Where do you hope to be on Jan 1, 2013?I hope that by the beginning of 2013, I'm in a good place financially, mentally, physically and emotionally. I hope to be doing what I love with journalism and writing for a newspaper and of course doing a lot more traveling. I hope that I will finally have my tooth surgery and LASIK completed by then and simply be happy. I hope that I'm happy in life, in Christ and love.  |
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| Were you happy with who you were in 2011? Who do you want to be in 2012 and beyond? |
I would say for the most part I was but there are definitely some things I need to work on i.e. my awkwardness. I've noticed that ever since Spain, I've become quite awkward in conversations, I'm not as sociable or friendly towards people like I used to be. It's like I have this "only speak when spoken to" mind frame and I hate it.
In 2012 and beyond, I'd like to be more like my mother. I know it's shocking because SO many people don't want to be like their mothers, but my mom is amazing. If I could have half the social skills that she does, I'd set for life. Her poise, beauty, style and grace is what I envy yet desire to have. She can make friends with anyone and go out alone and be completely fine with herself. I have to realize that she did grow into it, it didn't happen over time like I want it to be, but I'm definitely going to try!
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I have so many different types of friends I can't just describe "my friends day out 2012" because it's an blanket statement that generalizes that all my friends are similar. Wrong.
I have some friends like my London sisters Tiffany Y. and Christine that I could take to a museum, out to an arts festival, go to a hole in the wall restaurant, read each others writings and enjoy a nature walk.
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| 2008 end of the school year dinner when I lived in Gainesville |
Then there are others like Mirah, Tiffany T. and Shannon, whom I have fun with all the time! Somehow we always get into trouble. I let loose when I'm with them and usually when we go out, obscene amounts of alcohol are involved, dancing to the point of bruised toenails and memories that last forever.
Of course there's girls like Alex, Aditi and Vanessa. We can do anything and everything and make it a "friends day out." It could be grocery shopping or laying around the house, catching a movie, eating sushi or having a spa day.
I have friends who inspire me, friends who make me laugh, friends who I can just chill with but the truth is, they all bring out different sides of me, so I can't simply say what this "friends day out 2012" would include because NONE of my friends are the same. So take that take that!
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| Aditi and I |
It wasn't really random, but my very close friend Aditi let me live in her apartment for two months while I saved money to get my own. I had just come back from a whirlwind summer and had no place to live and no job. Thankfully I got the job and was only looking at one apartment in particular but had to get my monies in order. I'm glad I filled out the application and paid the application fee when I did because I took the last one bedroom in the complex! I love my apartment complex but it's like an exclusive club to get into. Who knows what would've happened if I didn't get in. Aside from that, I plan on doing many things for Aditi in 2012 just like she has for me because that's the type of relationship we have. xo
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My money went EVERYWHERE this year! Bills, loan payments, Spain, tickets, furniture...ugh! For 2012 I already know most of it will go towards more bills, furniture and traveling! It always seems that there's so much that I want to do, but never enough money for it. What can I say? I have expensive taste!
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| Share a favorite photo from the past year. What was happening behind the scenes? What were you thinking or feeling? What could you smell, taste, see, hear at that moment? |
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| L to R: Myself, Andrew, Ashley and our teacher Alberto |
I particularly love this picture because at this point of my life I was on the cusp of being thrusted into the real world but still had my "college student" mind frame. I had just graduated college and was going to Spain for an internship. I believe this was still within the first week of our arrival, when our Spanish professor Alberto told us that we could go on a tour of the Cruzcampo factory with the school.
Cruzcampo is Spain's national beer and owned by Heineken. I'm not much of a beer drinker (Guinness is the ONLY beer I drink) but I decided to go anyway because both Ashley and Andrew were going. We literally took a 30 minute tour of the factory and saw how the beer was made before embarking on a three hour (or maybe it was four...or five) open bar...with food!
This picture is the four of us still coherent before the drinks took over...well for me at least. I tried everything and was feeling quite nice before we boarded the bus to go back to the city. I love this picture simply because it represents a time where everything was still euphoric in my life and in Spain. A time before the many weeks of interning, looking for a job back home, tears, fears and everything else in between!
Great people, great beer, great food, great times!
| What did you celebrate in 2011? Are you looking forward to any celebrations in 2012? |
MERRY CHRISTMAS! For those who celebrate it, I hope you ate a lot of food and were able to spend time with your loved ones.
I celebrated many things this year. Graduating from college, the birth of my sister's first child, my birthday of course, my brother going to college, getting my first job out of college, getting my own apartment (by myself that is) and winning an award for my reporting. It's been a celebratory year, and in 2012 I'm looking forward to celebrating the two year anniversary of my blog, more birthdays and anything else that causes for celebration, but who knows what that may be?
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What did you finally let go of in 2011? What will you let go of in 2012? |
Ha! I have JUST now accepted the fact that I'm a control freak this year. So needless, to say I haven't let go of anything. I have absolutely no idea what I'll let go of in 2012, but I'm hoping it's something that makes me a better person.
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I can't think of one thing I actively engaged in learning to do this year. I just remember how busy I was this entire year. I guess I could use journalism. I'm always learning something new with journalism and mass communications and that's how I plan to keep it for as long as I live.
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| What is one thing you want to do before you bid adieu to 2011? How will you make it happen? |
I'd like to travel more around my city. Tampa has a lot to offer which I never see because I'm so wrapped up in my routine of work, dinner, sleep. I want to explore more. Also, I want to return to that extroverted Naomi I once was. One of my co workers described me as a closeted extrovert, and it's actually sad because I used to go up and start conversations with people, but now not so much. What better place to start than at work?
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The butterfly effect posits that a small change can ripple across whole ecosystems. Who do you credit for the small action that made all the difference in your life this year? |
A former friend who I ended my friendship with made all the difference in my life this year. It's amazing what can happen when negativity and bad relationships leave your life. Usually, people are sad when a friendship ends but trust me this was for the best. I'm able to get a full night's sleep with no interruptions (phone wise) which leaves me energized for work in the morning. I'm no longer consumed by someone else's problems and am able to concentrate more on my family and other friendships which I had neglected because of this one-sided relationship. A lot of positive things have been happening with family, employment and social life which I feel is a result of the end of this friendship. Thank goodness.
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I have a love hate relationship with technology. I'm fascinated by it, however at the same time I'm kind of disgusted by it. We have so much technology that we're essentially eliminating the need to do anything manually, which is an amazing yet pathetic trait within itself.
Anyone who knows me know that I'm not the most technologically savvy person. I'm the girl who recently threw away her CD player, and that's only because it was hanging on by a thread. I have never owned an iPod or mp3 player. I updated my phone to a Pantech Crux (with Internet!), not an iPhone or a Blackberry, in February because my last phone's battery life was non-existent.
I am appreciative of technology and it's ever changing ways, but part of me still wants to hold on to the antique typewriters and telephones, I did grow up in an 1800's house after all. I do plan on upping my technology game to an iPod or a Macbook one of these days. Just not anytime soon....but who knows what'll happen in 2012?
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Janet. Working at my university's telemarketing center, things can get pretty monotone. The girls in my section were hilarious! Adriane, Naa Sika, Lauren, Luny, Sachy, Angenique and I always found someway to pass the time through jokes, stories or whatever else tickled our fancy.
One particular day, Adriane, Lauren and I were talking about unisex names before our shift. Adriane brought up her mother's name and said it could either be a man's or woman's name. What did I say to contribute to the conversation?
"My mom's name is Janet."
Lauren and Adriane both looked at each other.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Lauren asked.
To this day, I still have no idea why I said that. I think it was because Adriane was talking about her Mom, that it made me think of my Mom but it still had NOTHING to do with the conversation!
After Naa Sika and everyone else came in and found out, I was never able to live it down, our boss even got in on the Janet joke. It's a running joke we all have and for some reason it sounds funnier when one of them tells the story/joke instead of me! Don't worry my former coworkers, you'll get to meet Janet eventually!
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| Janet and I |
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| What lesson or advice were you able to pass on to others this year? Why was it important to share this information? (Or… what lesson would you like to pass on to others that read this?) |
Travel! That's the advice I was able to give to others this year. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I LOVE travel and any time someone even has an the inkling of traveling, I give him or her all the reasons they should. Once he or she decides to act upon it, I give them tips for traveling, what to wear, any type of question they have I answer. Travel changes your life in the most incredible ways and I want everyone to know about it!
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What did you discover (big or small) in 2011? |
This year I really discovered who my true friends are. After losing friends and making friends this year, I now know who is there in my corner. Besides my family, I have three of the best friends anyone could ever ask for. They don't know each other, but they all have been there for me through my darkest days and vice versa. Getting rid of the dead weight in my life, made it so much easier to "see the light" in my current friendships with these beautiful three people.
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Nothing. Looking back, nothing surprised me or affected me. I had a set plan for my life in 2011 and that was graduate, go to Spain, move back to Tampa and find a job. I've done all of that so there's really no surprise! I'm such a planner that nothing can really surprise me which is kind of sad....hmmm....16. Persevere
| Describe something that disappointed you in 2011 and how you persevered. |
I'm currently in a situation where I'm trying to persevere and it's difficult but I'm sticking with it until I can find receive some guidance from my mentor on what to do. We'll see where 2012 leads with this situation but that's all I'll say about it for now.
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How did you make space + peace for yourself in 2011? |
The answer to that would be I didn't. This entire year I've basically been running on fumes, not making any time to myself. The first part of the year, from January to May, I was killing myself trying to finish up my last semester of college. Also, I had a job during that time and was interning, so I definitely couldn't make space or peace for myself without missing out on something. Then over the summer I was interning in Spain in a house with six international students and a loving yet dysfunctional family of four. The second half of the summer I was in Philadelphia for a journalism conference running around like a chicken with my head cut off covering elections trying to make deadline. Then I finally moved back to Tampa and was immediately in search of a job, which I thankfully got the next week after my return and since then I've been working non stop. So in terms of peace and space? It's been non existent but hopefully for 2012 I can make some time for myself!
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The Awakening by Kate Chopin was the book that changed how I viewed myself as a woman and the struggles we went through and still go through. It was very empowering yet saddening at the same time. In reality I read this for a book report my senior year in high school but ended up being so moved by it and Chopin it quickly became one of my all time favorite books. Chopin is definitely my favorite author and I love all of her work. Native Son by Richard Wright and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka are right behind this book. They changed my life for the better. It's amazing to know that someone's words can have that much power of you. I only hope I can do half of that.
Even though I recently started this within the last two months, making my own food has been the healthiest habit of 2011. It's easy to come home and be lazy and stick a frozen dinner in the microwave, but I've made it a point to STOP buying frozen dinners and buying foods that I HAVE to make. You know what parents say, "there's food in there...you just have to make it." So now that I have been making food (which has been healthy) I need to incorporate working out or some type of activity into the mix for 2012!
| 11. Try
What 12 new things do you want to do/accomplish in 2012?
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