Remembrance of 2008

during a conversation with a friend of mine, she spoke of how 2008 was her best year ever. this concept got to me wonder which of my 24 would be considered my best years (of those i can remember at least)...would it be 1990, trotting along in first grade when the backpacks were larger than my body and my lunch box emblazoned with ren & stimpy cartoons, before the politics of second grade kicked in?...or 2002, having survived the high school experience full of first-loves, ditching classes, and the inescapable competition of college acceptances...or 2006, finally traversing the college landscape dotted with previously inexperienced freedoms, real loves, and leaving with actual college degrees...or 2008, where a roller coaster of events rocketed me up to meaningful employment down to the dirges of lost loves shaped this previous year.

with fears of too much thought leading to a growth of my love handles, i decided that 2008 had been like all the others...unpredictable, memorable, heartbreaking...and most importantly, over. perhaps it would be too quixotic of me to say 2009 will only consist of highs, or even too naive of me to even want that...as it is the magnitude of events and emotions that help define us.

seeing as how my first post of last year was a recap, it felt fitting that the first post of year 2009 also contain a brief rendition of last years exploits. and following previous formats, the countdown will begin in reverse order:

December
the prospects of finishing up my masters is drawing closer at the conclusion of my third semester, which coupled with my full-time work schedule led to a much needed vacation with the family in shanghai.
November
wonderful november, a young politico's wish and democratic staffer's hopes have come true with a historic election...also, with the aid of another chef in the kitchen, we were able to host one of the most successful thanksgiving/holiday feasts ever with a table overflowing with food...it was an epicurean's dream.
October
this seemed to be a rather tiring month as i experienced my first month with a combination of full-time school and full-time work...this dual led to develop my drinking habits and expensive weekends out.
September
with a well-timed arrival of an old friend, i celebrated my 24th birthday with new friends at Marvin's near U-st. what can only be described as a 'growing' experience, it was nice to compound that with my acceptance as the new health research assistant for the senate finance committee, ending my unemployment while padding my resumé.
August
though the success and excitement of the olympics was in full bloom, this was not a very good month for my emotional humanity...having lost a part of me, august seemed to be bleak, though i somehow managed to restrain from entering depths i have vowed to avoid.
July
with frequent trips around town searching for jobs and networking old sources for help, i found july to be a humbling experience that unfortunately too many are dealing with.
June
i'll remember june with the ending of my congressional fellowship, my most recent trip to vegas, and what unfortunately became my last vacation out to san diego.
May
besides the end to my first year in grad school, may seemed to be unusually quite for 2008. either that or age has caught up to me and has plagued my memory with blind spots.
April
with ting and matt further solidifying their relationship, i found myself without a roommate for the first time in a long time...though i did come to enjoy the freedoms of living alone.
March
another seemingly forgetful month that i probably spent procrastinating from school, feigning dilligence at work, and entralled in a primary contest that would never end.
February
if august was the larger drop on the roller coaster, then february had to have been the quick loop and dip used to gain momentum in order for the cart to make it to the heights.
January
ahh...the beginning of it all...the prelapsarian month of this all too exhaustive year. the question would have to be, "if i knew this year would've been like this, shouldn't i have stayed in 2007?"

and with that, my reader(s), i relinquish my grasp on the previous year which will now be archived into memory...with little bits and pieces of it found right here in my little niché of the blogosphere.