2005

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
Travelled to America
Been made redundant

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
"So this year's plot is that I'm going to go out and do stuff more." - erm... probably not
"So my 'resolution' is that I shall take a photo for every day of the year" - this lasted about a month and turned out to be very dull, so I gave up
Read 50 books - I'm half way through my 50th at the moment, so should manage that.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousin in Canada had a baby, but due to the Canada bit we're neither geographically nor emotionally very close.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No

5. What countries did you visit?
Wales (does that count?) - weekend trip to Cardiff with m&m
France - few days in Paris by myself
America - week in Florida with Jane
I like holidays - I'm going to have more.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
A job I like. A Plan. A new tv series from Joss Whedon.

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I'm crap with dates, I'm unlikely to remember any.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I honestly can't think of one that's not pathetic like "didn't kill anyone", "didn't tell certain people to sod off"

9. What was your biggest failure?
Never getting control of the Glu website and actually making it better.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing particularly notable, I seem to recall a couple of mild colds and a twinged muscle in my back, but nothing serious enough to not enjoy being off work.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My holiday to Florida (if that counts) - spectacularly relaxing, fun and exciting. Screw the expense. Physical object wise... my digital camera is nice, Nintendo DS is fun (although nothing really compares to playing Mario Kart with a full room of people at Glu). There's been some nice dvds too...

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Londoners after the bombing - risiliance and humour throughout

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled?
Some of the people and politicians in New Orleans who focused on being disruptive or being critical when people needed help.
People bitching about winning the Olympic bid.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent. Food (mostly eating out). DVDs. Holiday.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Disney World!
London winning the Olympic bid

16. What song will always remind you of 2005?
Everything blurs a bit...
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band from Live8
Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama Out Tonight

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?
No earthly idea. Can't remember how happy/sad I was at this time last year and don't really know whether i'm happy or sad at the moment. I'm busy trying to be optimistic, so probably happier (in a denial kinda way)
ii. thinner or fatter?
Probably fatter.
iii. richer or poorer?
Richer. The pay rise I got at the end of last year put me in a very good position, so for the first time I can remember I actually have some savings. The bulk payment for my redundancy also puts me in a better looking position. BUT the lack of any actual income could be troublesome in a while.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Stuff. Wish I'd gone out more and done more stuff.

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

20. How did you spend Christmas?
As usual at my gran's house in Weston-Super-Mare with gran, dad, james and the neighbour from across the street. Just the usual bumming around the house, despairing at the tv and having christmas dinner at 3pm in the afternoon.

21. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Nope

22. How many one-night stands?
Not a one.

23. What was your favourite TV programme?
Ooo - that's a tricky one that I haven't properly evaluated yet. The Shield? Atlantis? Lost? Boston Legal? Dr Who?

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
There's a few Americans at Glu. Several people have become increasingly annoying to me, but I don't think anyone has moved into the realms of hate yet.

25. What was the best book you read?
Probably The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Umm... The Roosters? Were Scissor Sisters and Franz Ferdinand this year or last?

27. What did you want and get?
Most of the time now if I want something I get it, I like being financially stable ;0) Probably the most noticable thing was Nintendo DS - something I wanted and got despite no real justification.

28. What was your favourite film of this year?
Another tricky one I haven't evaluated properly. Sideways? Batman Begins? Howls Moving Castle? Harvey?

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 26. Can't remember what I did on my actual birthday, but for my birthday I went to see Cirque du Soleil's Dralion at the Albert Hall. It was great and well worth spending a bit on the ticket, even if I did go by myself.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
The US saying "we trust you to do your job and we won't interfere"

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
Smartish casual - black trousers, plain top, coloured over-shirt.
Ooo I had my hair coloured for the first time! I quite liked the blonde streaks and loved the hair cut that came with them, I loved the red, but didn't like the hair cut that came with.

32. What kept you sane?
My brother.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Ummm... nobody particularly jumps out.

34. Who did you miss?
I still miss my mum.

35. Who was the best new person you met?
Umm... new people? There were a few new people at work that I got on well with. But I can't really remember anyone new in my social crowd.

36. Did you enjoy this year?
Not particularly. Work was spectacularly shit most of the year and put me in such a bad mood that most of my social time was just spent trying to forget work.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year
Unless I spend several hours searching song databases this one just isn't going to happen.

38. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Probably James. Sam a close second.

39. What did you want and not get?
A flatscreen monitor. A happy household ;0)

40. What political issue stirred you the most?
Umm... all of them and none of them?

41. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005
Don't believe "It will get better"

42. What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Picture this - you've come back from a glorious holiday and are now back at work horribly jetlagged. You've been told that they are announcing redundancies that day and have spent the whole day sitting around with a group of people in fear of their jobs. You've already heard that two of your closest friends in the office have lost their jobs. It gets to 3ish in the afternoon and in front of 3 other people your boss wonders over to you and says "can you come downstairs for a chat".

43. Where were you when 2005 began?
at home in Fulham.

44. Who were you with?
Umm... was Shuri over that year? I've lost track. If Shuri wasn't over I was by myself.

45. Where will you be when 2005 ends?
at home in fulham.

46. Who will you be with when 2005 ends?
By myself probably.

47. Did you breakup with anyone in 2005?
v Nope

48. Did you make any new friends in 2005?
Some people at work. I can't remember anyone else - sorry if I've forgotten you! Take it as a compliment that I can't believe I've only known you a year.

49. What was your favorite month of 2005?
Most of the months that had something good in them also had something crap in them. So I can't really answer that one.

50. Did you travel outside of the US in 2005?
Yes I travelled outside of my home country.

51. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2005?
Nope

52. Did you have a favorite concert in 2005?
Well Live8 was the only one I actually saw and it was pretty good although irritatingly badly organised which led to songs being cut I wanted to hear.

53. did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2005?
not really.

54. did you do a lot of drugs in 2005?
I took quite a lot of paracetomol thanks to continuous tension headaches at work.

55. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
Probably, but I've blocked it from my memory.

56. Did you treat somebody badly in 2005?
No more than usual.

57. Did somebody treat you badly in 2005?
The whole making me redundant 2 weeks before christmas was pretty poor imho. Could have been handled a lot better with some thought and forward planning. Outside of work there's been a few things I've thought was pretty shitty but not really actively bad, just more a "didn't think" kind of thing.

58. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2005 and change something, what would it be?
I don't really think that way. Life's a chaotic system, change something and it's even odds whether it will end up worse.

59. What are your plans for 2006?
Take January to work out what I want to do, apply for some choice jobs and do some personal projects.
Beyond that all depends on what I work out - probably do serious job hunting Feb/March and start new job.
Resolve issues in the house one way or another
Do more stuff.