Other The best thing that happened/done to you in 08?

Got a job

 

Passed my AS levels and started A2s

 

Going to see the Belgian grand prix with 5 of my best mates, and doing nothing but drink beer and eat ridiculously large steaks whilst watching motor racing for 5 days. All wrapped in an awesome road trip.

 

ummmmm probably only 2 good things this year i got an a for my art a level in the summer and i stayed with my girlfriend its been a pretty crappy year really... although im now applying for uni to go in september as im having this year as a 'gap' year but i havent had a properjob at all this year meaning **** all money and just been a very dull year.

 

passing my 1st year of uni and getting into 2nd year.
making ore new friends at uni.
being on track for a decent grade at end of year so far.
another year of keeping my no claims bonus in tact

 

I lived through the year long enough to tell about it - 100%

Paid my taxes 100%

Food - 105%

Computer related 500%

401K retirement fund (- 40%)

(still have 60% left... so far)

EDIT: Obama was elected!

 

Rage Against The Machine - Reading 2008

Fantastic Day, Beer and my GF and best friends.

 

Thats always a good feeling.

 

My trip to the Nurburgring highlights were overtaking a red R1 on the outside of a corner twice when he wouldnt just let me past in a standard Almera GTi. The masses of automotive porn and the run back to Rotterdam along the Autobahn.

 

Love you too, dude.

*ahem*

2008. Lost and still miss a dear friend who I'll never forget (had a cry yesterday actually ), but also made a lot of new ones and got a "new" job to look forward to this year when we move bit into London.

Learnt this morning that another friend of mine is probably pregnant with her first (maybe more - it is IVF after all) after two years of trying and having seen the stress she's/her family had to go through I'm really happy for her - so that's made me feel better today

*humble moment* Tbh, I find it hard to believe it's 09 already. I started uni in 01, left in 05 and started bit full time in 07, but it seems to have gone crazy fast.

Looking forward to in 09: More developments with bit
Not looking forward to in 09: Working our tits off to make the developments happen in bit

 

This year has been one of the best professionally for me.

I finally obtained Management level status for work and also helped 3 good workmates get promotions to manage their own stores and finding out that they are doing very well.

Plans for the next year is to work towards getting a store for myself, looking at some of the smaller suburban store as a good starting point.

Personally its not been such a good year. Having gone "apeshit" twice to both of my very good friends I have felt in someways I have pushed them away somewhat. I can't explain why this has happened but maybe its just my stresses coming out all at once.

Also having being super dissapointed with a girl i really really liked for ages only to find out she was with my worst enemy. Worse is that I figured out what was going on.......very sad.

I maintain zero contact with her and her BF but its hard not to bump into him coz he was my old boss around work. I think they are the only two people in the world that i truly hate.

Anyways there were some plus points such as hooking up with other women but nothing serious.

So plans for the new year is to excel at work and find a damn GF.

 

Best parts of 08 for me would have to be

Getting accepted to my first choice of college.
Going to said college.
Having a great time at college while still getting good grades.
Getting a girlfriend at college.

So basically having college be better then high school ever was made the second half of 08 pretty awesome!

 

Moving from a demoralising, poorly-paid, stressful job to one I love at a great company in February. Realised just how much it was affecting me over the past few months, overall I'm the happiest I've been in... maybe ever

 

Buying my first house with my fiance

 

That's a hell of a first house.

 

Belgian Grand Prix close second, but only because I went the previous year

 

Nice work! Who's the Micra fan?

 

Nice house.

2008 was a good year, but as per usual I could have done more.

- I finished my degree with a solid 2:1 (I was a high 2:2 before my final year), so I was working my arse off from January through to June
- Drove from London to Mongolia with some friends over the summer - epic
- Started my first "proper" job in September in Birmingham

For 2009 I need to get out and do more, at least in terms of socialising etc - as I've recently moved to Birmingham I don't really have any friends around here outside of work (so I did a lot of travelling last year to see friends in other parts of the country).

Ho hum, lets see how this year turns out. Bring on work at 8.30am tomorrow morning.

 

The birth of my daughter not only the best thing in '08 but in my entire life

 

Pics or it didn't happen

john