Round II of chemo for me tomorrow. Thanks for all the comments and tweets on my last post about this topic – they were awesome!

I’m not very worried about it at all, because other than a couple of days when I’ve felt a bit tired and icky, I’ve been doing really well. We think that because I had no major reactions to the first round, I’m not likely to have any to the second round either, which is encouraging. :)

In other news, a good friend of mine from high school gets married on Saturday, and Brooke arrives in Christchurch later tonight, so I have plenty to entertain me and keep me out of trouble this weekend! :) No doubt there will be multiple photo-heavy posts next week, including pictures of the dress lots of you voted on!

I am going to write more on the topic of positive thinking at some point, since it’s something I firmly believe in, but that’s a post for another day, since it requires more brain-power than I can give it at 10:30pm as I draft this post! :P

I am currently trying to decide on a dress for the wedding of a good friend from high school. Thanks to Ezibuy, I have managed to narrow it down to four possibilities, but now can’t choose between them!

Size wise, I am a 12 – 14, which is not slim, but not plus sized either. I am 5"5′ tall and haven’t decided whether I will wear heels or not yet.

These are the four I am considering. If I decided on the first one, it would be in a dark grey/blue colour rather than red.

To be honest, I am leaning quite heavily towards one, but figured I would ask for some more opinions just to see whether I’m crazy or not.

So, what say you, stylish and fashionable readers….?!

1. Where were you when 2011 began?
At home, because I was sick.

2. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
I was diagnosed with renal failure. It was a pretty big deal. I think this is one of those things you never think will happen to you. And yet, it did. Awesome.
I bought skinny jeans…and wore them…frequently…and looked normal!
I was in a huge earthquake! Oh. Wait. That was something I did last year too! Add this to the list of things that only ever happen to Other People!

3. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t think I made any for this year, and I’m not going to make any for this year either. I definitely have things I want to achieve in 2012, though.

4. Go to any concerts this year?
No. I was supposed to go to the More FM Winery Tour, but it was cancelled because of the earthquake.

5. Will you be looking for a new job in 2012?
Sure will! Teaching job!

6. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2011?
Not really.

7. Did you go on any vacations? If so, where?
Yep! To Franz Josef in May, to visit Brooke and to sneakily surprise Lindy. An amusing video of this incident can be seen HERE. I am so lucky that she (and her friend Emma, who I’d never met before I randomly knocked on their hotel door!) has a decent sense of humour.
I also went to Hanmer Springs for a weekend with a group of friends in September. That was awesome, even though it was way too short!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Still managing to function at the end of it! Ha! Also graduating from TColl. Keeping aforementioned Secret Visit an actual SECRET (mostly?) for 2.5 months is a pretty EPIC achievement too, especially for me, since I’m usually very bad at this!

9. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2011 and change something, what would it be?
I would rewind to 12:50pm on February 22nd, and…I don’t know. Freeze time, or at least give people a few minutes of warning.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Illness yes (sort of), serious injury no.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Nothing really. I have so much Stuff that I’ve been spending this whole year trying to declutter and get rid of it, not buy more!

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Nobody that I can think of off the top of my head.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
No one that I know personally, although the people who used the earthquakes as an excuse to go looting in town were pretty bad. Seriously. Who does that?

14. Where did most of your money go?
On things which weren’t very noteable.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Finally finishing TColl. For a few months I thought it really might drag on forever!

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Shake It Out – Florence + The Machine. Not sure why, it just will.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder?
Definitely not happier, though I wouldn’t say I’m sadder either. I’m just…TIRED. An entire year of earthquakes has been incredibly stressful. As has being diagnosed with this mysterious Health Thing. Having a good friend move (back) to the other side of the world was pretty crappy too. I hope next year is better. :(
ii. thinner or fatter?
Pretty much the same, or maybe a bit thinner.
iii. richer or poorer?
About the same…

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Job interviews. Good ones, lol.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying. It really doesn’t help.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
At my house, with my parents, and my aunt, uncle and cousin.

22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Nope.

23. What was the biggest change for you in 2011?
- I realised that you should make the most of being healthy while you are, because you might not be that way forever. Wondering, in complete seriousness, "Am I going to die?" is not something I will ever forget.
- I realised how much your entire life, and the lives of everybody around you, can change in 30 seconds.
- I realised that Skype and Facebook are amazing.

24. What were your favourite TV programmes?
I watch it more regularly online than I do on TV, but I’m going to have to say Ellen, because she is just completely fantastic.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I wouldn’t say I hate this person, but I definitely dislike them a whole lot more than I did this time last year. Thus why I don’t see them anymore. I have zero time for people like that.

26. What was the best book you read?
I don’t think I have a "best book" of this year! Oh dear.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don’t think I’ve had one of these this year either!

28. What did you want and get?
Nothing I can think of off hand, actually, heheh.

29. What did you want and not get?
A teaching job for next year.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Tangled!! It was about the only movie I saw this year, and I almost forgot about it, thank you Jenny for reminding me! LOL!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 24, and didn’t do very much on my actual birthday, but the weekend before it I went to Hanmer with some friends.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Finding a teaching job to start in Term 1 next year. Oh well…keep looking…

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Something along the lines of "OMG I have short hair now! It’s awesome and I wish I’d cut it off years ago!"

34. What kept you sane?
Coffee, Facebook, my iPod (also people, of course, but they’re "who", not "what")! :P

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Ellen DeGeneres and Ann Curry, because they are awesome. Especially together.

36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Oh I don’t know!! Ahhh!

37. Who did you miss?
Lindy, because she unhelpfully moved back to the UK at the end of September. :’( I miss her a lot. Boooooo. Thank goodness for Skype and Facebook.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Quite a few people, some were nice, some were a bit looney!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
That huge earthquakes really happen in reality, and not to just to "other people" either. They’re not just special effects in movies, or news stories online.

40. What are your plans for 2012?
Keep applying for teaching jobs, and try and be healthy! :D