December 31, 2009
2009: My Year of Accomplishments & Firsts
- Won first place, UBC Dance Club Minicomp (January 31st)
- Won six trophies at Gala Ball: 2nd in Jive, Quickstep & Tango, and Vienese Waltz; 3rd in Rumba & Quickstep, Foxtrot, and Jive (most trophies at one competition to date).
- Did the Vancouver SunRun 10K in 70 minutes (personal best to date).
- Had my first ride on a motorcycle.
- Travelled outside the country for the first time without the family.
- Travelled outside the lower mainland for the first time without the family.
- Finished high school.
- Took my first university-level courses.
- Gave my first health presentation at meeting.
- Had my first needle, my first cavity drilling, my first tooth extraction, my first surgery, my first stitches, and finally, got my first prescription for drugs.
- Walked away from someone important in my life for the first time.
- Took my first fall in ballroom dancing.
- Watched (in person) my first IDSF competition (Snowball Classic).
- Bought my first secondary lens (Canon 50mm 1.8).
- Went to my first XanGo regional. (Also, my first event with members of our team.)
- Had my first real Vegas experience; walked the strip, wandered in casinos, Saw Cirque du Soleil’s “O” (also a first) and Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian.
- Walked in California sand, dipped my feet in California ocean and visited a Californian beach for the first time.
- Waketubed in the lake and fell off for the first time. Surprisingly, me stranded in the middle of lake while I was waiting for the boat to turn around and pick me up did not result in heart failure due to an extreme fear of fish and deep water.
- Got my first 2nd degree burn. From a mop.
Although it’s not as much as I could have hoped for (it never is, is it?), I’m happy with what I accomplished and experienced. 2009 was a tricky year; one filled with awkward moments, lots of questions, deep valleys, lots of plateaus and a couple mount everests. I needed to spend this year alone, working my derrière off, figuring out myself, figuring out what I want, figuring out what I needed to get done.
2009, in one word, was challenging. For better or for worse.
How was your 2009? If you had to sum it up in one word, what would it be?
- The feeling of a freshly vacuumed bedroom floor.
- Going to bed in freshly laundered sheets, sleeping in a freshly vacuumed, freshly cleaned bedroom.
- Julie & Julia on blu-ray.
- Successful first attempt at dark chocolate bark!
- Leaving 2009 knowing 2010 will be 10x better.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 30, 2009
- Daily improvements.
- Starting the day off studying the bible with my brother.
- Taking an impressive-sized chunk out of the massive mess that has become my room. It is look slightly more presentable now.
- Watching GYC live on 3ABN. I wish I was there in person, but this is probably the next best thing.
- Getting caught up with these GiSTs!! (I know this must be a huge flood in all of your RSS feeds, but this was something I needed to do before the year ended.) I don’t want things carrying into 2010; we start with a blank slate.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 29, 2009
- Buying the sketchbook that will hold all the memories, quotes, photos and journaling of my nineteenth year. I can’t wait to get started.
- Putting it all in God’s hands.
- Getting a second opinion.
- Hearing a bark come from Winks. I never thought I’d be so happy to hear him make noise.
- Being the go-to geek.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 28, 2009
- Window shopping at IKEA. Everyone in my family has things there that they’d love to have but will probably never get around to buying/putting together/installing.
- Having my dog off-leash, stress-free, for 50% of a walk. A first.
- Having a Big Comfy Couch moment where I wake up, look at my room, and stifle the urge to stand up on my bed, put my hands on my hips and ask an invisible camera, “Who made this big mess?!”
- Lazy mornings.
- Having a hair straightener. The days of using an actual iron to straighten my hair are gone!
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 27, 2009
- Family get-togethers in which I actually have great conversations with my second cousins in their 20s instead of sitting in the corner with my brother avoiding small talk from the people who take pity on us.
- Watching The Hangover with my family because I totally thought this was parents-appropriate. This just proves how immune I am to this kind of thing; all the swearing and suggestive content just didn’t phase me at all until I watched with people who actually notice it.
- Dinner at WhiteSpot, where I order the exact same thing every single time: Caesar salad and zucchini sticks.
- Downing Spritzers the entire evening. Gosh I do ever love bubbly, fruity drinks.
- Daily improvements.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 26, 2009
- Having dad come to church with us.
- Seeing old friends who’ve come home for Christmas break.
- Boxing day shopping.
- Chilling with the dad and brother.
- Surviving an experience I expected to be nerve-wracking.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 25, 2009
- How gorgeous the Christmas tree looks when surrounded by presents.
- Christmas miracles.
- Making smart gift selections that result in happy gift receivers.
- Sitting by the fire, preparing dinner ingredients ahead of time. It feels so good not to be rushed and stressed for Christmas dinner for once.
- A humongous Christmas dinner of all flavors and varieties. And smoked turfurkey.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 24, 2009
- Feeling a peace and calm that only comes from God when facing impossibly stressful and difficult situations.
- Listening to the gut feeling.
- Christmas eve miracles.
- Chocolate cappuccino gelato birthday cakes.
- Going to bed happy.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 23, 2009
- Conversing with your friends’ parents. Always odd, usually surprisingly pleasant.
- Going downtown for Christmas Shopping Day 2. Status of Christmas gift shopping now: 100% complete.
- Walking into the ultra-riche department stores when you don’t look like a complete bum. Always a good thing.
- Weird people on the Skytrain.
- Good hair days.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 22, 2009
- Shopping for a dress… 5 hours before the ball.
- Finding the perfect dress… 4 hours before the ball.
- Achieving 95% of Christmas shopping on Day 1.
- Getting attention. Normally I don’t care, but after a rough couple weeks of being in a weird place mentally and feeling awkward about my style and the way I look, I’ve realized that everyone needs reassurance every once in while.
- When someone’s smile and a casual, “hey” makes your heart stop.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 21, 2009
- Learning how to move past frustrations and failures and look to improving the future.
- Finishing part 1 of 2 of assigned work over Christmas break, before Christmas.
- Getting ideas from the best friend about the Great Bedroom Redesign of 2010.
- Looking forward to starting on Christmas shopping.
- Achieving cleanliness.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 20, 2009
- Taking time out of an otherwise “clean up” day to take those English exams.
- Doing things by the book.
- Anticipating.
- Bonding with my brother.
- Idle cleaning.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 19, 2009
- Surviving the inevitably awkward, “I promised I’d showed up to the birthday of friend of whom I have no other mutual friends with, so therefore I know no one here” situation.
- Being careful about getting hopped up on false hope.
- Family moments that bring us closer together.
- Napping all afternoon.
- French fries. I so rarely eat them that when I do, they’re delicious.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 18, 2009
- Finding the motivation needed to push past challenging assignments to just get it done.
- Finally getting those Christmas cards in the mail. On the last day for guaranteed delivery.
- Calling the driving school and booking a tentative appointment. This has been on my to-do list for over a year, I’m ashamed to say.
- Calling the best friend’s dad for information needed for her super-secret Christmas gift.
- When this happens. The odds are too ironic; you have to find this funny.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 17, 2009
- References to the 50s.
- (Actually, everything about the 50s. Including the way men did their hair!)
- Things that make your day.
- When parents catch on to technology, in a good way.
- Having a functional rice cooker again. I love timed technology.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 16, 2009
- The good kind of drama. When you live a relatively boring life where every day is pretty much the same as the day before it, the odd pleasant twist is greatly welcome.
- Verbal sparring. I can’t even begin to explain how refreshing it feels to do this with someone who can keep up.
- Getting emails that make you want to actually check your inbox instead of avoid it.
- Appreciating clever usage of the English language.
- Taking care of those things that have been nagging at my subconscious.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 15, 2009
- Road bikes. Infinitely easier to ride than mountain bikes when you’re going uphill.
- Baking gingerbread cookies. A first.
- Successfully melting chocolate with a makeshift double boiler.
- Independent mobility.
- Grocery shopping.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 14, 2009
- Unexpected surprises.
- How whenever you attempt to look good you never run into anyone you care about looking good for, but as soon as you stop making an effort, you run into three. Oh sweet irony.
- Making plans for the new year.
- Finishing the muchly-procrastinated Chem review notes for Chapter 5.
- Bashful boys.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 13, 2009
- Getting our tree up, and decorating it!
- Finishing You’ve Got Mail. NEW FAVORITE MOVIE.
- Getting all the outdoor lights up. The house and yard looks so lovely in various arrangements of white and red lights.
- SNOW ON THE GROUND. I can’t stress how awesome it is to have snow – normally I hate it, but this year I feel its an essential part of the Christmas season.
- Wyoming, country-style take on the nativity story.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 12, 2009
- Totally by chance, preferable seating choices.
- After-concert refreshments.
- Wearing my new sweater, an early xmas present.
- Reconnecting with old faces.
- The book of Matthew genealogy song.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 11, 2009
- Speaking my mind, however harsh and cutting. I can apologize later, but sometimes it just feels so good to yell and “get it all out there”.
- Choosing our Christmas tree!
- Hoedown throwdown and interactive, action-filled 12 days of Christmas at this year’s preformance of The Singing Christmas Tree.
- Breaking out my favorite pair of ultra functional, furry North Face boots. Bring on the snow!
- Multigrain vegetarian lasagna with sauteed broccolini.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 10, 2009
- Getting away with deadlines by the scruff of my neck.
- Writing passionately. It always feels so good – like a creative rush – when I can write when I am “in the moment” of inspiration, instead of taking notes to write about at a time more convenient.
- Realizing how much certain TV & movies affect my mood. (In a bad way).
- Running under track lights. It makes me feel so insignificant, yet so center stage at the same time. Great pump-up for going the extra mile, literally.
- Hitting emotional rock bottom. As intoxicating as the feeling of indulging utter despair is, once you get over it, it’s nice to know you have nowhere else to go but up.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 9, 2009
- Heart-stopping moments between two people.
- Glee finale. Love this show.
- Going to bed before midnight.
- Making physical distance not exist.
- Remembering monthly deadlines.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 8, 2009
- A successful first-ever attempt at pizza dough.
- A successful first-ever attempt at basil pesto.
- Perfectly cooked spaghetti. El dante!
- Family dinners.
- Conquering to-do lists.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 7, 2009
Alternatively titled, The Post In Which All Five of Chanel’s Remaining Twilight Readers Unsubscribe, A Totally Unbiased Review Of One Of The Worst Second Installments Ever.
Last year, I gave you five reasons why Twilight sucked. Since then, the Twilight franchise has rolled out a second installment to their first cash cow, this one entitled “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” for all five of the dumbest people in North America who have been living under a rock with poor wireless reception. (I say ‘North America’ because I’m pretty sure people in other continents have better things to do than follow the updates of a fictional girl forced to choose between necrophilia and bestiality.)
Continue Reading →
- Taking a creative day.
- Getting my (rusty) inspiration working again.
- Tweaking. Such an idle, passive activity – but gently soothing to the soul, somehow.
- Friday Night Lights.
- Anonymous comments & questions!
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 6, 2009
- Keeping things together. Barely, but even so.
- Thermacare products. HELLO PAIN RELIEVER.
- Journalling again in a journal that is literally more than ten years old.
- Reading things that spell something out so clearly you’re amazed you never realized it before, and having them unintentionally validate the way things are at the moment.
- Warm, dimly-lit rooms, listening to soothing music and drinking warm tea.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 5, 2009
- Having curly hair. (My hair is straight – this was a nice change!)
- Straight guy friends who can give you fashion advice from the perspective of a man.
- The “braless” look – maybe I’m just weird, but with certain dresses and t-shirts I think sans bra looks better than the alternative.
- One of the coolest mixer gamers I’ve seen in awhile – everyone is given a piece of paper from two separate bowls (one for men, one for women) which contain fragments of christmas lyrics, and when Christmas music is playing you’re supposed to find the person who has the phrase that completes yours and dance with then, in hopes of winning a gift. (I was “… The Halls”, looking for “Deck..”)
- When people surprise me in ways that are completely unexpected.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 4, 2009
- Having the sense to wear tights under my pants before I stood in line in the freezing cold for three hours to get into the American Apparel rummage sale.
- Pesto pizza and ginger ale. Such a badass combination.
- Trying on new clothes I’ve already bought.
- A conversation with a stranger at a bus stop over a commonality.
- Talking to someone I’ve missed.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 3, 2009
- Wearing hipster outfits to university drama club plays.
- Socializing with friends from a specific social scene, outside of that social scene.
- When people know my name without me having to introduce myself. This is the oddest (yet, very cool) sensation.
- 70% cocoa chocolate squares. I’ve always disliked dark chocolate, but after trying these particular ones, I’m not sure I’ll be able to go back to milk chocolate!
- Feeling like I lead a normal life for someone my age, for once.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 2, 2009
- Going for a run for the first time in months. It felt wonderful. I ran for about 20 minutes straight, which is incredibly surprising to me considering how I essentially haven’t ran since the SunRun back in April of 2009!
- The winter sun. It looks different from the sun of the other seasons.
- “Getting back on the horse” by taking similar quiz to to the one I failed a week or so back, and doing really well on it. Small steps to rebuilding confidence.
- Having mom back home.
- A week packed with school and leisure. Its the days where I don’t do anything and don’t have to be anywhere that worry me.
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
December 1, 2009
- Being up at the crack of dawn.
- Discovering that the world is beautiful at 7:30am.
- Being out in the sun and feeling alive, instead of drained (what I usually feel like when I’m in the sun).
- Balance.
- Getting my hair cut. Considering my last haircut was in the summer – probably the beginning of summer, actually – it was long overdue!
Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace In Small Things.
