Friday, December 30, 2011

2011 - the year in retrospect

Following last year's tradition I look back at the year.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Bought my/our very first own Christmas tree (at age 35)

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn't make any resolutions but may make some for 2012. Most likely involving weight loss.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
The world's best roommate gave birth to a baby boy in Summer and hubby's best friend became father of a beautiful baby boy on hubby's birthday of all days.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No

5. What countries did you visit?
Egypt , Austria and Ireland

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you didn’t have in 2011?
More willpower.

7. What dates from 2011 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
June 25th, hilarious family reunion

8. What were your biggest achievements of this year?
Watch less TV and read more.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Holding back when I should have voiced my honest opinion.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Luckily nothing serious. A cold and a week ago I had twisted the knee that I injured badly a few years ago.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Gifts for family and friends. Personally for me? My new smartphone.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Hubby's behavior. He's simply the best and amazes me over and over again.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Nobody's I know on a personal level. However, I am appalled by politicians and idiots the world over.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Towards our mortgage, vacations, dining out or BBQs and books.

15. What did you get really excited about?
My new smartphone and returning to Dublin - my old love.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?

Lana del Rey - Video Games



Adele - Someone Like You




17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) happier


b) same

c) same

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Spend more time with family and friends and I wish I had done more sightseeing and gone on more trips in my own country and my own city.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Complain. Germans love to complain. We've mastered it almost like an artform. I have nothing of importance to complain about. That much I have learned this year.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
This year there wasn't enough time to travel and see our families but we did spend Christmas with six of our closest friends. We had Raclette for Dinner and exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve and enjoyed a wonderful and fun evening.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011? That answer hasn't changed since last year. I am still in love with my husband. Apart from that I am also still in love with that same DSLR camera that I fell in love with last year.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
"Bauer sucht Frau". (Farmers looking for a wife). It's hilarious and one of my guilty pleasures. Especially love it while reading comments about it on Twitter. Same goes for "I am a celebrity, get me out of here"

23. What was the best book you read?
NAMA Mia! by Ross O'Carroll Kelly (or Paul Howard)
I also thought that I would enjoy Steve Jobs' bio a lot. I didn't. Even though I am a sucker for memoires and biographies, I was disappointed to find out that Steve really was the asshole I always thought he was.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Tim Bendzko. A young German artist. Me likey the dude.



25. What did you want and get?
A new smartphone, time with family and friends, a two week vacation doing f*** all and a happy hubby whose new position allowed him to spend more time at home.

26. What did you want and not get?
The new iPhone. Eagerly expected, then disappointed when all that came out was the iPhone 4s. That's why got the Android Samsung Galaxy II and I could not be happier with it.

27. What was your favorite film of 2011?
Given that I haven't watched a lot of movies in 2011 I'd have to say "Paul". Simon Pegg is simply awesome.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 35 and celebrated the occasion with the hubby and our closest friends with a neat little party on the day.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Knowing that everyone was healthy and safe.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2011?
Same shmame as last year's. Dark pants, V-neck sweaters and tunics

31. What kept you sane?
Knowing that in the end it doesn't really matter.

32. What political issue stirred you the most?
Political unrest and revolution in the Middle East, crisis in the Euro zone, the inability of a great nation's government to get their act together before lashing out at others. You know who I am talking about - I am not only looking at you Germany...

33. Who did you miss?
Everyone I didn't get a chance to see this year. My family and far-away friends.

34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
NOTHING is more important than your health and it is ok not to sweat the small stuff. LIVE and ENJOY life to the fullest. You only have the ONE and nobody is going to live it for you. In the end nothing really matters because we are all going to die.

35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Tim Bendzko - Nur noch kurz die Welt retten
Muss nur noch kurz die Welt retten, danach flieg ich zu dir. Noch 148 Mails checken wer weiß was mir dann noch passiert denn es passiert so viel Muss nur noch kurz die Welt retten und gleich danach bin ich wieder bei dir.

Now if you are looking back at your 2011 - please link back. I love reading those.

1 comment:

Melisa Wells said...

I love this post: great recap. I'm glad that you had a good year and you're right about the complaining: I feel the same way. We don't REALLY have much to complain about, do we? :)

"Bauer sucht Frau" sounds hilarious. We had a similar show at some point but it didn't last long. Probably to make room for something else from the Kardashians. :)