I asked for an eventful ringing in of the new year and that's exactly what I got. However, it was nothing like what I had imagined and played out in my head. I had been warned by many that the ball drop thing was overrated and anti-climatic, but that wasn't what surprised me about the night. I didn't care how stupid the actual concept of seeing the ball drop live was, it was the reason I came to NYC and I can now officially check it off my list. What I didn't expect was for myself to be so drunk at that point and screaming "Holy shit, the ball is dropping!", not even counting down the final seconds of 2009, and taking a good 3 minutes and 10 glances at my phone to process the fact that it really was indeed 2010 and the 6 hour journey leading up to that very moment was suddenly over. Now what?
The 6 of us had decided to go to Times Square to be part of the atmosphere. However, we didn't want to be barricaded in, so we decided not to go to Broadway Ave. and instead hung out on 42nd St. and 6th Ave. We had a great view of the ball until the police pushed us back to 5th Ave., at which point it started sleeting and we decided to grab a bite to eat and look up a bar to warm up in. Needless to say, we got too excited about being inside and being able to warm up with a few drinks that we downed 3 drinks within 10 minutes, resulting in 3 of us (myself included) puking.
Marquee, which was supposed to be the highlight of the night as it claimed to be the "#1 club in the known universe," was probably the biggest disappointment of the night. We were not feeling the crowd or the atmosphere and even the music couldn't lighten our moods. This made me realize what a huge difference the crowd makes in how the night goes and sometimes, a small group of close friends crammed into a hotel room drinking and laughing is all you really need for a good time :). This also made me realize that holidays are seriously overrated. Occasions like Halloween and NYE are so hyped up that you feel the need to do something cool, but everywhere just ends up being too crowded to have a good time. Some of my best nights out happened on random nights in August (Vegas) and June (NYC).
I am still processing the fact that we are in a new decade. 2010 has made me realize that this is truly the first decade that I have concrete memories from every year (aka I am getting old!):
2000
With the Y2K scare, my dad had to work and everyone was too afraid to leave their houses, so my mom, sister, and I quietly rang in the new year from the comfort of our home. My biggest memory from that year was the surprise 80th birthday party we threw for my grandma in April. I couldn't believe my mom had pulled off such a huge event without my grandma even having the slightest clue and it was great to see all 9 of her children together at the same time. April also happened to be my first time leaving the continent as I explored Italy. It was perfect timing too because I had just finished studying about ancient Rome in history class.
2001
This was a big year in terms of sports for the state of MD. The Ravens had won their first-ever superbowl and the MD Terps made it to the Final Four for the first time, only to suffer a devastating loss to Duke in that round. I finished middle school and started high school this year. I had my first fling and kiss that summer, lol. And who could forget Sept. 11? I remember walking into history class and watching the news live on TV. It was so surreal watching the buildings collapse. I already had a planned early dismissal that day to remove my braces and got pulled out of English class as the other students waited in anticipation and eventually also got dismissed from school early. I don't think I realized the weight of the events that occurred that day until much later.
2002
The MD Terps came back with more determination than ever and won the National Championship! We took a family cruise to Alaska that summer and the 6 of us kids had so much fun running around on the boat and doing whatever we pleased. The rest of the year is kind of a blur except for the fact that I met a boy at the beginning of sophomore year, who I became best friends with, had late-night AIM chats with til 3 in the morning, and eventually ended up falling for.
2003
We had a huge blizzard in February, which left my mom stranded in California while she was taking care of my sick grandmother. The 3 of us did not prepare for the blizzard and trekked to Safeway in the snow to find the shelves completely empty, not to mention a truck running by and drenching me in gross water and dirty snow on the way there. My mom eventually made it back to MD after the storm. A few days later, we got a phone call delivering very sad news. Six days later, I turned a very bittersweet 16 and did not really care. I packed my bags for my grandma's funeral in Cali and enjoyed quality bonding time afterwards with four of my cousins and my sister as we beach-hopped down the coast of California. There was something extremely calm and serene about sticking our feet in the ice cold water and looking out to the horizon. My sister graduated from high school in May that year and I got a fortune cookie at her graduation dinner that read "Love is around the corner." One day before that, my best friend had officially become my boyfriend. Love was indeed around the corner for me. My sister moved out for college, but having a boyfriend for the first time was enough to distract me from really noticing that I was an only child at home.
2004
I joined AFS, a club that worked with international students, at what was probably the best timing ever. They typically did student exchanges within the U.S. (this was my incentive for joining!) and this was their first year trying something international, thanks to a former exchange student that spent a year at Hebron. For $500, I enjoyed a long weekend exploring Iceland. Junior year of high school was tough academically but otherwise fun for me. Alain and I celebrated our first year anniversary in May with no drama, no fights, and a pretty steady relationship. As senior year came, we sort of hit a rocky area with the stress of college applications and the uncertainty of what would happen to us post-high school becoming a reality that we had to seriously deal with. We made it through that time and I think it made us even stronger. I believe 2004 at Thuy's birthday party in November was my first time meeting Hai and Quin (aka Potter and Lopez) and really for me, when GB came together.
2005
The rest of high school was nothing spectacular. I think the most memorable thing was how pissed I was at my AP Biology teacher for giving us a real final even if we took the AP test (as opposed to the previous year) that I didn't care to study and got a D on it. She was seriously concerned with my performance, but I still came out with an A as the final grade. I graduated and made my decision to go to St. Mary's College of Maryland. The fall brought on huge changes for me, as it was my first time away from home and heart. A long distance relationship was not easy, but we made it work. My other grandma became sick during my finals period and for some reason, I sensed something was seriously wrong this time and was itching to go home. I was right, she had passed away two days before I finished my finals. Her passing was the hardest thing I had ever gone through, I was a lot closer to her than my grandma in Cali and it was also the realization that I am now grandparentless. Christmas that year was not all too spirited.
2006
I survived my first year of college with pretty decent grades, became best friends with two girls down the hall, and was excited to spend the summer (an extended break) with my boyfriend. Looking back, spending extremely long periods of time apart followed by short, intense together 24/7 periods was probably not at all healthy. That summer, we had serious talks about life post-college. I was not too excited about parting ways again for sophomore year and he reassured me that we would be together for a semester in Australia in exactly one year. Two weeks later, he broke up with me. That was probably the worst semester ever for me, as my best friend at college was abroad to top it off. I learned a lot about myself from this experience and have also grown and changed significantly because of it. By the end of the year, I was so ready to say goodbye to 2006 and bring on 2007.
2007
We started off 2007 with a ski/snowboard trip to Wisp that ended up being too freakishly warm to be out on the slopes. Instead, I got introduced to drinking and enjoyed two crazy nights in a cozy little cabin with some of my most favorite people in the world. I expected the spring semester to be better than the fall semester with my friend being back from abroad, but it really wasn't that much greater. Instead, it was drama-filled and ended with the two of them parting ways from me. I still elected to go to Australia, although I chose a different school from my ex because I really couldn't take being that close to him among other reasons for choosing UQ over JCU. I came to Australia really trying not to get attached to anyone, as I really couldn't take another broken friendship and I knew my experiences in Australia would only last 5 months and I would never see any of them again. Instead, I ended up meeting one of my best friends who I still remain close to and occasionally see today (it still surprises me how things turn out). I ended up opening up a lot to her and together, we explored the country on our many weekend excursions. I came back from studying abroad just in time for Thanksgiving (like literally the night before) and enjoyed a 2 month winter break. Two weeks into break, I got bored and applied for a job at Hollister. For $6.15/hr., I dealt with angry mothers over the loud, blaring music and darkness that is Hollister and folded and re-folded clothes.
2008
I ended up dating a Hollister coworker. Although we never made things official before actually ending it, it's probably the closest I've been to having a relationship since my ex and was fun while it lasted. I had shared my St. Mary's drama with another friend from college, who also had her own share of drama in her group of friends during that sophomore spring semester. She had also studied abroad in the fall and we had decided to room together in the spring and ended up living together in the fall of senior year as well. I managed to make my way through all the struggles and graduate from college a semester early. I also turned 21 this year and celebrated this milestone by paying tribute to the decade I was born in with an 80s themed party (really, I just wanted an excuse to wear my hot pink tights) and going out to Adams Morgan at midnight on my birthday. That fall, my ex had reached out to me after being dumped by his girlfriend and somehow we re-connected. Through all of the bitterness and resentment, I somehow saw what had made us so strong to begin with: our pure, honest friendship. We have become close again, but in a different, friend-like way and can confide in each other in ways I wouldn't with anyone else. I guess that's what happens when you fall in love, get to know each other inside-and-out, and have nothing to hide/don't care to hide anything from each other. I guess it works for now until we both find our next relationships (at which point the talking to your ex thing doesn't really work).
2009
I already talked about this year in another post, but in summary, I ran my first marathon (plus two more and a 50 miler) and established myself as a research coordinator at Johns Hopkins. I ended the year with an eventful night in NYC as described above.
So here's to a new decade, which I'm sure will bring on even more changes than the last, as I'll be 32 in 2020, hopefully established and married, and possibly considering having kids if I don't have any already.
