40 questions to ask yourself every year
Warning: This is SO LONG. The question order is kind of weird but I don't have the energy to change it up and group them into sections that make sense, so godspeed on reading if you choose to.
π What did you do this year that youβd never done before?
Oh gosh. I learned how to code from scratch! Also, I attended my first anime convention. I started and maintained a blog. I went to a wedding abroad!
π Did you keep your new yearβs resolutions?
I definitely started doing a few of the things I wanted to do more: move my body with intention, start keeping track of my finances, journal regularly. There was an attempt to do some of the others, like "put all devices away at 2am" and "train Worm (my dog)." Other things like "do an hour of Korean each week" or "do hand stretches" just never happened lol.
I realize SMART goals are not really the way to go for new year's resolutions for me. When they're so specific, I feel like there's no room for improvising, which makes it harder to consider doing it so regularly.
Anyway, I've made resolutions every year since 2018 (that I can trace) and always accomplish maybe 1/3 or 1/2. As an experiment, I'd like to try and avoid making resolutions for the coming year!
π Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.
π Did anyone close to you die?
The nanny my siblings and I had growing up passed away in December. She was in her 50s and it was her birthday only two days prior. I greeted her via text and her niece responded and told me she was in the hospital. We all loved her very much. It feels awful to not have been able to say goodbye properly.
π What cities/states/countries did you visit?
Japan, Singapore, NYC.
π What would you like to have next year that you lacked this year?
A greater sense of personal responsibility, at least when it comes to my sleeping habits, indulgences, and time management. Best to minimize the number of "I've lost control of my life" breakdowns lmfao.
π What date(s) from this year will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Huh. I don't know, really! I'm not a celebrate-the-date kind of person. I remember events in periods.
π What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finished up a year of full-time corporate work, wahoo! It wasn't about the career achievement, and more about a personal demon being slayed. Up until this point I was scared I had no propriety whatsoever and quit anything I didn't love all too quickly, but I stuck it out to prove a point to myself. And I did actually like my workplace too, which was a bonus.
I started coding a website completely from scratch and learned HTML & CSS as I went along. It was fun teaching myself how to code, and kind of a confidence boost too! Having my own personal site helped my social media anxiety and gave me a creative hobby outside of drawing.
I'd say running this blog was also a big achievement! I returned to writing as an outlet and met cool people because of it.
π What was your biggest failure?
I didn't really hit the mark on any health or language goals this year. I think my biggest failure was the amount of money I would spend on class packages (workout classes, language classes) I would later decide I didn't want to do. On the bright side, it's taught me to pay the ADHD tax upfront.1
π What other hardships did you face?
The death mentioned above, and the thing this was about, although it's much better now. Also just my usual anxieties. Most things I freaked out about were okay over time.
π Did you suffer illness or injury?
I got mildly sick in NYC (as usual), and suffered the worst period cramps of my life around this time last month. But on the whole, not too bad!
Also, my right hip's been kind of stiff for a week or so now, so I need to get back into a stretching habit. I do not want this to be a permanent fixture of my adult body.
π What was the best thing you bought?
My bookshelf! I got the IKEA Billy Bookcase and I love it so much. It was easy to assemble and is a great size for my non-standard/more decorative shelf items. I have other shelves for "normal books," and wanted the Billy to house stuff like art books, fan anthologies, children's books, magazines, graphic novels, and a moderately-sized collection of stuffed toys.
Since my reading chair is right next to it, I leave space on one of the middle shelves for my mug, books I'm currently reading, etc. I'm quite happy with how functional it's been!
π Whose behavior merited celebration?
I think every person in my family stepped up this year β each for different reasons I don't feel able to get into on my blog. I'm not sure I'd include myself among them, but I'm very proud of them!
π Whose behavior made you appalled?
HR at the company I worked at.
π Where did most of your money go?
Food. And shopping done while traveling βΒ usually clothes and books.
π What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My brother's wedding, Eras tour ticket acquisition, finishing up my job, the tiny web (my site, Bear, etc), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, baby's first anime convention, Hamtaro, Oops All Draculas!, hanging out with my best friend, all the trips I took with my family, some personal/collaborative original projects.
π What song will always remind you of this year?
Cupid by Fifty Fifty. It was my top song on Spotify!
π Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?
Oh god, happier for sure. I try not to check my sizes, but I think I've maintained. Maybe richer.
π What do you wish youβd done more of?
I could probably have gone out a bit more and tried to meet more people. I pretty much kept to the same places I always go to, and didn't really put myself in any unfamiliar social environments. I could have done more yoga and made more polished art. I would say I wish I'd done more language studying, but I was deep into other interests, so I don't regret spending time on those!
π What do you wish youβd done less of?
SCROLLING, playing games on Puzzle Baron, sitting around anxious about nothing.
π How are you spending the holidays?
I'm writing this late, but we spent Christmas eve having dinner out and then exchanging presents at home, and I was so thankful to have just a quiet night in (versus a long night with extended family). For New Year's, my family drove out of the city and spent three days away in the mountains. My sister-in-law taught us how to play Mahjong, and I won my first game!
π Did you fall in love this year?
Not in the romantic sense, no. (In any other sense? Girl idk. I think part of me learned to enjoy life again this year, so I'll count that.)
π Do you hate anyone now that you didnβt hate this time last year?
I don't think so! I drifted apart from some online friends, and have more nuanced feelings about some relatives than before, but neither of those are remotely close to hatred.
π What was your favorite show?
Oh man. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... It did not come out this year but my obsession with Mutant Mayhem helped ease me into more TMNT media + I'd always been intrigued by the show thanks to a friend's obsessive retweets. It's so, so refreshing, and even with pretty much 0 prior knowledge of the Turtles, I really enjoyed it.
Tweet from late November, when I started watching the show. I tweeted this around halfway through Episode 1, lol.
I think it's an iteration that more "classic" TMNT fans tend to narrow their eyes at, but along with Mutant Mayhem, it's very easy for non-believers (?) to get into.
- Favorite turtle: Leo (I thought I'd be a Donnie girl) (although Leo is not too far off from my usual blorbo type as well, so not totally unexpected)
- Favorite standalone episodes: Lair Games, Mystic Library, The Clothes Don't Make The Turtle
- Honorable mention shows: Succession, The Owl House... I don't think I watched any other new shows this year.
π What was the best book you read?
Oh this is so hard. Can I pick three? I'll pick three.
- Beauty: A graphic novel by KerascoΓ«t & Hubert about Coddie, a girl whose wish to be beautiful is granted, monkey's paw style. My sister lent me this comic and it was so engrossing βΒ I loved the art, cheered for and against each character at different times, and felt so fulfilled by the ending. I was debating between this and A Man's Skin (also by Hubert, and which I read first), but I ultimately remember more I loved about Beauty.
- The Most Precious Substance on Earth: A book I felt was written for me, even though I don't share the main character's background β I just felt seen by a lot of it. I liked the look into Nina's life over the years and found the writing relatable and punchy. I don't know how much of my enjoyment has to do with the relatable factor, but I don't think that discounts its place on this list. A book I'll add to my yearly rereads, I think.
- A Perfect Vintage: I read so much romance in high school and then lost the taste for it in college. These days I look at the romance section of the bookstore with disdain (bad habit), but A Perfect Vintage brought me back, even if just for one book. Who is doing it like Theo! I also used to follow Chelsea Fagan's writing on Thought Catalog as an early teen, and seeing her work (this, plus the kind of content she makes) continue to align with my taste years down the road feels nice.
I also loved Devil's Candy, which is an ongoing webcomic.
π What was your greatest musical discovery of the year?
Chappell Roan, my beloved! Her voice is incredible, I can loop the entirety of The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess, and I love her concert looks/gimmicks. I would love to see her live.
- Favorites: Red Wine Supernova, Naked in Manhattan, Pink Pony Club
π What was your favorite film?
PHANTOM THREAD. I don't watch many movies/shows actively but I'd intended to see this film for a while thanks to this tweet.
This movie rocked my world. I don't know if anything can top it.
- Honorable mentions β good movies on their own, but colored with Blorbovision: Mutant Mayhem (started my turtle obsession), Across the Spiderverse (saw it three times in theatres!), Rise of the TMNT: The Movie (made me sob for like 10 minutes)
- Honorable mentions β no blorbos: Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, Last Night in SoHo, Louise
π What was your favorite meal?
Oh, oh no. I like food, but I'm not very discerning about taste... I'm pretty sure I had a meal this year that I thought was insanely good, but I can't remember it right now. I'll edit this when I remember.
π What did you want and get?
More of a feeling of security, friendship-wise. More enjoyment in drawing/creating. I also splurged on a Selkie dress and got Eras tour tickets.
π What did you want and not get?
I wanted to go on a solo trip this year and did not! That's my own fault though. Also, better sleep. That's also my fault.
π What did you do on your birthday?
I'm not sure what I did during the day! In the evening we went to a Japanese restaurant and I wore my Selkie dress (two questions up) and felt very poofy and pretty.
π What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I think it would have been nice to produce a little comic or zine. From 2016-2020 I did at least one every year and just fell off the practice. I'm working on something for an anthology out next year, but I'd like to have some new self-started work.
π How would you describe your personal fashion this year?
Augh. Frazzled. I racked up a ton of clothes over the pandemic and seeing my closet overwhelmed me most of the time. I recently cleaned out my closet, and am trying to figure out what to do to feel more excited about dressing up without buying More Clothes.
π What kept you sane?
Journaling, talking to friends and family, my obsessions of the week/month/quarter, hobbies (drawing, coding, being insane), fanfiction, my coworkers, always having something to look forward to.
π Which celebrity/public figure did you admire the most?
Um! I guess I have to say Taylor since she's the only one I really keep up with. I don't always agree with her, but I love her body of work + her work ethic (so prolific!) and admire her radical self-acceptance of her past selves or cringy moments. She makes me want to put my whole heart into the things that I make, and do so unapologetically and often.
Oh, I was really into Mike Faist for a month or two at the start of the year. I can't wait for Challengers!
π What political issue stirred you the most?
(Kind of a jarring mood shift from my very lighthearted media gushing. I don't think anything I write will do justice to the issue.)
π Who did you miss?
A.G. & A.M. β two people who helped raise me. One passed away and the other moved away.
π Who was the best new person you met?
Ack! A single person?! There are a few standouts, but not one person in particular.
π What valuable life lesson did you learn this year?
You don't need to give your 100% all the time. That effort isn't always worth it, so only whole-ass the things that are really valuable or enjoyable regardless of anything else.
π What is a quote that sums up your year?
And I'm doing better, I made it to September, I can finally breathe.
I don't have ADHD, as far as I know. The tips are just useful!β©