[Yearly Review 2012] Part 1 - 2012 in review

It’s the end of the year 2012? Well, almost. Over the next few days I’m going to be writing a series of posts based around reviewing the year that’s gone, and looking ahead to 2013. To start it off, I’ll be using a meme that my friend James has posted every year. It’s a set of questions designed to test your recollective powers. Or at least that’s how it felt!

I rather liked this image. Quite appropriate. (Credit: liveoutload.com)

What have you done in 2012 that you’d never done before?

Visit Le Mans. I've been wanting to go for years, but this year the dates finally meshed nicely with my end of year PhD assessment, and I was able to go. It was definitely worth it.

Solo observing on a big telescope. My previous run to Chile had been with my supervisor, and my run at OHP was with a postdoc. This year I got to go by myself, and it was brilliant.

I want to say writing a blog, but that's not strictly true. I had a Livejournal several years ago, but that died a death after a fairly inconsequential length of time. Maybe maintain a blog, and regularly post?

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I haven’t made ‘resolutions’ for several years now, and won’t be making any for 2013 either. But I do set myself some goals each year to aim at. I’ll be discussing those in the following posts in this series.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

No. Very few of my friends, whether from school or university, are even married, let alone having kids yet!

Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully not this year.

What countries did you visit?

England, Scotland, Wales, France (twice), and Chile.

What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?

My own house. Although my current housemate and I get on really well, I'm now at the stage where I'd like my own place.

To be either close enough to Ellen that I can see her every weekend, or every other weekend, or living with her. Which contradicts my previous statement I know, but it's different :-p

What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Le Mans raceday. Watching the cars stream past at the start of the race was magical, and something I'll never forget. At the other end of the scale, my flight to Chile was a complete and utter disaster that will stick in my memory for a while as well.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Either getting two academic papers published, or successfully putting on the St Andrews Lifesaving competition. Both caused lots of stress, were a bit of an anti-climax in the end, but were really rather satisfying.

What was your biggest failure?

Not getting more of my thesis written probably.

Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not anything major, no. I was pretty ill for a few weeks in October, but it wasn't bad enough to keep me at home.

What was the best thing you bought?

That's a really hard one to answer. I don't really know. I would say my car, but that was free (thank you Grandpa), so probably car insurance and tax so that I could actually drive it?

Whose behaviour merited celebration?

The whole country during the Olympics. Everyone really got behind the British athletes and turned the games into a great success. The athletes themselves should also be applauded for providing such brilliant role models, and for not letting their success go to their collective heads.

Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Republicans. I paid a lot of attention to the US elections this year, partly because a lot of the blogs that I read online have American authors. The behaviour of the Republican candidates genuinely shocked me, and some of what they said was so completely out of touch with reality that it boggled the mind.

And thank goodness for that eh? (Credit: shirtflash.com)

Where did most of your money go?

The usual. Rent, bills, travel, models, games.

What did you get excited about?

Going to Le Mans for the first time. Getting an interview for a job at Oxford that I applied to. Going to Brighton with my friends. Jen and John's wedding.

What song will always remind you of 2012?

Sadly, it'll probably be Gangnam Style by PSY. Hilarious for a couple of plays, particularly the video, but it lost it's charm a long time ago.

Compared to this time last year, are you:

• Happier or sadder? Happier. Last year grandpa’s death was still raw.
• Thinner or fatter? The same.
• Richer or poorer? Mostly the same, but tending towards richer thanks to saving some money every month.

What do you wish you'd done more of?

Visiting Ellen. Also wargaming related stuff; I missed a lot of tournaments thanks to competitions, and got barely any painting or modeling done.

What do you wish you'd done less of?

Surfing the internet instead of working!

How will you be spending Christmas?

With my family, as usual. Christmas has always been time family time for me, and I'll probably spend a lot of it lounging on the sofa with a new book. 

Did you fall in love in 2012?

No, because I'm already in love.

What was your favourite TV programme?

This is a tough one. I enjoyed the latest series of Dr Who, but I think it would have to be Sherlock. I discovered it when the second series was shown on the BBC, and absolutely loved it.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

No

What was the best book you read?

Hmmm, another tough one. I read a lot of good books this year. I would have to say either "Alloy of Law" or "Warbreaker", both by Brandon Sanderson. I've been meaning to read some of his work for a while, and after finally managing it I'll be picking some more up soon. Both these books were great fun to read, very hard to put down, and contained some interestingly new takes on fantasy settings.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

The new Linkin Park album, "Living Things". It's brilliant.

This is my favourite track from Linkin Park's new album. Despite only finding

it in September, it's the second most played track in my iTunes library. 

What did you want and get?

For the Dark Knight Rises to be awesome, and for the Avengers not to suck. Both came true. A holiday with Ellen was also something that I desperately wanted, and we had a great time in Paris. It was just a shame that we couldn't go for very long.

What did you want and NOT get?

A tablet. Although to be honest, I’m not entirely sold on the whole thing. However the demise of my e-reader bumped this one up the list a bit. A new iPod (other mp3 players are available) to replace the one that got soaked would have been nice too. There were also lots of books, DVDs, and games that I quite fancied but didn’t buy.

What was your favourite film of this year?

This is a tough one. The aforementioned Dark Knight Rises and Avengers were really very good, and the first of the Hobbit trilogy was entertaining. It's probably a toss up between Avengers Assemble and Skyfall. Both kept me grinning throughout. TT: Closer to the edge probably belongs in the same category.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I was 25. I slept in, went swimming, transfered my new car officially into my ownership, and sorted out tax and insurance for it. It was a thrilling day :-)

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Spending more time with Ellen.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?

Much the same as it has been for the last few years: Jeans most of the time, with long shorts in summer; slouchy hoodies in winter; long sleeved t-shirts in spring/autumn; tshirts in summer. I have been making a move towards smartening up a bit though, and smarter jumpers with short-sleeved shirts or polos are now making more regular appearances.

What kept you sane?

Lifesaving. The training sessions give me something to structure my week around, get me out of the house, and force me to exercise. The club are also a great bunch of people, and I really enjoy spending time with them. Traveling to competitions also gets me out of St Andrews, although it did get a bit silly at times how often I was away!

What political issue stirred you the most?

Scottish Independence. There's been so much rhetoric thrown around on both sides of the argument (I won't dignify it by calling it a debate), and very little in the way of firm information. At this point I'm sick of the whole thing already, and it won't even be voted on for at least another year. It's also a ridiculous idea that would have long-term repercussions for Scotland's health as a nation, and I don't feel as though anyone's looking at the details closely enough.

Independence is something that I feel quite strongly about - no thank you! (Credit: dailymail.co.uk)

Who did you miss?

My girlfriend Ellen. I didn't spend nearly enough time with her this year (stupid long-distance), but our holiday to Paris was lovely.

My brother. We're both absolutely terrible at keeping in touch, but when we do see each other it's just the same as it always was.

My friend Hannah. She moved to Belfast in September to start her 2nd degree (in Medicine), and it's not been the same in St Andrews without her.

Who were the best new people you met?

Alex Spencer, who I met briefly and then spent the weekend with in Brighton, is a great guy.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:

Nothing springs to mind right now sadly.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I can't think of anything that fits.