The Naughties: 2000 - 2009

So, I have never really been one for reflection posts on my blog (I usually forget my blogger-versary altogether actually!) but the end of 2009 brought with it the close of the first decade of this still-new century and almost the close of my twenties (okay, I have just under 4 months left but really, who's counting?) So I figured I'd look back at a few milestones.

I lived in six different houses and two different provinces (Gauteng and Western Cape). One with my folks, obviously. One with The Lying Pilot for mere months (two or three, I forget now), a big step and the first living-with-a-boyfriend situation. One with 3 or 4 other people when I first moved to Joburg (I only met one of the girls once or twice hence the "or 4" bit cause she was *never* there!). One with Bean. One with Loulou. One with Varen.

And as you can see from above, I dated plenty of boys. One ActorWriterDirector for sixteen months (wonder what he's doing now?). One Lying Pilot for a year (don't especially care what he's doing now). One Bean for two and a half years (I have a pretty good idea of what he's doing now). One Varen for two and a half years (hell, I'm still living with him!). That makes four of the six boys I've dated for over a year in my life have been in the last decade (not surprising since it was my twenties, really). Not to worry tho, I kissed plenty more ;)

I've got stamps from 20 different countries in my (2) passports. Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique (more than once), Swaziland, Lesotho, Singapore, Thailand, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, United Kingdom, Spain (but sadly no stamp from Portugal :( ), Morocco, Tanzania, Canada and obviously, South Africa.

I've owned plenty of pets. Pickle & Fizbin, the beautiful Border Collies who live with my folks, along with the 3 tortoises. And my 5 cute bunnies: Bell, Henna (both of which died in Jan09), Coal (who turned out to be a girl!), Lily and Rex. As well as umpteen fish!

I've worked at nine companies (my entire career to date). One for three and a half months that closed when the entire staff (only actually my friend & I) resigned. One that I left to go back to study after three and a half months. (I had a great start to my career, you can see!) One that I worked at part time for thirteen months while I studied. One for nineteen months. One for eleven months (my first in Joburg) which liquidated in the month after I left! One for three months short of three years. And my current one. I also contracted briefly for two other companies.

I've driven three cars. One, my first, a white Jetta that I inherited from Mom ... Oh and what a crash that ended in. One little maroon Citi Golf that Daddio bought me to replace the first, that car moved to Joburg with me! One I bought on my own two years ago.

I made fifteen major purchases. One apartment with Bean (which was thankfully sold!). One car two years ago. *Seven* overseas holidays. One set of Indian Elephant Stairs (which are sadly still stuck in Cape Town ... I miss them). Actually plenty of furniture purchases ... One Hippo Table, one Mexican Chimenea, one ottoman, one set of gorgeous shelves (how will I fit into a new place?!) Okay so the furniture stuff may not seem so "major", but I've said before, I tend to spend my money on two things: Holidays and Furniture (not the practical kind tho?!?), so I thought it best to highlight it here (obviously I have bought other items, but these are the biggest and my favourites). One *giant* Rabbit Hutch. (there are probably more I've forgotten now tho ...)
I started 2 blogs and registered my domain name :) I was a finalist for 4 blog awards and *won* an International one.

And I guess it wouldn't be complete without a look back at important people in my life (or in my family) who've died in the last 10 years and have had an impact on me. My gran (Daddio's Mom) succumbed after years and years of Cancer. Daddio's youngest brother had a surprise heart-attack (he wasn't even 50 yet!). Gumdrop (Mom's Dad) from old-age and Alzheimers. Neen had complications post-childbirth from a weird thing called HELPP syndrome.

And then there were some very upsetting not-so-people who died too ... Bell, Henna and Fizbin.

I'm not going to do the "borns" from the last decade, they're pretty boring because about a million billion people around me are having babies these days (I'm at *that* age!) and it's just sort of depressing right now (but congrats to all of you, of course!).

I lost friends and I made friends, too many of both in the last decade to bother trying to count them all. Thanks to all of you who're still around tho :)

Okay, I can't think of anything else to add to this, but I guess it sort of sums up the important things in life anyway.