Goodbye 2011 (a wrap up)

It that time of the year again. Just a little over a day before we enter the new year, so I’m doing another long, rambly wrap up post like last year.

The stuff I will really remember about 2011? Discovering analog photography. It has made me happy, passionate & a little more artistic Going on a vacation with friends, I hadn’t been on vacation with anyone but my parents before, & this was so fun. Also starting to collect cameras & vinyl records.

Tears For Fears remained my favorite band ever. I’m glad to say I have their first three albums on vinyl now, & that makes me really happy. We haven’t been able to find a satisfactory turntable yet but I’m sure we will soon. Also I discovered David Bowie, I love his music!

I’m alone at home this year, so it’s a lot like last year. I didn’t want to vacation with my parents at the moment so I stayed home. But staying alone this year is quite different than last year, I am much more at ease, sleeping better, cooking meals & not letting the house get too messy. And I hope to do some laundry as well tomorrow. These may seem like small silly things but to me their not, I have a wonderful mom who usually does all the housework so I don’t have to. But me doing all the stuff that she normally took care of, I feel very independent & grown up about it.

I am no longer talking to someone who I called my best friend last year, it feels slightly weird but I should have done it a long time ago, trust me. I found a nice new friend & we have so much fun, exploring the city, talking for hours & pushing each other’s buttons (in a fun, friendly way).

Now instead of making new year’s resolutions, I did something call good intentions at the start of this year. [You can find them here].

I reexamined them a little while ago & was very glad to see that I kept most of them-

good intentions for the new year 2011

1. do random good deeds.

I did this. Quite a few times. One of those is especially memorable, I will share it in a post soon.

2. don’t get angry easily.

This was a tough one to follow, & there was a month or so when I was angry & upset a lot, but I got over it. This is not one of those things that I can really tick off, but I did try to stay calmer & approach things in a zen way & let things go.

3. swear less.

I don’t think I did this. In fact, I don’t think I really want to do it ever, I just need to have a good filter so I don’t say anything offensive when elders or religious people are around.

4. read more books

I did! Maybe not as many as I would’ve have liked because blogging, photography etc. kept me pretty busy. I did buy many books though, some of which I haven’t read yet.

5. eat more. don’t skip meals even if I’m busy.

I think I did this. I’m not 100% sure but even on college days I’m often at the college canteen or Cafe Andora or Candies. I still need to eat more, though.

6. sleep earlier so i can wake up in the mornings.

Oh I didn’t do this, not at all! 🙁 I tried but I am such a night owl, I think I need to resign myself to that fact.

7. don’t bunk college so much.

Eeep, no. I still bunk so much, damn these college timings.

8. listen to more music.
Oh I definitely did this, music makes me so happy. 🙂

9. eat more chocolates & ice cream.
Done!

10. take risks. try new things.
To me analog photography was new but oh so risky at first, especially when you are new to it, it can be challenging & sometimes frustrating. I kept to it though & now nothing gives me as much joy.

11. start volunteering somewhere again on a regular basis.
I did this as well. I had been going with my mother to a local Home for the Aged since I was 10 or 11. I helped out there in my own way when I was younger but later I stopped going that often, though I still knew most of the nuns there, I felt somewhat negative & told myself I was too busy. But in June 2011 I decided that I wanted to start again & joined a lay people’s association there & I’m there an average of twice or thrice every month, I definitely feel very happy about this & will continue.

12. finish more stuff from my 20 before 20 list.
I sorta fazed out the list. I’m not sure why, it’s just after a year or so you realized that you have changed & don’t want the same things you once did.

13. see beauty in everything around me.

I did. Seeing beauty in everything helped my analog photography; or was it the other way? Maybe analog photography helped me see beauty. But either way I did have quite a few yuugen (幽玄) moments. Yuugen is supposed to be a Japanese word sudden moments when you have this profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of life. (I found this word via Allison’s blog, thanks Allison!)
I am happy with how my good intentions list turned out, definitely make one this year as well.

Something I realized about (my) life? Good things happen, bad things happen. There are days when I’m deliriously happy & days when I feel somewhat depressed. But then at the end of the year I look back & I am filled with happiness for all the wonderful things that happened & even the people who wronged me, because they just made me a little stronger.
And I’m super lucky to have nice, understanding parents. Although I don’t have too many friends, I am happy with the few that I do have & proud to call them my friends. I feel extremely blessed & lucky & fortunate, I don’t think I have done anything deserving enough to have a life as nice as this & people who are there for me if I need them.
I cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store for me! And if the world has to end, I won’t be so sad because I lived my life.

How did your year go, what are the things you will remember the most about 2011? I’d love it if you shared with me in the comments.