Another year to remember

It's my birthday. I feel like I should be more excited but to be honest, I'm not really a birthday person. I might stretch the celebration out to a weekend but it's not like it's a consecutive nights of partying with friends. I tend to prefer just using the time as a mini-holiday to do what I want for myself, without necessarily involving others.

Case in point was yesterday when I went out to run errands and bought myself two new plants for the garden - which I do on a semi-regular basis anyway. The only difference is that I didn't consult with the hubby because, well, birthday weekend = get out of jail free card. 

Anyway, the boring stuff aside. 

The last year has been such a memorable one. I think it might be up there as being one of the best years of my life ever.  

We went to a lot of events this year. We watched the Harlem Globetrotters when they came to Perth, had a night out at the spiegeltent and a rugby game... to name a few. However, the stand out evening was when Anthony and I went to watch the Foo Fighters. It was big for me because Ant and I have very different tastes in music - I'm miss pop and miss salsa... whereas he's into death metal and heavy metal. So there are very few bands/acts we would both enjoy. To be honest, Ant is more the Foo Fighters fan than me but I thought I needed to educate myself so I was game to tag along... and I enjoyed myself immensely. We had a great night jumping around and dancing in the mosh pit and Dave Grohl was just the best frontman ever. I loved how he engaged the crowd. Needless to say, if they ever come back, I'll be bugging Ant for tickets!  

To be honest though, as awesome a night as that was, it will not top the adventure that was our 4 week epic journey to Japan to celebrate Ant's 30th (WAY IN ADVANCE). There were too many treasured memories so I'll just highlight some here:

• Our special lunch at Kikunoi in Kyoto was the best degustation we had. The ambience was so serene and instead of competing with the din of surrounding diners, we had the luxury of our own private dining suite. It was nowhere near as expensive as some Perth establishments either... so that was a real bonus. Needless to say, the food was sublime. 
• Falling in love with uni at Yasuda sushi bar in Tokyo and being entertained by the chatty chef. 
• Grabbing the last few vests to visit the tuna auction at the soon to be closed Tsukiji Markets. 
• Ant being relatively loose with the reins while we visited Kappaboshi-dori...aka kitchen street. I kinda wish I bought more of my tanuki mugs though instead of just the one. 
• Our romantic boat ride in Chidorigafuchi, outside the Imperial Palace while the area was in FULL BLOOM. We were so lucky that we went there the day before and that the guide told us to come back the next day for full blooms. We didn't think it could get any fuller but the 20% made such a difference.  

• Watching a baseball game at the Tokyo Dome. The only sport I watch and enjoy is rugby... but I had a fantastic time at the Dome. Japanese baseball fans are one of a kind... and their spirit is contagious. They had me beating my mini bats along to their chants. Although I didn't go as far as the Yokohama Baystars fan who was screaming so loudly that his voice reverberated across the row he was seated in.

•  Visiting an onsen in Hakone. It was a surreal yet liberating experience. The media has made most women so critical and self-conscious of their own bodies. Yet when I disrobed and entered the area with the various pool, you could see that nakedness was not taboo. Certainly not with the Japanese. There were generations of family members enjoying a soak together. One particular image stuck in my head of an elderly grandmother sitting on the ledge of the pool, completely bare while her 5 year old granddaughter, equally naked, switched between splashing and sitting nearby.  
• Anthony's onsen experience was slightly different - apparently he had a stalker who followed him from spa to spa and even hung around him outside int he waiting area. Boys and girls, this is what happens when you have massive tattoos on your arms, in a country where only the yakuza have tatts. 
• Our day our in Arashiyama. We were cold and soggy but it was one of the most peaceful days out we had. I can't wait to go back for another wander around the serene hillsides... preferably in summer/autumn... and on a non-rainy day!!! 

•  The Japanese rail system was a godsend. So efficient and clean. The shinkansen are so comfortable as well - more comfortable than most budget airlines! The train stations were hubs of activities as well, with shops to explore. Ant and I enjoyed a few train station "meals" - be it bento boxes or something from the bakery... if only train stations and trains in Perth could be more like them! I don't normally take public transport in Perth and I despise the thought of it... but I'd happily do it in Japan. 

Okay, enough Japan reminising (trust me, I could go on and on and on...)... this is supposed to be a reflection of my year! 

This was the year that I left my first job for good and jumped headfirst into a new role at a new company. It was hard to leave this crazy bunch behind. Since day 1 of my 9 years there, it always felt like family. The MD even joked about being my proxy dad when Ant and I started dating. Thankfully, we're still in touch (albeit a little intermittently). 

I am super thankful for the new job though! It was (and sometimes, still is) such a huge learning curve for me and I am so appreciative of the chance to grow. I have fallen somewhat in love with InDesign (not so secretly loving every opportunity I get to create flyers!) and I have helped to coordinate a massive conference/trade fair/gala dinner. There were lots of late nights and I was completely exhausted for a week after that... but I got such a high from the event. I am also so very blessed to have yet another supportive team around me with ZERO politics. 

Big props to my amazing husband for taking care of me during those busy weeks, putting up with a very irritable wife who was in no mood for cuddles because she wanted sleep... and chipping in whenever necessary. Like packing up our room while I did more conference stuff. This man may be a devil but he is such a saint when I need him to be - which is why I married him :) 

This was the year as well that I made the biggest tick on my list... we bought some dirt! 

We're being adults and saying hello to financial imprisonment... but oh what fun it will be! There were a few hiccups along the way which left a bit of a sour taste but overall, we are so excited and can't wait for our new our. Needless to say, I am already plotting my grand scheme of smuggling in one too many plants and growing as much of our own produce as we can. I've even looked into bee keeping but alas, town council rules state that my hives need to be 10 metres away from ANY boundary line. Boo. 

It's been such a massive year, I'm not quite sure how next year will be able to live up to it. So instead of hoping for lots of new and exciting things next year, I'm going to hope that I will be ready for whatever lies ahead. That whatever comes my way, I'll stay positive and find the best in every situation. That I won't piss off my husband, family and friends so that they'll always be there to support me in my madcap adventures. Here's hoping that I'll tick more things off my list. 

 Here's to another year of being me... and god help us all! hehe!