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You've been waiting for it...the 2024 EoY survey! |
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You should be proud, guys. I filled this out before New Years. Let's get to it, shall we?
1. What did you do in 2024 that you'd never done before?
I became a school Mum. I dunno if that's a major new thing, but it was something new. Sabrina is at school now, and I come along to things like school events and parent-teacher meetings.
2. Did you keep your New Years' Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
As I was scrolling through what I wrote here last year, I saw I was talking about how I had been using DoorDash too much in 2023, and wanted to do that less in 2024, in order to eat healthier and save money. I think we did improve on that a bit, we have had more meals at home this year. It helped that Milk Run became available- a delivery app that you can use to get supermarket items delivered. It meant we still had the option of lazy, last-minute deliveries without always having to eat takeaway food.
I will probably make NY resolutions again for 2025, but I haven't really thought about it much yet.
3 . Did anyone close to you give birth?
I don't think so...I see things on Facebook all the time, old acquaintances, former work colleagues having babies (no surprise as many of my old Specsavers co-workers are now hitting their early 30s), but no one I am in regular contact with.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Tai's grandmother passed away. She lived in Masterton so we went up there for the day for the funeral. She was Tai's last surviving grandparent, so now neither of us have any grandparents left.
5. What countries did you visit?
Stayed in New Zealand. Same story as the last few years, not much money, plus Sabrina is still young. I did go down to Queenstown for a Findex tax conference earlier in the year though.
6. What would you like to have in 2025 that you lacked in 2024?
A bit more money, I suppose. Although I think that's what I write every year. I'd like to feel like I'm more on top of things. But let's face it, I don't know if it is ever really possible to be fully on top of things, as an adult with a job, and a young child.
7. What date from 2024 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
A few. On the 21st June it was the ten-year anniversary of when my Mum died. I worked from home that day. Sabrina was at school, Tai was at work at his office in Wellington. It was a sunny day, not too cold or windy. I took a long lunch break and drove out to Wallaceville Cemetery, where Mum's ashes were scattered after she passed away. I have a few other relatives from Mum's side of the family buried there too, so I just wandered around, locating the graves, and kind of just talking to myself, pretending that they could hear me as I updated them on things happening in my life. The cemetery is on a hill on a quiet country road, so it was very peaceful, and the view was beautiful.
8.What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I got a new job that I started a few weeks ago, working at BDO in Wellington. It's essentially a sideways move from my role at Findex- same title, same pay. But working with a bigger team, so some opportunities to learn more. Plus I had had a pay rise and a promotion from Graduate Tax Accountant to Tax Consultant at Findex during the year, so all in all, things are moving up in my work.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Failure...I don't really think it would be constructive to consider anything in my life as a failure. One thing of note- when I applied for the role at BDO, I also got an interview for a role at a small accounting firm in Upper Hutt. I was excited for that opportunity mostly because I knew there would be so many advantages to working so close to home. But I didn't get offered that role. My manager at Findex said it was most likely that they "couldn't afford me" i.e they needed to hire someone they could pay the bare minimum to. So it's not exactly a failure, at least on my part.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had COVID earlier in the year. Very minor, didn't affect me badly. I had a couple of seizures- but a couple is still a vast improvement from what it was like before I was on my epilepsy medication last year. Nevertheless, the doctor increased my dosage a bit, and I do feel like it's working better, no more odd feelings like I'm about to get a seizure but then not getting it, which happened a lot on the lower dosage earlier in the year.
I also twisted my left ankle several times- really sore and still not fully recovered. I got the new shoes in late 2023- they're sneakers with a higher than average sole, but not as high as platform sneakers. I chose them partly because I love the rainbow colouring around the soles, but also because I figured the extra padding on the soles would mean I could walk more without foot aches. They work from that point of view- my feet do ache less when standing or walking in them. But I think because of being higher off the ground, I keep rolling my ankle easily.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Not bought outright, but I rent out a chest freezer for our house, and it is the best. The weekly cost of hiring it is easily outweighed by the savings of money, time and stress- we can buy heaps of frozen foods and always have things to eat in a hurry that are simple and cheap.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Sabrina's school teacher Mrs Mac was lovely, very supportive and Sabrina loved her. Everyone I worked with at Findex were great, my managers were supportive even when I said I was leaving for my BDO job.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Noone comes to mind. There were a couple of times earlier in the year when Jill got me a bit angry or upset for one reason or another. But lately she's been great. I think it's just that there are some things that we have quite different views on.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Same as every year: Rent, food, bills. Birthday and Christmas presents for Sabrina.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Sabrina's 5th birthday and her starting school. She goes to Oxford Crescent School, which is the school I went to as a kid, so I love seeing everything that's changed, and even better, the things that haven't changed. Sabrina's birthday party was another family-and-friends-at-our-house type thing. This year's cake was Frozen- themed, because Sabrina loves the Frozen movies.
16. What song will always remind you of 2024?
Most songs from the more recent Newton Faulkner albums. He came to New Zealand this year, and Tai and I saw his concert in Wellington. Just a small venue, and a humble crowd size, consisting mostly of couples in their thirties- what can I say? I guess we just fit the mould. Anyway, in addition to the classics, we heard a few songs we hadn't heard before, so for the next few months after the concert, I was listening to a lot of Newton Faulkner.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
ii. Thinner or Fatter than last year?
Not sure...I suspect I gained some weight in the middle of the year, and then lost a bit more recently. But I haven't actually kept track of it.
iii. Richer or Poorer?
Richer-ish, on account of the fact I got paid out a lot of annual leave when I left Findex. However, I had to take unpaid leave at BDO for the Christmas break on account of not accruing any yet, so I have to make the amount I have last a while. So it remains to be seen how well we are actually are doing.
18: What do you wish you'd done more of?
Exercising. I'm currently paying for a gym membership I'm not using.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Napping. Stalling by watching YouTube instead of getting things done.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
We had Dad, Jill, Brierlee and Steve over at our house for Christmas this year. The weather was good, so Dad did a barbecue in our backyard. We enjoyed my Christmas music, plus lots of presents and food. Sabrina invented a game where we all took turns rolling a die she got from a Christmas cracker, and any time someone rolled a 6 we all cheered and clapped. That game went on for a surprisingly long time.
22. Did you fall in love in 2024?
To paraphrase Hozier, "I fall in love, just a little, oh little bit, every day with..." ...Sabrina and Tai. They're so sweet and awesome.
23. How many one-night stands?
I don't stand at night, I lie down to sleep. I don't own a night-stand either, I just had a small set of drawers beside the bed.
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
I got back into Coronation Street...again. I watched a bit of Only Murders In The Building, and Elsbeth. I also watched all of Scrubs, as they have the entire series on Disney+.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No...am I supposed to hate people?
26. What was the best book you read?
I read the first two pages of George Orwell's novel 1984. There's this Christmas tradition in Iceland, apparently on Christmas Eve they exchange gifts of books, and then spend the evening reading and eating chocolates. I thought that would be a cool trend to try this year. I got given 1984, and a copy of the Iliad as my books. I read the Iliad back when I studied Classics at University a million years ago, so I figured I'd start on 1984.
Sabrina got two Mr Men books for her Christmas Eve books, so I read those to her too.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
As I mentioned before, I got really into Newton Faulkner's new stuff. I listened to a bit of Hozier, and revisited my old favourites, Walk The Moon, Two Door Cinema Club, Sheppard.
28. What did you want and get?
I finally got the Ancestry DNA kit that I'd been hinting/ outright requesting for the last few years as a Christmas gift. I also bought myself a NutriBullet earlier in the year, so I can blend and re-blend smoothies on the go. I like smoothies, but I hate if I'm out, and discover there are unblended bits in my smoothie.
29. What did you want and not get?
Not much really. I'd like some new lounge furniture as the couch and armchairs are uncomfortable and rickety, but it's hardly a priority.
30. What was your favorite film of the year?
I think the only trip to the movies we made was to see Inside Out 2. I really enjoyed it though.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 39. I wasn't particularly looking forward to it, as it means in another year I'll be a middle-aged 40 year old. But it was an alright birthday, I got balloons and a coffee voucher at work at Findex, much like last year.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more enjoyable?
Short of winning 10 million dollars on Lotto, not much really could have been better. I'm not sure if that is because my life really is everything I want it to be, or just because I have learned to become more grateful and less ambitious with age. I suspect it is mostly just that my life is genuinely what I want it to be right now, and things are going the way they should.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2024?
Corporate, but colourful. I am currently wearing these really cool tie-dyed trackpants I got from Shein though, so I am getting a chance to rediscover my eccentric, brightly-coloured tastes from when I was a teenager/young adult, which is nice.
34. What kept you sane?
TV. It gave me a way to relax, and it gave me something I could plop Sabrina in front of when I needed to work from home in the afternoons after picking her up from school.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Depends what you mean by fancy. There are a few celebrities I like, and would probably have a crush on if I was a lot younger and single- Newton Faulkner, and maybe Jordan Klepper from The Daily Show.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The US election and the build-up to it. Seriously, America, your country is a s**t-show.
37. Who did you miss?
Mum. The older Sabrina gets, the more I think about how much Mum would have loved to hang out with her.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Nathan was a new guy who started in the BAS team at Findex this year. Outgoing, good sense of humour, definitely made the office less quiet. I haven't got to know the staff at BDO well yet, but I think I will like them all too.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2024?
I learned that I can fill the same quiz out year after year, and not even notice that at some point, question 21 went missing. I wonder what that question was, and when was the last year I included it before accidentally deleting it the following year?
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"I feel gold, it feels like I'm gonna find a four leaf clover in the heart of the city"- Newton Faulkner, 'Four-Leaf Clover'.
 weezieishness · Mon Dec 30, 2024 @ 06:05am · 0 Comments |
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