A lot of people are saying that 2008 was a shitty year. Perhaps because of the recession, or maybe because reality television is becoming increasingly worse, or maybe because the Canadian political situation. While my year was good, I think the last two months have been a bit shaky for me with regards to my employment situation. I keep saying I gotta be patient for work... sometimes this seems like borderline laziness on my part and that I could be doing more to find work. Anyhow the following are some events that shaped the year of 2008 for me in no order at all:

1: New York City with Konwen and Derek - we stayed at the Gem Hotel, shopped around SoHo, ate lots of good food, tried to mimic the A Day with Spank Rock as seen on Pitchfork, drank in the park, went to Yankee stadium, Konwen got picked up by a Korean bartender....etc.

2:Ottawa - Graduated with my B.Ed which will possibly help to get me a fun job in the future. It was a good time in Ottawa. My practicum was a great experience and I learned a lot from my peers, teachers and mentors. I miss the kids there and also the students from guitar club which was one of my favorite parts of the whole thing. I also miss being in a lecture full of girls, I should have taken advantage... I don't miss bed bugs, bad skin and snowed in cars. Drank a lot of beer and should have exercised more while I was there.

3: Friends leaving Toronto - Last year, Christine left Toronto for Med school and Matt left to Newcastle to study. Things are definitely different for me without them being in Toronto all the time. Toronto misses their company and lacks spunk without them.

4: Tattoos - I got my first tattoo after years of contemplation and growing the balls to go with an idea, Liz put it all together and I'm really stoked for it to be done before summer arrives so I can go running topless I walked around Mexico in my trunks and in beaters due to its awesomeness. I think there are about 5 more hours of work to be done.

5: ILAC - Working at this place was a positive experience for me for the most part. I met a lot of cool teachers and also learned a lot from the students that came from overseas to learn English. It was a great opportunity to have my own class for the first time. The company was really organized and supported me lots. My class was cancelled under short notice due to my inability to comply to the school's new policy for Friday lunch with the students - this left me in a rut and still disturbs me till this very day and can't wait to move on.

6: Music - I did work on beats in Ottawa, some were good and some were shit. I made a nice beat just before my Fruity Loops busted out on me. I sampled my drums and shit for it. It's incomplete but one of my favorites since I sampled the Eagles back when god knows when. Check it out (download and save file!). All in all I didn't work on as much as I could have... we are only getting older and time is running out. I remember Haleigh saying that a rock star doesn't have an expiry date but I don't believe it.

7: Vegetarianism - My diet changed quite a lot this year. In Ottawa I was eating pan-fried tofu, falafel, tofu patties and a lot of other processed stuff. But Ottawa also had great organic supermarkets... one on York St. and also one out west called Rainbow. I blame selling my veganism out to delicious pre-made sandwiches that were sold down the street at Culinary Conspiracy and also to drunken nights when I felt eggs were 'okay'.

8: Exercise - I have to admit that the L'am fitness centre has been a good place for me to not be at home. Even though the atmosphere isn't the most welcoming with a mix of old people, dudes who constantly talk about sports and shitty music constantly playing, I am glad to be making some progress with my fitness routine. Konwen encourages me to do the Ab workout recommended by Men's Fitness magazine and also watch my diet closely so that I can go to the beach with him in the summer.

Okay I can't think of much more stuff that made my 2008... in hindsight the year was really short. Here are some random favorite things of the year.

Favorite Cup of Coffee: Bridgehead Coffee in Ottawa
Favorite Bar: Sweaty Betty's on Ossington
Favorite Book Read: The Famished Road by Ben Okri
Favorite Purchase: WESC hoody from the flagship store in New York
Favorite Album: Cold World - Dedicated to Babies...
Favorite Movie: Step Brothers
Favourite Concert: Kanye Glow in the Dark tour
Favourite Meal: Brunch at Aunties and Uncles with my fam
and...
I can't think of much more shit.... I did my best.

PEACE