How was 2008 for you?

[Jay Hova]

So, the year 2008 is slowly winding down. How was 2008 for you?


Was it a bad year, in general, for you? Or, was it good?
Did you achieve any goals you set out on New Year's Eve?
Did you get a new job, enter a relationship, get a raise, lose weight?

For me, 2008 was an interesting year. I don't set goals or things like that, because I don't follow through. However, I learned some interesting things about myself (personality-wise). In terms of losing weight, entering a relationship, etc - nothing happened, it wasn't a priority to begin with. Academically speaking, it was a blunder...major blunder, there is a wound that still needs healing...

Historically speaking, since 2000, even-numbered years tend to be 'good' for me whereas odd-numbered years usually aren't.

[midnightskulker]

2008 was one of my best years.

Proposed to my girlfriend @ Disney World in front of her entire family.
Graduated and got my diploma.
Got a job in my field after 1 month from graduating.
Moved in with my fiance.
Went on a trip to California with her.
Got a nice LCD TV just as the good video games were rolling out.
Got rid of all credit card debt, still about 34K in the hole with OSAP though.
Fiance lost her job recently (good company, crappy people), but it's a small bump in the road and she has an interview tomorrow which will boost her confidence.

Cheers to 2009 when I get hitched around August!

[Baseball_Boy]

2008 was great for me. After a year off, I started college and I'm loving it. I've met a lot of people and made some friends. Hopefully 2009 is just as good if not better. :cheesygri

[Sepiraph]

2008 was a great year for me:

- Got a new job with higher pay
- Got a new car
- Learned/learning a new language
- Got fitter since I started going to the gym
- Met some interesting people and hung out with a group of friends that share similar interests.

Hopefully 2009 will be better. ;)

[ephemera]

crap!

[N_Raged]

Most stressful and depressing year of my life.

[Aristophanes]

Best year of my life.

[Snicla]

It was actually pretty good.

I got an awesome job that pays better, people are better, lets me travel more and I don't have to do as much. I got more fit since I bought a bench. No contests won, but I did discover that RFD is a great place to kill time at work. And in general this was a much better year, with the only downside being that I separated my shoulder recently and now I'll most likely need surgery to correct it, but hey that's life and I'm not going to let that get me down.

[Menace]

Great. A new job at a good company :cheesygri:cheesygri:cheesygri

[ukgirl]

it was a boring kind of year... but still 2 weeks to go so lets see how I can spice it up!

[Emancipated]

So, so year.

Broke up with the girlfriend. Still living at home and car-less.

2009 promises to be a good year if plans goes accordingly.

[ji2o0k]

2008 was a mixed bag for me:

Good things:

1.) Got promoted, higher pay/title
2.) Finally paid off my car and graduate debt
3.) Saved a sizeable chunk for a downpayment and also money towards "other" - (like marriage etc)
4.) Took up boxing, playing more ball = fitter

Bad things:

1.) Officially broke up with the gf early in the year (might be a good thing, depending on how you look at it)
2.) Boss just resigned, work is looking very uncertain right now
3.) Dating but haven't met anyone interesting
4.) Got older
5.) Uncle passed away due to cancer (this one was hard as he was getting better)
6.) All my friends are either married or getting married and settled down with a place etc. Seems like I haven't made much progress.

2009 - bring it!!!

[dhamilton]

2008 was a great year, altho fairly stressful at times :)

Good:
Separated from my ex (divorce in 2009!) Unhealthy relationships are bad for everybody :P
Did some partying / drinking / thoroughly enjoyed single life
Changed my life completely
Started working out regularly
Met an awesome girl that I'm now dating

Bad:
Had to sell my house
Lost my dogs due to split with ex :(

[OceanDrop]

Got engaged, which was all I wanted out of this year. :)

[Jucius Maximus]

Depressing, very stressful.

However my salary went up big-time so that at least worked out for me.

[mightylobo]

Depressing year due to the stock market

[v1nc3nt]

lost weight + lowered my cholesterol
new laptop

everything else was meh, not horrible, not amazing, just ok

[heat]

Started off the year slow (ie first yr)
Worked hard 2nd yr, September onwards.
Improved with the ladies ;)
Tryin to get my swagga back.

Lets see how it goes.

[tng11]

Depressing year with stock market losses and the York strike. All ruined an otherwise happy year with a trip to the Beijing Olympics I'll never forget

[brunes]

2008 was one of my best years.

Proposed to my girlfriend @ Disney World in front of her entire family.
Graduated and got my diploma.
Got a job in my field after 1 month from graduating.
Moved in with my fiance.
Went on a trip to California with her.
Got a nice LCD TV just as the good video games were rolling out.
Got rid of all credit card debt, still about 34K in the hole with OSAP though.
Fiance lost her job recently (good company, crappy people), but it's a small bump in the road and she has an interview tomorrow which will boost her confidence.

Cheers to 2009 when I get hitched around August!

Congratulations times six ! ( only six because I don't think getting an LCD is enough for a congratulations, but nice buy nonetheless :)

[Error916]

Haven't met a girl
Same academics (no improvement)
Same friends (no new friends)

Depressing year, nothing new :(

[AzN_RiverdaleCI]

best year yet! BALLIN'!

[DeimosBeros]

2008 has been pretty much the same as the last 3 years, give or take some events.

Good:
Went back to university in the fall
Made some money
Still with amazing girlfriend of more than 5 years.
Finished my driver's license

Bad:
Educational/Career outlook still uncertain
Didn't make enough money
Still living at home

2009 will be one of the best years yet to come, so help me god.

[cheapmeister]

Craptacular, lost too much on Frannie and Freddie in the stock market :mad:

[lilclie]

2008 was ok;

Pros:
-strengthen my relationship with my family
-made a nice bonus
- lost 35lbs in 3 months
- found a new job, starting in january
- decreased my debt load by 5%

Cons
- Grandmother died (natural causes)
- Best friend Died ( car accident)
- Uncle Died (shooting)
- developed muscle spams for the last month

[manixc]

One of the more interesting years of my life, a bunch of good and bad rolled into one.

Moved to Macao, new position, more stress (>:(), travel to Korea & Malaysia (for work but travel is travel :D), get to visit relatives, had to endure a hot&humid summer, lots of things to do yet bored, get to go to HK on weekends, etc

[Grey Merlin]

Probably the worst year of my entire life.

Spent 75% of it recovering from cancer and didn't work during that time.
Most of my investments tanked.
and I still got no gf.

[Terrific_Deals2k8]

Worst year ever:!:

I got referred to RFD, omg! My wallet/bank account took a huge hit!! :lol: :D

Hopefully 2009 is better because I'm gonna win BIG from the STOCK MARKET downturn, LOL!!

[Talamasca]

2008 was a great year for me. I went on three vacations, one of which (The Canadian Rockies) was absolutely mindblowing. Met up with an old friend who I haven't seen in years and buried the hatchet with another who I thought I would never see again and now we're best of friends. And I've survived multiple rounds of layoffs at my company and am still there so that's gotta count for something.

[Snicla]

Probably the worst year of my entire life.

Spent 75% of it recovering from cancer and didn't work during that time.
Most of my investments tanked.
and I still got no gf.

Sorry to hear that man. All the best to you in the new year.

[hi-tech]

Hmm.

Pro's:
-Hooked up with my ex again, who I was very much in love with
-Got my new car
-Went back to school with a new motivation
-Began volunteering
-Finally cleared up my religious beliefs (as to which there are none)
-Became really close with my family (From parents, to sister, to cousins)
-Slept with an above average number of girls for me


Cons:
-Broke up with ex girlfriend again.
-Faced severe depression through earlier part of the year
-abused mild drugs and alcohol
-Haven't been working for a while
-Did not travel this year

[bembol]

Very Expensive with upgrading my Home Theater :cheesygri

Laid-Off Work :(
Silver 80GB iPod was Stolen :mad:
My Coupe (Sister's as well) got Keyed. First & Hopefully the Last :mad:



To think I came close, hitting $1 Million in Ontario 49 back in February!!! Missed it by 1, literally with 42 and I had 43 (can't remember the exact results) on my Ticket.

This is the second time I came this close, the other was Square One/Tridel's contest, I came in Second winning an hp Digital package. I could've been living free with my $165,000+ Condo.

[ali123]

2008 was awesome for me, always wanted to start a business and I did w00t.

[billdozer]

Gained more weight, lost more hair, but hey, at least I still have Nikita ;)

[tina t]

bittersweet. gave birth to a son in april, and lost my beloved father in november.

[AudiDude]

2008 was very stable with no accomplishments. I consider it a "rest" year. 2009 I will be on an agressive push with my personal life and will not be overly aggressive at work, who is buckling down because of the purported downturn of the economy. I am poised to purchase a house. So it wasn't bad or good in comparison to my best year (2006) , but 2006/2007 was ridiculous financially and achievement wise (major cash, rewards and recognition came my way all at once), so not really fair for me to compare.

[hyoo82]

My mind works in mysterious ways, sometimes. There’s snow on the ground and feeling of Christmas is in the air, yet I rarely see this amongst my fellow humans, it saddens me to see as such, but to view them any different is just a reflection of myself, and frankly I need work.

The year has been no exception, I have learned a lot about myself. Some will say it is a blessing in disguise others will say it is a fools way of thinking and I respect their opinion as they are entitled to it. Lessons in humbleness, humility, assertiveness, passion, family, friendship, relationship, anger and love are some of the areas which I explored at some point over the course of this year.

One of the biggest lessons I learned this year is appreciating my family. Working away from home with lots of downtime made me think about what was really important to me, I found myself coming home and staying in with my family, listening to them and enjoying their company, I learned to appreciate the things they did for me when I was younger and the things they do for me right now, I cherish my time with them a lot more now, especially with the holidays around!!

Amongst that I learned that friends can still be friends even if they can't accept you for the person you are, but only view you as the person you were. That lesson in itself is a hard lesson to learn when you have lots of time to reflect and dissect those around you, the company you choose to keep says a lot about your character and your integrity. To keep those at bay who are stumping your personal development are people you want to keep at arms length.

I began reading a few books and I am determined to finish one of them before the year end, the book in question is "this year I will.." by M.J. Ryan. I can safely say I've read 1/2 way through the book during office downtime and with the xmas break coming up I am sure to blaze through this!!



I am optimistic for the New Year and expect more changes to take place internally, externally, mentally and physically.

[sleepyguy]

It was ok. Some close calls though. -sg

GOOD STUFF
- promised myself to play tons of tennis, bball and volleybal this year. which I did!
- continue to stay fit and active, which i am.
- downsized our home and moved into a fixer upper which is working out great! we realized we didn't need the space and would rather have better cash flow and just incase one of us is jobless we could still make all payments.
- relationship with gf still strong (we aren't married, common law for 7yrs now-we just 'get' each other very well)

BAD STUFF
- some relatives passed away
- really slacked off education wise, didn't take too many courses at ryerson even though tuition is covered by my company.
- not ambitious enough i guess... job is comfy... income is comfy... should really be striving for more on the career side of things. personal life is fine though.
- didn't travel much, not that we travel much anyway... but this year with the move and reno... didn't do much travelling at all. 2009 will change that.
- gf got in a very bad car accident, which we are still dealing with

2009 stuff i guess.
- travel and read more
- spend more time with close family
- edit: oh and hit 649 jackpot ;)

that's about it. -sg

[adeel]

started off amazing for first three months, now im dealing with huge life/career crisis relating to my own stupiditity. My life has been a living hell for the last 8 months...and it doesnt look like its going to get better any time soon, which is probably the worse thing about the entire situation...that and all the waiting/uncertainty...

[Jucius Maximus]

Silver 80GB iPod was Stolen :mad:

Did you buy it on a CC? If so, have you checked whether or not your CC's insurance (if any) will cover it?

[bembol]

I'm pretty sure I bought it here. Thanks though.

[Code85]

2008 sucked for me, broke up with my girl friend. Work sucks, management keeps switching around and all I'm getting are pricks. Socially stressed, picked up drinking.

Lets hope 2009 will be a lot better.

[Dimension]

2008 was "Meh" for me:

Positive Stuff:

1.) 4th year Uni.
2.) Promoted (better pay & title)
3.) New car
4.) Healthy Dad (Recovering from major surgery)
5.) Won some contests
6.) Single (...can be negative as well...'nuff said)
7.) Friends & relatives (engaged/married/baby)

Negative Stuff:

1.) My God Father, and a friend passed away
2.) Lost weight (less curvy...)
3.) Aging (no longer a teen)

[BadDrafter]

best year of my life.
+1

[ClemixMedia]

2008 is probably the year i would like to forget. i just hope things will get better for me in 2009..........but it doesnt look like it thus far.

[ji2o0k]

6.) Single (...can be negative as well...'nuff said)
hey D..........ygpm!!! hoowwwww uuuuuuuuuuuu dooinnnnnn' :lol:

[LoveRFD]

2008 is probably the year i would like to forget. i just hope things will get better for me in 2009..........but it doesnt look like it thus far.

Lol, it hasn't started yet, don't be pessimistic.:rolleyes:

[heymikey]

2008 has mostly been a great year for me.

Pros:
- Worked and traveled around Australia for 3 months
- Traveled around New Zealand for 3 weeks
- Had sex with a greater number of people compared to last year (haha)
- Got in touch with someone who I used to be attracted to and who moved to a different city last year
- Got back in touch with old friends I have not talked to in about 15 years
- Realized I was in great financial shape and can quit my job and do a working holiday in the UK without affecting me too much
- UK working holiday visa rules changed in my favor (which I think is a sign)
- Everyone in my family have been healthy

Cons:
- Was in a car accident where I couldn't breathe for 10-15 seconds (damn seatbelts)
- Have to deal with a ridiculously paranoid co-worker who thinks I'm talking trash behind his back and trying to get him fired when in reality, I stay away from office gossip and have never said a bad word about him to others. Hypocritically, he does the exact same thing to me which he falsely accuses me of doing.


I have a good feeling 2009 would be one of the best years for me.

[Dash]

much like the markets, 2008 was up and down for me. Work was tough, but at least i have a job. I made money and I lost money. I made friends and I lost friends.

highlights:
Trip to Punta Cana
Talking Stocks with Josh Brolin
Weekend Trip to Montreal
Camping with friends
Discovered Cookie Crisp cereal while down in the States

Lowlights:
Market Collapse
Poor service at one of my favourite bars

[mingyang]

well 2008 hasnt ended yet for me!!

[jazzzjackrabbit]

not too bad got laid off.. living on government support going back to school..

[Dash]

Gained more weight, lost more hair, but hey, at least I still have Nikita ;)

That's a plus????? :lol:

[angekfire]

2008 has been relatively uneventful. Had some good times though. Had a party at my cottage with a bunch of my friends, which was an amazing weekend, had so much fun.

Entered a new social circle at the beginning of the year, left it after the summer due to some ridiculous events. Could be seen as good OR bad.

I still have a job, which is pretty sweet in and of itself.

Went to Circa, which I believe is the biggest club in North America.

Moved out of my parent's place and into an apartment with a friend.

My grandmother died, which was unfortunate.

So I dunno, the year has been alright overall. It has had it's ups and downs, but I'm still here so I guess I can't complain too much.

[jacksorbetta]

Crappy New Years!

Terrible year for me. I'm holding my breath for midnite, hoping I can change my luck somewhat.

Pros:
*bought my 1st home
*paid down my debt a lot before purchasing said home
*got a promotion at work, and moved to a branch closer to home

Cons: (could take me a while :lol:)
*got promotion at work- hate my bosses, hate my branch, hate my schedule.

*new home is turning into a money pit. This month alone my master shower imploded, had a flood in family room, paid $187 to have someone relight my pilot light on my hot-water furnace on the coldest day we've had in 40 yrs, stairwell railing fell off almost maiming my mother, and today, my garage door decided to conk out. Starting to hate my house... sigh

*my MIL died on Dec 23rd
*I found out on Dec 29th that I need a hysterectomy, I have severe HBP and my cholesterol is that of an 80 yr old. I also was referred to an eye specialist because my Opthamologist suspects I have Retinitis Pigmentosa
*my mom is going downhill healthwise with a quickness, and will probably end up in assisted living within the year.
*my son was diagnosed Autistic, and getting him services is proving to be very difficult and stressful.
*I ran over a cement parking lot divider and did $3200 worth of damage to the underside of my car.

and the list goes on........this year only pales in comparison to 2005, which was my worst year ever.