Goodbye, 2009! Hello, 2010!

As I sit here contemplating this past year over a cup of spicy Korean noodles and a can of ice lemon tea, I can't help but feel this past year flew by a little too quickly. It's really been a speeding bullet/train/plane of a year, and many a time I've caught myself wondering where the year went. I think this is the best time to contemplate the past year, as it's both the last blogpost of 2009 and the first blogpost of 2010 (seeing how I haven't gone to sleep yet, making it still 2009, but my clock says it's past 4 a.m., thus making it 2010!), and so here's my attempt to summarize some of the most memorable moments of the past year. A little warning though, it might be a tad confusing.

Esther's Significant Events of 2009:

January: Start of my final semester in university.

February: Nothing really significant - a month of lectures and assignments.

March: Had to present (and defend!) results and findings of my Final Year Project (FYP) aka undergraduate thesis.

April: Finally completed my final semester in university.

May: Went on a vacation to KL with my family.

June: Found a little puppy hiding under the car. Had a pet for a couple of days.

July: Started my first 'proper' job at my alma mater, as a part-time language instructor.

August: I graduated with a B.Ed (Hons) TESL. My friends gave me 2 bouquets of flowers and a teddy bear, my family baked me 2 cakes (I know it might seem funny and even strange to mention this, but it really meant - and still means - a lot to me). Started sending in applications to 4 different universities and their postgraduate programmes (this is where it gets rather complicated: I don't wanna mention any names, so I'll just refer to the universities as Universities #1, #2, #3 and #4, in order of personal preference, as in I wanna go to University #1 the most, University #4 the least). Went for my very first 'proper' job interview at another local private university in Kuching. They offered me a job, I said no.

September: University #1 and #2 offered me places in their MA English programmes.

October: Purchased my very first real perfume (don't laugh!). Went to KL to sit for an entrance exam into University #3's MA English Literature programme. I passed, they offered me a place.

November: My new lappie arrived home. University #4 offered me a place in their MA World Literature programme.

December: Received news that my application for a scholarship to study at University #1 was successful. Went to KL (again!) because the scholarship news came late and I thought it was already too late so I had planned to enrol in University #3, but the scholarship news came 2 days after we'd bought tickets to go to KL, so then we had to scrap that (plans to enrol at University #3 I mean) and just treat the whole trip to KL as a mini-vacation (does any of this make sense?). My new DSLR arrived home.

In 2009, I discovered...

• that I really like perfume
• that handphones and laptops, no matter how precious, will spoil
• that I can get headaches if my head is smothered while I nap
• that I might be allergic to a working adult's life
• that you apparently need vinegar to cook perfectly poached eggs
• that time waits for no man (or woman!)
• Taylor Kitsch and Friday Night Lights
• Tazo tea
• butter + flour = roux
• celery, coriander and garlic make everything taste better
• that I am still crazy about pasta
• that I can make pasta... from scratch
• that it is entirely possible to write a thesis in 2 intense weeks
• that coffee isn't a very good friend of mine
• that it's mission impossible when it comes to growing my nails long
• that I might have sensitive teeth after all
• that eyeliner is a great substitute for mascara
• that sometimes when you expect the best, you get the worst; and sometimes when you expect the worst, you get the best
• The Script
• Taylor Swift
• the Pentax range of DSLRs
• Subway (the food chain, not the train)
• The Biggest Loser
• work = moolah = stuff I want = happiness, therefore work = happiness
• applying to get into university can be a long arduous stress-inducing process
• Nodame Cantabile
• that the bags under my eyes aren't getting any smaller or less noticeable
• that I like my hair purple
• that I can't seem to sleep the night/afternoon before a big event
• that I should wear my glasses if I want to see what's on the cinema screen
• that it's very very hard to sleep without an air-con in my room
• that it's very very hard to sleep without my favourite bolster
• that patience is definitely a virtue

And that brings the year 2009 to a close... It's been a year filled with interesting and exciting moments, and it's going to go down as one of those years to remember. Pity it flew by so fast though, but then again, as I've mentioned above, time waits for no man (or woman!), and it's definitely not gonna wait around for me. So we bid goodbye to yet another year, and welcome yet another one. I sure hope it's every bit as eventful and memorable as this one has been. Cheers!