how's your year been? aka 2002 a retrospective

[bluegirl]

so how's the year been for you? what have been the standout high points and low points? has it been an overall good year or your anus horriblus? did you manage to achieve what you set out to achieve? and finally, so where to for 2003?
to start us off, major highlights for me this year include:
- started dating my wonderful boyfriend in late january, we are still together and things are great
- my month long trip to thailand, september/october, was one of the most amazing experiences of my life so far
- 2 trips to melbourne, one at the start of the year which included kittycore, and one for my 22nd birthday in may, when i was lucky enough to be able to attend bill's memorial party
- FINALLY getting my driver's license!
- starting regular qi gong (kinda like tai chi) classes -> they are amazing and have really helped me learn how to clear my head and just "be"
- MUCH less chems in my diet
low points:
- getting my wisdom teeth out
- a month long stretch at work where i was working 3 jobs and totally stressed out i developed sleeping problems
- a horrible weekend when i found out about bill's death, a friend of the family was killed by a car the same friday and my grandmother died on the saturday
- when i thought my parents were going to get a divorce around june -> they aren't now, which is a high i guess, and at least things got out into the open and are steadily improving
overall the year hasn't been too bad for me - i meant to go overseas much earlier in the year but due to maxi's prior commitments the travel got postponed about 6 mths. i have found a little more direction in life - i have applied to go back to uni to study law next year (hopefully do the 3 year accelerated course) and i hope this will allow me to research into minority groups' experiences with and within the criminal justice system and maybe eventually work for legal aid. my plans for next year include buying a car, moving out of home with maxi (we have just completed 3 weeks of house-minding together and LOVED it!), getting my ass down to melbourne more and obviously uni. in fact, i can't wait - roll on 2003 i say.....
much love to everyone who has been a part of making my year so great,
bk

[edit] oops, forgot some stuff
[ 09 December 2002: Message edited by: blue kitten ]

 

[Pleonastic]

Awesome idea for a thread! :D
A major highlight for me this year would have to be re-joining the workforce after not working all year. This was by choice that I didn't work until October, so it's not like the time before that was a waste. During that time I learnt lessons about what's important in life, and learnt how not to waste money (it's not easy living for 10 months on about $1500, including phone bills, petrol, food, etc).
I also spent the majority of the year moderating Aus Social, and later Aus DD as well, before becoming admin. While I enjoyed it as a way to pass the time while I wasn't working, it also taught me a lot. I've learnt a whole lot more about diplomacy, about how people act and behave, and enhanced my leadership skills. Shame I can't put it on my resume though!
There were some things that I would have liked to do that I didn't get done. Hopefully I'll get them done next year, but they're not huge issues - and some of them I have very little control over anyway so it'll either happen or it won't.
All up, 2002 was a good year. And 2003 is shaping up to be even better...

 

[Chaos Butterfly]

this year has been majorly productive for me. i am very happy with the way that pretty much everything went.
i got my uni course back on track and am pushing my average up considerably every semester, and with a year to go, have an outside chance at first class honours, but a very very solid chance at high second class.
i substantially cut back on the amount of substances that i was consuming. this was a very good thing, as people who saw what i did to my self for most of 2001 will know where i was as compared to where i am now.
i have managed to quite easily find the work experience that i need to do for my uni course and am looking forward to starting that very soon.
basically i have had a great year. i can't think of anything that stands out as a bad point at the moment, but i am sure that i will think of something, or someone will remind me about something soon, but hey i can only hope that 2003 will be as good if not better than 2002.
CB

 

[CookieMonster78]

Hmmm this year has been frickin awesome :D
high points:
- breaking up with my live in boyfriend of 5 1/2 years (though we only lived together for 2)
- making new friends since the breakup and learning who my true friends are
- experiencing new things (first pill, clit piercing etc.)
- making definitive plans for next year (as opposed to just plodding along)
low points:
- breaking up with my live in boyfriend of 5 1/2 years (though we only lived together for 2)
- learning who my true friends are
there ya go

 

[staticJ]

Its been a tough "02"
Had a Major car accident, i rolled my car over and lost my job the next day "sux". Recovered from the accident and brought a new set of wheels =o)
Found another job. It was on a friday arvo and i was DYING to get out so i could make my way to hyperspeed, when my boss told me to stay back to clean up the place, i told him to stick it (mind you i havnt taken a day off in 4 years) & lost my job again !
Finally finished 3 years a Tafe studyin Auto Mechanics,
Learned the way of liquid pop dancin and the most memerable moment of the year was probably hitting the circle for the first time ever in my life at sublime and just hearing the cheers and applause at the end of my show =o)
Im pretty simple, try not to make my life complicated =o))))
the way life should be
This years Resolution ---> try to quit smoking for the ummmmmm...... lets see now..... 7th attempt ???

 

[gloryfiedy]

Gee, 2002 has been an awesome year for me. I have been living in an asian country since 30 Dec 2001, and i'm just about to finish my first one year english teaching contract- and go on a 3 country holiday. I can't say it has been all roses, far from it. Immersing myself fully in another culture, language and society is a hard thing to do. I am sure when I return to the western world in 20 days (to Melbourne I will realise just how life changing this experience has been.
High Points- teaching for the first time in my life, and finding out just how much I love it.
Being totally chemical free for a year.
Paying off a big chunk of my student loan.
Living alone and liking it.
Learning a new language.
Holiday in Thailand.
Getting my suba diving open water license.
Gaining a black belt in tae kwon do.
High speed internet connection, EVERYWHERE!
Meeting lovely, hospitable korean people.
Having the best boss i've ever had.
Low points- root canal, korean style (not nice)
Air pollution.
Getting hit by a car on purpose.
Racism (mostly anti-american sentiment). I'm a kiwi/aussie.
Loneliness.
Not going to raves.
All this said, i'm coming back for another six months in 2003!

 

[Fetish Jester]

Hmmmm...
Whenever I look back through this year, its quite overwhelming.
Some of my highs would include:
-Deciding that no, I should leave my degree to persue my first love: writing.
-Having it all go "click" at my first rave and turn into the happy little PLURbunny that I am now.
-Discovering Bluelight and all the funky little people that populate it all. You rock.
-My two short term girlfriends that helped me realise what I want in life.
-My "other" friend, she knows who she is.
-My friends in general
Lows:
-Battling the black beast of depression on and off.
-Having to deal with fuckwits and other people who deserve the term "fuck" when describing them.
-Comedowns, fucking comedowns.
-General "fuck"

 

[Wiretrippa]

Lessons learnt from 2002...
*Physical contact is not a sin.
Over the year, my capacity to touch someone I don't really know or don't usually do so with has slowly increased. Customers, friends, people I've recently met. Hugs have become more prevalent. I will now 'pat' a customer on the arm sometimes if they've made a good joke or said something insightful. None of this has been met with standoffishness or negative comment. In the movie 'Life As A House', someone comments to Kevin Kline that 'everyone needs to be touched'. I have only begun to learn the power of this.
*You can work harder.
The second half of the year has been the most gruelling physical and mental time of my life. I spent all of second semester working about 32-36 hours a week, plus going to uni three days a week, plus seeing my girlfriend and occasionally making it out to clubs and raves. There were so many days when I felt my head was going to explode, or my legs were going to fall off (I'm a waiter), but I pulled through.
*Saving is a quiet joy and sense of peace.
In two months or so, I will have moved out of home. The reason I adopted the aforementioned ludicrous work hours were to save for moving out cash, and pay off some of my horrendous Visa card debt. At the start of July, I had nothing saved and owed Visa two grand. I now owe them a grand (still a lot, but the breathing space is nice), and have $1100 in the bank. And I feel good.
*Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.
Especially when it's for a wonderful woman who understands that you are working towards a goal and are studying hard. The significant other has accepted seeing me once or twice a week, and phone calls in lieu of physical contact, and done all of it with grace and love. For this she has my undying respect and love.
*Bluelight is wonderful.
Seriously, you guys have done more to protect my sanity than you will ever know. The net has been my beacon of contact with people all semester, and Bluelight has been my place to vent, joke, laugh and express the way my mind has been reeling and feeling. I appreciate every comment, every response to a thread I've started, and every joke that's cracked me up in the small hours of the morning.
Thank you.
Wire.

 

[vurtomatic]

its been a good and bad year... good cos im finally doing something im interested in with regards to school. did well in the first semester. after which my life went downhill and i've been trying to put back the pieces since.
putting back the pieces has been an arduous process, more questions than answers, rediscovering who i am and making a new "me". actually its been more confusing than anything. this might sound like a cliche and unbelievable for someone who's written this entire diatribe about himself, but im trying to accept and love myself.
outta this, there has been moments of clarity and i actually see in my mind what i would be/like to be doing in the near future.
highlights i guess would be bringing some of my friendships to new levels this year... shoutouts to jeroxie, tho, madmonkey and nezo, love u guys.
i'd like to think my writing is evolving and growing; something i would like to work on more and perhaps, make something out of if possible. i wished i could churn out more stuff on a regular basis, i dunno if i should but i suppose that is the next level to take that to.
lows... some regrets over the past 6 months... learning to deal/accept my breakup took a long time on a destructive path, i still cant say i understood what happened but im beginning to have a glimmer; but i learnt my lesson and i suppose one could say i have a bit more faith. in that time, i've had very good friends become acquintances due to my detachment and inability to open up or communicate with them. i just saw them last night and yeah, it was rather sad.
but im not apologetic about it... it was something i had to go through and i cant be fucked answering/explaining to anyone.
so... that would've been my year.
as for 2003... i have no fucking idea what's happening then i should hopefully finish up my course in february, after which i'd have to decide what to do with my life and where i want to reside.
in all honesty, i cant say im looking forward to the new year, more questions to confound my life i suspect.

 

[Genasirus]

At the end of last year I cut out the front page of the December Beat (Melb. street press publication) because it had a section saying "2001: Is that it?". Been residing on my wall ever since... freaked out when I realised I need another one
Highpoints:
Completing my e-Business diploma @ Spherion.
Having quite a few moments that made me revel in being alive - seeing some brilliant artists and hearing some amazing music at both live acts and electronic.
Being in my first 'proper' adult relationship.
Experiencing the joy that can be found on and off living with someone.
Lowpoints:
Breaking up with my partner. Having to deal with so many related hard times. Losing my best friend at the same point. Being walked over by said people.
I had a really hard time actually writing out my 'highpoints', but then I consider it just over-shadowed by what I've experienced as of late. Still no where near having a sense of stability back in my life but it will all come in time.
I see 2003 as a final awakening year for me. I'm going to get into the work force (in a permanent 9-5 sense) and really enjoy it. I'll come to the end of next year debt free and hopefully a lot more comfortable with who I am and how I want to be treated.
Was really looking forward to spending this NYE just quietly with the partner, arm in arm and letting the clock tick by - but that exploded in an instant a while ago now. This was a lowpoint which has now converted to a highpoint, seems the moment wont be so lonely after all - a huge hug to the girl out their who knows what I'm talking about.
To all the people who I've shared a laugh with, the people I've stumbled across and spent hours with on the dancefloor, even the people that have listened to me bitch about the hard times - massive props to everyone.
Glad to be posting here. Props to Bluelight. Thanks

 

[hoptis]

I could write a few pages here by going into any detail.
Needless to say, this has been the best year of my life so far and to some extent, the only year that has mattered. The difference between this year and the twenty-one that came before it is the difference between simply being alive and living.
Most important of all though is that for once I took a chance at so many things and was prepared to take risks to make progress, learning so much about myself and people in general along the way. I also learnt not to think too much. One day I'll look back and shake my head at how much can change in one year.
"What a year, it has been.
Lost my love, shed my skin"
- Alex Lloyd, "What A Year"

 

[sydkiwi]

highlights:
- moving out of that bitch i unfortunatly have to call my sisters place. I am now not on speaking terms with her which suits me fine.
- getting out and going to places i havent been b4. canberra, taree and newcastle.
- finally making a trip to melbourne to check out wot they get. earthcore rocked big time. my mates are coming back next year for sure.
- cutting back on substances and having to quit e. havent hada pill in two months now.
the downers:
- prozac.
-

 

[Samadhi]

Highlights:

• Yet another year with my wonderful fellow S. We are growing stronger by the day. It will be 4 years in May 03.
• My job is fantastic, i've been promoted and am gaining invaluable experience in the field.
• Courses i've taken through the year have helped me to become a stronger person, and have allowed me to reflect on past friendships, relationships and situations with a renewed sense of peace and love, as well as realising my part in certain situations...and for those parts; i apologise.
• We're planning our wedding!!! :D :D :D and we are moving into our first "non-rental" house in January! :D :D :D
• Working for ravesafe and becoming friends with Phase_Dancer, Speshal K, J, A and the rest of the team. Amazing people that have become part of our family . :D

Lows:

• Endometriosis
• My nonno is slipping away from us. I think he just wants to be with my nonna now, he's tired of living without her *sigh*
• After 2.5 weeks of anxiousness and waiting, it seems that S's da's condition is terminal. We now have to make sure that the time he has left is full of wonderful memories of happy times...
• Our wedding has been brought forward. (see above)
• My dad may not be able to get back in time for our wedding.

So, this year has had it's share of highs and lows...most of the lows have occured within the last month.
What have i learned from this year?

• Never go to sleep fighting
• Say what you mean
• Mean what you say
• Don't let petty crap get in the way of and ruin what could have been lovely friendships
• Don't put off telling people how you feel
• Each day with the people you love is truely a gift, don't take it for granted!
• Let go of all the tension you can in your life. Make peace with as many people as you can. Be the first one to extend the "olive branch". Even if they don't reciprocate, then at least you know in your heart that you tried...because you just don't know what the hell is around the corner for you, or when your time is up.

Happy Holiday season everyone, and may your New Year be full of happiness and prosperity.
Love and Light,
S&K
edit:added a few more points.
[ 09 December 2002: Message edited by: samadhi ]

 

[Queen Beat]

2002 for me has been a fairly chaotic and life changing year. I've realised there were many things I was unhappy about in my life and have tried to make changes - some have worked some haven't. I've met people who I never want to see again in my life, and I've also met some people who I couldn't live without. So here's my year in point form...which doesn't really seem to do it justice.
High points:
[*]apollo - need I say more? I love you.[*]Meeting plaz, mirage, funki - where would I be without you guys?[*]star_beats - sorry for my recent behaviour. You're my best friend and I love you.[*]Finally dropping out of a uni course I hated.[*]Having some amazing nights out - Krafty Kuts, puddles at Sublime, History of Breaks 2, Field Day 2002.[*]Getting out of debt for the first time in over a year.
Low points
[*]Realising my parents really don't like who I am.[*]Getting kicked out of home.[*]Paying for my brother to go on schoolies only to have him leech all the money out of my bank account while he was away.[*]Watching a friend of mine slowly self destruct and not being able to do anything about it.[*]Dropping out of uni but being too unmotivated to get a decent job.
All in all, it's been a year of change. 2003 can only get better. I can't wait.

[ 09 December 2002: Message edited by: Queen Beat ]

 

[katmeow]

This year has been, for me, a run of high points, after a few years that weren't quite what I expected.
At the beginning of the year I made a big decision to leave the job I had been in for 5 years and go out into something completely new. I put myself thru a private college course in IT. Its also been a period where I have learnt a lot about myself and my friends and what I want out of life.
Big high points
*My 21st in Jan...big party, very fun night!
*Quitting drinking for 3 months while I finished my course. I was starting to get to a stage where it wasn't enjoyable anymore and needed to take a step back just to prove I could do it.
*Stopped hanging round with a group of people who were starting to me me feel shit about myself. Met a few new friends who I've thoroughly enjoyed spending time with.
*Spent more time with the people I have been friends with for most of my life and coming to realise just how much they mean to me and that I wouldn't survive without them.
*Bought a new(er) car which is almost paid off.
*Started a job that I am really happy with. Found out recently that they had around 800 applications for the 5 positions.
*Finally getting away from going to the same old places every weekend and discovering the joy of standing in a room with a mass of people you have never met before but feeling like you've known them all you life. Knowing that no matter what your troubles are, were you've come from, what you do, its all irrelevant...all that matters is the moment.
Low points
*1 1/2 months without employment in the middle of the year. A very frustrating experience.
*My dad having heart surgery in the middle of the year...very scary.
*Still being single, despite the fact that I feel I am at a point in my life where I am happy enough in myself to be with another person.
*************************************************
I finally feel this year that I have started to do something worthwile with my life whereas the last few I was headed towards a dead end. I've met some people who have challenged me and helped me to become a lot more tolerant that I've been in the past. The last few months especially Ive been the happiest I have felt in a long time.
2003
I'm pushing myself to do the best I can in this job and am hoping that sometime next year I will go up a level. Money wise I want to pay off my car and save up some money to head OS. I'm also hoping to save for a deposit on a house within the next 2 years. I'm looking forward to a kickarse summer with family and friends!
its all good!!
[ 09 December 2002: Message edited by: katmeow ]

 

[Taliana]

This year has definately been a BIG one for me!!!
Learnt a lot about myself, aswell as about where i actually want to go in life and how I am going to achieve it!
HIGH POINTS:
* Finishing my Arts degree (and i think i passed everything) is my major high point!
* Realising i want to work in film, making a few films of my own this year, and working on a Feature film. Also realising how i will get a job.
*Falling in love with my beautiful cat.
*Becoming a little more spiritual.
*Having a break from the scene all year, and re-discovering the doof once uni was over. (smart move!)
*Becoming more political and realising so much more about the world i used to be ignorant about.
LOW POINTS:
*Becoming more political... and with it came the paranoia and stress of living in Sydney. ;/
*Moving back home because of the debts i'd accumulated out of home. (half paid so far! yay!)
Yeah that about sums it up. Been a majorly busy year. Now on a little break of working (just part time) and trying to figure out what the hell i am going to do next year! Juggling whether to find film work, or do more film study... *ponders* Also whether tpo move back out again... will report back. Would love to move out of city for a while so i can Write aswell... hmm.

 

[anna!]

2002 was by far the most difficult year of my life to date. It was also the most expensive, the most draining, the most insane and the happiest year of my life.
I don't think I can categorise the things that happened into "good" and "bad". Rather, they should all fall under the big umbrella of "learning experiences", because that's what they were.
Learning Experiences of 2002
Living with a drug-induced illness
Not cool at all. It's been just over a year now and I still struggle to walk across the road to the supermarket. I've spent $1500 on a psychiatrist who taught me nothing. I've lived on valium and cigarettes and searched for chemical solutions, and nothing has worked. It's depressing, but I think it's actually making me stronger. It's making me more aware, at least.
Psychotic stalker tendencies
As a result of aforementioned drug-induced illness. I was not a well girl in the first 6 months of 2002.
M
Everything with M happened instantaneously, and I don't regret that for a second. I adore everything about him (except the fact that he snores) and he's helped me so much. Without him, I'd probably still be crazy and evil.
Learning about my parents
They may be old and stinky, but this year I've come to discover that I really do have a set of high-quality parents. I'd spent the previous 19 years despising my mum, only to realise this year that she's wonderful. And my Dad, as always, is also wonderful. And they're great, and I visit them as much as I can.
Moving in with a boy
Well, actually, it's great, except that we're both disgracefully messy. It was difficult at first to accept that I should share my personal space, but now, it's the best thing ever.
Being pregnant
I never imagined that I could feel so many of these emotions for something that wasn't even born yet. I love it, I cherish it, I worry about it, I worry for it, I cry for it and I don't feel alone in this big ol' world anymore. And I'm ever so proud. I love you Boo :D
Those are certainly the defining experiences and people of this year. It was a good year and it was a bad year, and to be quite honest I didn't expect to make it this far. But I'm glad I did.
2003
2003 is going to be a HUGE year, if everything goes to plan. I'm getting married in January, I'm having a baby in June, and at the end of the year I'm moving home to Adelaide.
Bring it on.
:D

 

[nezo]

It's been a mixed year for me. I can honestly say that I'll be glad when the year clicks over so I can have a fresh start to 2003. That's not to say nothing good happened this year though:
* New friends are always a plus - hugz to vurt.
* The birth of a baby to some very close friends of mine have has been a highlight.
* Extensive travel with work - Denver / Brisbane / Sydney / Newcastle
* Completion of renovations to my apartment has been very gratifying
* Still with my girlfriend!!! :D :D
However, a lot of these things have been overshadowed by some family tragedies which have made life very difficult in the past few months and these are things that first come to mind when I reflect on 2002.
Roll on 2003!!!!
[ 09 December 2002: Message edited by: nezo ]

 

[PsychoKitten]

Top thread.
Highs
Finding out who my true friends are
Writing
Work… I love my work, even though I bitch and whinge about it occasionally, it’s definitely my passion.
Cutting back on the chems
Visiting Melbourne (how many times was it again?), Canberra and Newcastle and having people visit me
Discovering pilates
Noel – despite the way it ended, he taught me quite a fair bit
Lows
Finding out who my true friends are and how many of those that said they were, are really just along for the ride.
My never-ending medical problems
All and all this year’s been pretty good although there were times when I would have told you otherwise. I still miss my interstate friends and living away from them can be hard, but at the same time I wouldn’t trade what I have here to go back.
How 2003 looks from here:
Well they seem to finally have come to a diagnosis and firm plan of treatment for my medical problems even tho it’s going to take at least a year to get everything under control, so that’s looking up. But mainly 2003 looks to be a year of study.

 

[*Cosmic Mist*]

Even though it seems like nothing has happened this year, i realise now that this year has been one of the biggest in my life, full of new faces and experiences - both good and bad - and many discoveries about myself, and life in general.
In short:
Highlights Include:
- Quitting my suckey job at Coles and getting a better one a few months later.
- watching the birth of my beautiful baby brother
-Passing (so far) a uni course that i hate with minimal effort on my behalf
- Recording a demo, practising, and gigging with my band, and all the wonderful people that i have met as a result... and buying a brand new pearl export (drumkit)
- FINALLY getting over the end of what was possibly the best relationship i have ever had, and realising that it really was not meant to be.
- Getting my licence at last (freedom!)
- discovering raves, bluelight, and a whole new side to music that i had previously written off.
-realising a love for my friends that i never knew existed
- being inspired
- discovering how far meditation can take one
Downsides Include:
-having to trek for 1-2 hours 4 days a week to complete the first year of a degree i hate in order to obtain the transfer out of it that i so desire
- treking out to Westmead everyday to visit my brother in the PICU (if you've ever been to an intensive care unit, you'll know what this is like)
- petty squabbles over things not worth fighting about.
It's been a very good year, full of self-discovery and such like - setting boundaries and crossing them - developping into a somwhat mature and loving indivdual. *hugs to all* Thankyou all.