Fare thee well

Twenty thirteen has almost dragged itself across the finish line. Previously, I've marked the passing of another year with a report card.

This time around, however, I lack both the energy and the time to do so. This year has been absolutely knackering and although there have been more good days than bad, it's time to throw a cloth over 2013 and move on. So instead of the usual in-depth post mortem, this year you shall have the once over lightly version.

Things I loved:

• Winning the Cathay Pacific NZ Travel Writer of the Year Competition
• Media trips to Seoul and Singapore
• A visit to the parentals in Oz 
• Two crazy awesome day contracts
• Lots of interesting commissions to write the shizzle out of
• One giant leap forward for financial freedom; two more years and we should be able to get the hell out of Dodge
• My fire-engine red Kitchen Aid 
• A new book reviewing gig and three new magazines to write for
• Red wine
• Running; it may be a bit optimistic to put this in the 'love' category but it keeps me sane and helps with the lard-arse management   
• New friends, old friends and my two favourite boys.

Things I didn't love so much:

• One contract that made me want to chop off my head
• Work that didn't make my soul sing
• Bitchy, arsey editors who treat freelancers like something stuck to the bottom of their shoe (I'm convinced there is a special place in hell for these women)
• The winter, which seemed to go on for 873 days
• Shitty, inconsiderate neighbours and their shittier stereos. When I am Mayor, sub-woofers are the first thing I will outlaw.

Movies I laughed and cried at, and then watched over:

• Moonrise Kingdom
• The Kings of Summer
• Flight
• Gravity
• Paranorman
• The Butler.

Books I adored (of the 30 I managed to read this year):

• The Lowland by Jumpa Lahiri 
• The Newlyweds by Nell Fruendberger
• American Wife by Curtis Stittenfeld
• The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
• Drown by Junot Diaz
• A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon.

Unmissable tee-vee:

• Breaking Bad (you are sorely missed)
• Orange is the New Black
• Orphan Black
• Homeland
• Suits
• Scandal
• The Killing (the Danish one, not the American version)  
• The Newsroom
• Top of the Lake
• House of Cards.

The soundtrack to my year:

• City and Colour
• Bon Iver 
• Lana Del Ray
• Lorde.

What 2014 has in store: 

• A media trip to Hong Kong and Europe in Feb/March
• A visit to Mum and Dad's new house in May  
• More interesting contracts and freelance work (she says, crossing everything on her person that it shall be so)
• The ability to say 'No' - to things that don't interest me/that eat away at my soul/that feel icky - and mean it
• More doggy meet ups
• Rediscovering my love of running via the running group
• Learning to finally make my peace with GST, ACC and all the other bullshit that goes with being self-employed 
• Another rental property/lifestyle property/investment of some sort
• Letting go of the crap that doesn't matter and embracing that which does.    

Happy New Year y'all. Hope 2014 is everything you want it to be. 

(Pic credit: Tumblr)