. What was your biggest failure? Nothing really springs to mind... perhaps neglecting to get much closer to my goal of becoming a basically balanced person... but that's a long term project :)

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I seemed to suffer from every little cold that came around, my little body being unused to Japanese viruses and the like... and there was the time where I lost my voice completely for a couple of days (and continued to teach despite this). The big one, of course, was getting drunk and falling out of a tree and almost breaking my arm - possibly cracked a bone, possibly just a really bad sprain. Never done that before.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Recently I have bought a couple of expensive toys... a new digital camera, and my iPod, which has given me endless hours of fun.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? The Writer insists his behaviour merits celebration, because he's amazing... in my life, probably him and CoWorker, both for being incredibly patient with moody little me at times :)

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? Fuck, too many people to name. Bush's Intelligent Design thing was getting to me for a while... politicians and world leaders in general at times...

14. Where did most of your money go? Travel, and expensive toys.

15. What did you get excited about? Snow!!!!! I have stood in the snow and danced for the first time ever this year, and seen thick blankets of white stuff fall on the mountains surrounding my city... very cool.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005? "Wicked Little Town" from the Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack. I got it for Christmas, and in fact it is playing right now :) Cool movie, awesome soundtrack. That, and Billy Joel's "Modern Woman", because someone left a stack of mix tapes in the car I inherited and that was on one of the first ones I listened to, and listened to over and over...

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? Happier. I feel like I have my shit together a little more and am a bit more certain of the future than this time last year.
ii. thinner or fatter? Mmmm... probably about the same. I've put on a bit of weight recently, but that always seems to happen around Christmas.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer... I actually have a decent income this year and some savings and I'm not living from week to week, so something of an improvement.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Travel, but I think I made pretty good use of the time that I had available, so I'm not too bummed.

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

20. How did you spend Christmas? On Christmas Day I was working, running around after 120 Japanese kids below 12 at our school's Christmas party. I had my Christmas on the 27th, a big dinner with a bunch of gaijin buddies.

22. Did you fall in love in 2005? Yes!

23. How many one-night stands? Zero, but I did kiss a girl for the first time...

24. What was your favourite TV program? Haven't watched a great deal... not on actual TV anyway (although I did become briefly addicted to a show about a women's volleyball team)... however, watched all six seasons of 'Sex and the City' on DVD and CoWorker has recently introduced me to Buffy.

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

26. What was the best book you read? Most helpful is probably the Japan Lonely Planet... other than that, nothing really stands out. I hate to say it, but I haven't read a whole lot this year... hope to change this next year.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Most recently, the 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' soundtrack. Also recently re-discovered Sonic Youth.

28. What did you want and get? I wanted to get away from my old life back home, and got it.

29. What did you want and NOT get? I wanted to be single for a while, and I'm not, but that's something I don't regret at all.

30. What was your favourite film of this year? 'Batman Begins' was alright... 'Hating Alison Ashley' because it was one of my favourite books as a kid and I was so excited to see it turned into a movie... also liked 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (was that this year or last?).

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? On my birthday, I turned 25, and my boyfriend organised a surprise dinner gathering for me which was lots of fun.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Nothing really comes to mind here, to be honest...

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005? It's been hard enough to find clothes in my size in this country, so prettty much I take what I can get.

34. What kept you sane? My Writer (or did he keep me insane?); my airconditioner in summer and my heater in winter; and constant new experiences which have served to renew my sense of wonder and enjoyment in the world around me.

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

36. What political issue stirred you the most? Intelligent Design. And, locally, the growing animosity between Japan and China.

37. Who did you miss? So many folks back home! My family, my friends... and my cat :)

38. Who were the best new people you met? Again, so many new friends and work folks, with the Writer and CoWorker topping the list.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: I'll work on this none... nothing springs to mind at the moment...

Hopefully will get my act together and write again soon...

Before After

© Blueshoe 1999-2005