Pretty Good Year

Ah. The Year of the Sheep. It's meant to symbolize peace, abundance and good luck. So has the Year of the Sheep lived up to its name?

Peace. OK. The rest of the world seems to be going to Hell but personally, life has been very harmonious indeed. It is difficult though, to reconcile your place in the contentment spectrum when hundreds of thousands of innocent lives are being sacrificed in the name of "peace". This year, whenever the word "World Peace" popped up on the news, I came to associate it with "Megalomanic pursuit of World power". I hope to crap next year the world sorts its shit out. OK. So I'm an Optimist.

Abundance. Hell Yes. Thank you everyone who stopped by my website, particularly my regular readers. I've received so much encouragement from people I've never met. As a blogger, you open yourself up to a certain amount of criticism and fuck it thickens your skin like nothing else. It makes you realise when you get sad freaks of nature flaming your blog that you actually have a fulfilling, expressive and honest life.

I've been in the advantageous position to be able to live in this contradictory and amazing country and describe both the beautiful and blemished Japan. And I've been lucky to get to know some fellow bloggers in person - Martine, Jenn and Kat, 3 excellent and unusual chicks.

Good Luck. I've had it in spades. Even the weather has behaved its pretty little self this year.

I love (most of) my students and working for a variety of clients. Teaching is so much better than Human Resources it makes me sick (in a good way). For someone seriously suffocating in the corporate rut, I can't recommend it enough.

I had the good fortune to have The Mister propose to me (albeit drunkenly) in Kyoto on New Years Day. The unmitigated highlight of 2003. In fact, I have the good fortune to have scored the finest single-malt in the guy world. Argue with me if you will. I will not be swayed on this.

New Years Resolutions. Shudder. For the past 10 years my NYR has invariably been to "drink less" or "drink only on the weekends" and every year I fail miserably. So this year, my NYR is to "accept that I'm a gigantic lush." What's a few hundred missing brain cells when you got yourself a fair chunk of happiness and good fortune?

And what would an end of the year blog be without at least one Top 10? Being a movie buff, I decided on a Top 10 films for 2003. Before the cries of "Omigod, that movie is sooooo 2002" bear in mind that us cinephiles in the Far North East have to wait up to 6 months for new releases:

1. Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (2002)
2. Juon - The Grudge 2
3. 8 Mile (2002)
4. Matrix Reloaded
5. The Eye (aka Jian Gui) (2002)
6. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
7. Rabbit Proof Fence (2002)
8. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
9. Pirates of the Caribbean
10. X2

Oh, and I'd like to be able to write a blog entry without the word "fuck" in it. Optimism is a curse.