Surveys

How I Spent My Year 2011

For the 9th straight year, this is my annual End of the Year blog post that I publish mainly for myself. You are more than welcome to read it (all 9 pages of it), but more realistically, I invite you to do the same survey for yourself. =]

Out of all the years I've done so far, this one was by far the most difficult. This post has been a struggle with finding the right balance of sharing how I really feel and respecting the privacy of some people. It was also a struggle of trying to reflect on everything in a positive way, without reopening certain wounds.

Without any further ado...

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

  • Happier or sadder? Sadder.

  • Thinner or fatter? Same.

  • Richer or poorer? Poorer.

2. What other states/countries did you visit?

  • Philippines for 10 weeks. My God, I got soo homesick after 6 weeks.

  • Technically Taiwan (layover)

  • Vancouver!

  • The beautiful state of Seattle!

3. What was your favorite film of this year?

  • 50/50

  • Love and Other Drugs

4. What was your favorite TV program?

  • American Horror Story

  • Breaking Bad

  • Falling Skies

  • Fringe

  • Happy Endings

  • Hung

  • New Girl

  • Pretty Little Liars

  • Walking Dead

  • Wilfred

5. What was the best book you read?

Steve Jobs, the biography by Walter Isaacson. Steve Jobs was a super private person but because he knew his time was near, he authorized a super personal biography. He encouraged the most intimate interview questions, no matter how dark or brutally honest his answers would be. Even if I wasn't an Apple Fanboy, it's crazy to see the flawed, personal side of a man that changed the world several times.

6. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Tori Kelly. I've known OF her for a while now but I never actually paid attention to her til recently. Man her voice is BEAUTIFUL.

7. What song(s) will always remind you of 2011?

  • Reynard Silva - Cool with You

  • Sam Tsui - How to Love (Lil Wayne Cover)

  • Nick Carter - Who Needs the World

  • Jayesslee - Dare You To Move (Switchfoot Cover)

8. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Pretty much the same as the past couple years. The only big difference is I started growing out my hair while I was in the Philippines. I was really hoping to grow it out long, the way it used to be"¦but my hair isn't as thick as it was back then. I might just have to shave it again in Spring.

9. What words/phrases/slang did you pick up on this year? Who do you blame?

"First World Problems" — I blame Twitter and Tumblr for this. It's just a hilarious way to bitch about the stupidest things cuz we're so damn spoiled, hahah

10. Did you keep your new years' resolutions? Will you make more for next year?

Last year I wrote this:

I gotta focus on my career again; I'm not getting any younger and same with my parents. So my New Year Resolution is to get a new job and have release an iPhone app on the side.

I released my iPhone app! It was a fun pet project and I loved the experience of doing it. I hope to do more pet projects like it in the future.

This year I will find a damn job. And I will work out/run at least 4 times a week.

11. Describe a typical day for you this year.

This applies more towards the end of the year:

Wake up, stretch while catching up on Flipboard (Google Reader, Facebook and Instagram, Tumblr) on my iPad; run; shower; lunch with Deland, Jenny, and/or Meliscent; job hunting; dinner; catch up with friends; watch Dawson's Creek with Sheena; sleep.

12. What did you do on your birthday, and how old did you turn?

Celebrated my 24th birthday for the fifth time (haha) by having an expensive steak dinner at a 5-star hotel with my dad. My dad and I aren't really that close"¦but it was the deepest conversation we've ever had, talking about his life when he was my age.

13. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Been a better listener.

14. What do you wish you'd done less of?

  • Less of having gossip take the best of me.

  • Less commiting of traffic violations, hahah.

15. Did you suffer any serious illness or injury?

Nope!

16. What was the best thing you bought?

iPhone 4S! This camera is AMAZEBALLS. All of my photos are like HD foodporn now.

17. Where did most of your money go?

Food.

18. Which celebrity/public figure(s) did you crush on the most?

  • Jamie Chung <3

  • Anna Kendrick <3

19. What political issue stirred you the most?

(I'm sure I'm gonna piss off someone with this response.) People cheering for Osama Bin Laden's killing. I never want to cheer for the ending of someone's life, not even an enemy's. I'd rather wave an American Flag with pride, cheer for my country, and silently honor the innocent lives that were lost"¦instead of burning a picture of Osama out of hate.

20. Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully, no.

21. Did anyone close to you give birth?

  • Julie had another baby!

  • There are so many, I've lost track now, hahah

22. Who did something worthy of celebration?

  • Dude, I am so unbelievably proud of my friends that changed to a healthier lifestyle: Alan B, Amy D, Chadwick, Norm M, Jesse B, Jeremy M, Kat B, Veronica.

  • Daniel B, Mike H and Samir got engaged!!

23. Without giving names, did anyone do anything really disappointing? What did they do?

  • My wingman developed feelings for the girl I was seeing. Hella drama ensued after her and I broke up. (Everything is fine now)

  • I told a friend a brutal truth because I didn't want him to get crushed later on. He told me everything was cool between us"¦but later on I hear from multiple people that he's been talking shit about me, accusing me of lying to him about everything.

  • I stuck up for someone for a long ass time, only to find out they never stuck up for me when I needed them.

24. Who did you miss?

NorCal fam. East Coast fam. Music fam.

25. What kept you sane?

  • MRL, CL, DG, JD, KMC, PC, RJE, RKR, SC, SPS, ST, VL, VT <3

  • Tumblr fam.

26. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?

  • Built my first snowman!

  • Roadtripped all the way up to Vancouver!

  • Went viral with one of my posts! (Over 50k views on Tumblr and 2 MILLION VIEWS on imgur.com!)

  • Released my first iPhone app!

  • Attended a friend's shotgun Vegas wedding! (I was the ring bearer, hahah)

27. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

  • July 16, 2011 -- A lot of dots connect back to this.

  • July 21, 2011 -- Mutual feelings. <3

  • September 8, 2011 -- A lot of our time together is kinda just one big mashup of memories"¦but I will always remember being completely and utterly captivated by her on this specific night. I'd love to relive this.

28. What was your biggest failure?

  • Realizing over a year later how much pain I put my closest friend through when she needed me the most.

  • Letting gossip bring out the worst in me.

  • Losing a friendship when I tried absolutely everything I possibly could to be a good bro and be honest from the beginning.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

After everything that went down this year, it would've meant the world to me to get a sincere, thoughtful email, letter or even a Christmas card. Something more meaningful than just a text message.

I don't know what's going on in her head anymore. I have no idea how she really feels about everything now. All I know is, whenever we have a conversation (which is hardly ever), it is because I'm the one that initiated it. I'm just gonna assume she wants space now cuz if she really wanted to talk to me, she'd hit me up.

30. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Hmm I didn't do anything worthy enough for this particular question this year.

Oh wait, I finally learned how to eat a chicken wing efficiently, hahah

31. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

On the contrary, this year I actually made amends with four people from my past.

One of these grudges I held onto for 5 years with legit feelings of HATE. (The kind of hate where you wish bodily harm upon certain people.) But I finally made amends with these two old friends"¦just in time to give them my blessing before their wedding. =]

32. Did you fall in love in 2011?

Felt something really special for a while. It didn't last forever"¦but I'm glad it happened. "Don't be sad at what you lost. Smile at what you had." NO REGRETS.

33. Which new person made the biggest impact on you this year?

She'll know it if she reads this.

34. Tell us a quote or song lyric that sums up your year:

If I just breathe /

Let it fill the space between /

I'll know everything is alright /

Breathe /

Every little piece of me /

You'll see /

Everything is alright /

If I just breathe."

— Michelle Branch, Breathe

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:

  • Love Languages. Not everyone is a physical touch person like me. Kissing & cuddling is the best way to make me feel loved"¦but I should never assume that's the best way for her to feel loved too.

  • Instead of asking myself, "How do I feel about her?" I need to be asking, "How does she make me feel?" And instead of wondering, "How does she feel about me?" I need to be asking, "How do I make her feel?" If one person isn't feeling their worth in the relationship, then they have every right to walk away.

  • When you're dealing with drama, you will learn which friends will stick up for you, defend you, and always give you the benefit of the doubt.

  • Most guys don't have high standards for Bro Code. To most people, "all is fair in love and war," so don't be surprised when friends don't treat you the way you've always treated others.

  • Be very, very, very careful who you vent to in the heat of the moment. Real friends won't hold your irrational words against you after you've calmed down. Gossipers will sprinkle the story with their own little bias, relay that shit to others, and instigate more drama.

  • Let go. When people talk bad about you, just let it go. You can spend a lot of time trying to defend yourself and tracking down the source"¦but really, that's all just a waste of energy. Besides, Karma has a funny way of bringing the truth out in the end. Don't let gossip control you. Let the petty people be petty. Just do your thing, don't sink down to their level, and let Karma run its course.

  • Stay classy. No matter how much shit unfairly (or fairly) gets thrown at you, stay classy at all times.

36. If you could go back in time to exactly one year ago, what would you tell yourself?

You will confide in someone and then feel betrayed by them. You will stay true to one of your ideals and it will cost you a friendship. You will stick up for someone and they won't want to stick up for you in return. You will seek advice from so many close friends, it will backfire on you. You will be tested with lessons of forgiveness and letting go. You will once again reconnect with your closest friend at the perfect time in both of your lives.

37. What are you looking forward to in 2012?

A new career path.

38. If you could say something to your future self one year from now, what would you say?

Dear Future Mel,

I hope your 2012 was a lot better for you. 2011 left you with a lot of reasons to be bitter and discouraged"¦but you've been in worse shape before, and you've always made it out a better man in the end.

Recently, Dad has been pressing me to consider relocating for the best job opportunity out there, no matter where it may be. And yes, that includes overseas"¦

When I had dinner with @hsustyle, she brought up a good point about moving, "If things don't work out, you can always go back home."

What bold steps did you take this year to get your career back on track? How far from of your comfort zone did you step out? Did you take any leaps of faith?

Speaking of faith, how's your relationship with God now?

I admit, my relationship with Him was never really that strong — I've always been stubborn about being self-reliant — but with each late-night conversation I have with @_melistar, the more comfortable I feel with letting go and putting more trust in Him.

2011 was a really difficult year for me. I could go on forever venting stories of anger, betrayal, hate, gossip and lies"¦

But I don't regret any of it.

I just hope everything I went through will prove valuable in 2012"¦so the next End of the Year survey will be filled with more stories of love and laughter.

In the meantime...Work hard. Be kind. Keep the faith.

-Mel