NEW IN 2014

The new year is coming up, and that's when I start to think about how much things have changed for me, and also how they've stayed the same. Right before I graduated university, one of my supervisors told me that it is always important to evaluate where you are in life every 12-18 months, to make sure that you are active and present and achieving your goals, rather than just going through the motions. So I like to use the marker of a new year to think about what the hell I'm doing with my life and try to put things in perspective.

My written reflections often include charts and graphs and long, emotional essays, but here I have kept it light and positive. I present to you a list of things that I first experienced and/or enjoyed in 2014.

SNAPCHAT
I signed up for snapchat this year, and really got into it. By that I mean I started following a bunch of people who use their Stories feed to record their day. It's like a non-commital daily vlog and I am totally into that. I am so into Stories that I watch them in bulk every day. Usually in the car after work. Often ignoring my partner, who is driving me home in said car. I'M A GREAT PERSON.

(If you know anyone who regularly uses their Snapchat Stories feed for interesting things, let me know!)

TELEVISION IRL

it's glamorous

I was an extra for a television show that will air sometime next year on ABC2. This mostly involved me standing around and yelling a bunch, but the important part was, I got to see how a proper set with a real budget and a professional crew works. Days were long, craft service was delicious, and I discovered the magic that is prop glass.

TRAVEL — JAPAN
I visited a new country! Japan! Specifically Tokyo, and only for a week — but still! There was a little bit of culture shock, and a language barrier to overcome, but it was still a fun and interesting time. We stayed in a small apartment in Shibuya, where I discovered how much I LOVE heated toilet seats. In theory warm toilet seats seemed kinda gross, but when you wake up in the middle of a winter's night to pee, the warmth is appreciated.

I also went to Disneyland for the first time ever, and learned that FastPass isn't a thing at Tokyo Disneyland¹, so long, snaking queues make up at least 50% of the crowds. If this is the case at other Disneylands, I'm not sure that it is the theme park for me. FASTPASS 4EVA.

TRAVEL — NEW ZEALAND
I also went to New Zealand for a couple of weeks. While I have visited Auckland before, Wellington and Rotorua were both new to me. It was a blur of Maori culture, sulphuric hot springs (as well as a curiously large number of Japanese tourists) and HOBBITON!

picturesque as fuck

ITUNES
I bought my first TV series on iTunes, the first step to my building a legitimate digital library. I bought The O.C. and have been watching it on my iPad. Now, I am fairly sure The O.C. was never popular amongst my friends when it was on air in 2003, and I am absolutely sure that no one I know is watching it now, but there are several reasons why I chose to buy The O.C.:

1. It was on sale in the 'Under $20' section of the iTunes store².
2. The whole show only ran for four seasons³, and if I am going to buy a television show, I am going to buy ALL of the television show⁴.
3. The O.C. is a great show! It is nostalgic for me, and still as watchable as it was ten years ago. Who dares deny Christmukkah?!

Some people I know have made fun of me for watching, let alone paying money to own The O.C., even ON MY BIRTHDAY, so I found out that my friends can sometimes be very cruel. But also I found out that I enjoy watching pretty much everything on my iPad. Youtube videos, TV shows, entire movies — I feel more comfortable if I can watch it on a tiny portable screen. Is this how people who bought portable DVD players felt?

TWENTY-FIVE
I turned twenty five. I have never done that before. Feels pretty similar to twenty-four, but I can no longer check the 18-24 age bracket when filling in questionnaires. I'm now 25-30, which is terrifying to think about.

the traditional birthday wine-and-knife

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¹ Technically, there is a FastPass system, but only for a selection of rides, and it is so complicated that it would be even more confusing if I attempted to explain it here.
² A section which I frequent, because while I want to pay for my digital media, I don't want to pay that much for my digital media. Also, they tend to include older shows/movies that I have forgotten about — case in point.
³ The first in a long line of shows I loved that were cancelled too early.
⁴ Even if the third season was terrible. I still need all of it!