2018 in review

I used to do this review every single year but then I sort of fell out of the habit. But maybe this is a good way to get back into it?

1. What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before?

I went to Africa.

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

I don’t make resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope, no new babies this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Sadly, yes. My friend Phil died in February. He was 36 and had bowel cancer. He left behind a wife and two young boys. Probably the saddest funeral I’ve ever had to attend.

Also, the boy’s Grandmother died in October. However, she was 92 so it was neither unexpected or quite as sad, although we miss her terribly of course.

5. What countries did you visit?

SO MANY! South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ascension Island, St Helena, Ethiopia (briefly), Egypt, UAE and Jordan. Oh and we went to Japan as well.

6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?

Better health.

7. What dates from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

February 5, the day Phil died.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Surprise event for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary (not massive but they loved it)

9. What was your biggest failure?

Staying well!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Far too much. I had a cold that lasted about seven weeks, and I developed De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis first in my left wrist and then in my right wrist. The right one is still not healed.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Um… nothing very exciting I have to say.

12. Where did most of your money go?

The mortgage, probably. And that holiday.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Going on holidays, we were very spoiled by going to so many wonderful places.

14. What song will always remind you of 2018?

Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson, it wasn’t released in 2018 but became our go-to song for fun for the year. She’s getting a lot of royalties from Spotify from us!

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?

About the same.

b) thinner or fatter?

About the same.

c) richer or poorer?

About the same.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Not much really.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

I do what I want most of the time, so…

18. How did you spend Christmas?

The usual Christmas Eve with my family. For Christmas Day we had lunch with the boy’s parents and aunt and uncle at the RACV Resort in Inverloch, which was very different and very enjoyable.

19. Did you fall in love in 2018?

No.

20. What was your favorite TV program?

The Missing. I also binged the entire series of Brooklyn 99 on Netflix which made me very happy.

21. What was the best book you read?

I always enjoy a new Clive Cussler.

22. What was your favourite film of this year?

Avengers Infinity War or Black Panther.

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

45, and we went to dinner at Il Bacaro and then saw Michael Palin live in stage.

24. What kept you sane?

My doggy.

25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Look, my bestie Chris Hemsworth is pretty fine.

26. Who did you miss?

Phil.

27. Who was the best new person you met?

Did I make any new friends last year? I think maybe not.

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Two posts yesterday… I must be losing the plot

Questions:
1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

July 1998… I have no idea. Wait! I was working for an accounting firm in the marketing department. I was also the librarian and research person.

2. What are 5 things on my list to do today?

• Notes from two meetings I attended last week
• Reminder to email my uncle tomorrow and wish him happy birthday
• Photograph my photo of the guide dog puppies I sponsor to email to a friend
• Design the Annual Report for the Statutory Authority I work for
• Email my Council and get them to update their biographies for said Annual Report

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Chocolate. That is all.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

• Own the perfect warehouse in West Melbourne I saw on realestate.com.au last week
• Pay off the debt of any of my family or the boy’s family that they have, and give them some spending money
• Own a frivolous car… like an Aston Martin DB9

5. Three of my bad habits:

• I am impatient. Really!
• I hate exercise
• I am very abusive to other drivers when I drive. It’s lucky they can’t hear me.

6. Five places I have lived:

I have always lived in Melbourne but in probably 15 different houses

7. Five jobs I’ve had:

• Book list picker for a book warehouse
• Librarian
• Marketing/events co-ordinator
• Administration Manager for a mortgage broking company
• Project Officer for the State Government

8. How did you name your blog?

Er, I love polar bears

Things about me

Even though I have a small audience on my blog (hello audience!) I feel I should make more of an effort to post more regularly. Probably not every day, I can’t possibly commit to that much work, but a few times a week would be nice! So here’s my first post for June, in an attempt to be more informative!

Some things you might not know about me.

1. I am PETRIFIED of spiders. It’s a serious problem. Just typing the word makes me feel unwell.
2. I love shoes. I have 81 pairs and counting. Some I haven’t even worn yet.
3. I am a good cook. My mother taught me well.
4. My favourite alcoholic drink is vodka, lime and soda.
5. My family is Polish.
6. I have been to Oman and Yemen (among other less exotic places).
7. I do not like the cold.
8. I do, however, love polar bears and that is why we are going to Canada in late fall to see them in the wild. I do not know how I will cope with the cold.
9. A friend introduced me to the boy just over four years ago and we have not been apart since.
10. My favourite singer is George Michael (let the bagging commence!).
11. I have told the boy that should Brad Pitt happen to propose to me, he will be ditched immediately (likelihood of this happening? 1,000,000 million chances in 1. Probably more).
12. I read a LOT of blogs every day.
13. I cannot stand bad grammar and will yell at the computer when I am reading the news online if someone has made a mistake. That does not apply to this blog, obviously.
14. I am allergic to peanuts. They cause me migraines.

The Beginning

This is my first adventure into cyberland! I can’t be bothered with facebook or myspace or those type of things so I figure this will do the trick for me. I aim to tell you about the boring things I do every day but also the exciting things I do every now and then! In case you haven’t gathered from the title, I love polar bears. I also like puppies although I don’t have one at the moment.