I’ve been meaning to wrap 2014 into one nice post, but somehow, I find it hard to even begin writing about it.

Earlier in 2014, I made a resolution to have no I-wish-I’d-done-that regret. I told myself that I’d try new things and say yes to whatever came my way. I’m glad to say that this resolution had brought me to many astonishing adventures, lovely people, and wonderful memories, which easily make 2014 the best year of my life so far.

In January, I made a getaway to Edinburgh and spent three blissful days going here and there on my own. On the first day of February, two of my bestfriends got married and I had to be content with watching them on Skype. March was when all the fun started, including going to Isle of Wight and Franz Ferdinand concert. Added to the excitement was the building anticipation of Easter break, albeit the hysteria of trying to finish some coursework before the holiday, and the travel planning madness.

On the first day of April, I flew to Munich and met Marion after 2 years. I went to Salzburg after that, and finally to Ljubljana and Bled. I’ve said this a thousand times, but this was the best holiday I’ve had, and probably my best moment of 2014.

May was spent mostly in the library, except that one day when I guiltily went to London to see Arctic Monkeys concert. This was also the time when I realized that time flew so fast and I promised myself to make more effort in documenting my life so one day I could look back and remember the exact feeling I was having at that time. June was all about summer clichés, with some random bits here and there.

In July and August, dissertation was in full swing, and I made Hartley library my second home in those weeks. I managed to meet my friends in Windermere on a much-needed trip, away from dissertation.

September was about finishing dissertation and going on trips with my sister who was visiting for 3 weeks. In October, I made a day trip to London to celebrate my birthday and say goodbye to Farah. Early in November, I went to Winchester Bonfire amidst the frenzy of moving into a new place.

December this year, is probably my favorite. It started with a day trip to London and Winter Wonderland, and the rest of December was filled with Christmas dinner, Christmas market in Winchester and Bath, and all those Christmassy things. Another favorite was the laziest, most unconventional yet unforgettable Christmas I’ve had, with lots and lots of movies, ice cream, and wine. I couldn’t think of anything better than those things to close the year, really.

I’ve said this far too many times, that I had a blast in Southampton and the people made it all the more special. I’m so grateful for this incredible year full of love and surprises, and like I said before, I’m still surprised of the things the universe brings me. The biggest surprise came in the end of the year, and that never fails to make me smile even in my worst days (not that I have many, it’s only been the first month of 2015).

To be honest, last year was so marvelous that I’m afraid it would take a long while to have a year that can top it up. It’s like ending your favorite book and starting to read the sequel skeptically, because you have a strong feeling that the sequel might not be as good. But in this case, I’m the author and I’ll try my best to fill 2015 with stories worth remembering.

If there are two things I feel most grateful about 2014, it’s experiences and friends. I had experiences (and lesson learned from each of them), and a lovely bunch of friends — old and new — who were there at all times. Some of them did things that meant a lot for me, much more than they realized, some others helped me get through the worst time of the year, and for them, I’m so, so grateful.

My resolution for 2014 was to say yes to everything, and it successfully made the year astounding in every possible way. My resolution for 2015 remains the same, with an addition to use more of my brain than my heart. In other words: to become wiser. Because, as good as it is to become stronger (thanks to every bad experiences owing to all the ‘yes’ I said when I shouldn’t have), having a peaceful and less tumultuous year sounds so appealing to me right now.

So hello, 2015! 🙂