End of a decade... end of an era.

Well, 2010 is drawing to a close in a little over an hour, and it's got me thinking about a couple of things (surprisingly enough, not that I'm at home and not at a party. You know those nights where you just want to stay in and can't be bothered to deal with the rest of the world? Yeah, for me, that's happening tonight... too bad it's the biggest party night of the year!) such as what's changed for me this year, and what I've learned. It's definitely been an interesting year - some ups, some downs, and a lot of in betweens. But here's what I've come up with in regards to my year.

Maddie's 2010.

Good Things.
(because I think it's important to start on a happy note)

1. Applying for - and getting into - exchange for 2011. In 3 weeks, I'll be in the UK. And that's really exciting. And scary. But mostly exciting.

2. Music festivals. This year, I went to Big Day Out, Good Vibrations and Byron Bay Bluesfest. I love the gritty atmosphere of music festivals, where you just know that everyone in the audience is willing to brave extreme heat/rain/mud/sleep deprivation/intoxication just to partake in the live music. Nothing beats it.

3. Friends. I know that this one's pretty hokey, but when I think about it, I have done a lot with my friends this year. I've made new friends, re-connected with old acquaintances (including one who is now my boyfriend!), worked on other friendships and maintained a lot of my old ones. It's awesome, I love every single one of them.

4. Road-tripping. Kind of carrying on from both 2 and 3 on my list, I've been on a couple of wicked road trips this year. The first one was to Byron Bay - a 12 or 13 hour drive - for Bluesfest with my friend C and her boyfriend at the time. It was great until we hit a kangaroo coming back. The second one was in June, and with N, O and E, we drove up to the Sunshine Coast for a friend's birthday. Even though I was the only girl, I had an awesome time and definitely got some brilliant memories (and photos).

5. Housesitting. I got to house sit for about 3 weeks a couple of months ago, and really enjoyed the responsibility. I think I did an okay job too.

6. My 21st. This is kind of the last landmark birthday - after this, it's every time you begin a new decade. I had a great party, with a lot of my friends and family, and really couldn't have thought of a better way to bring in my technical adulthood.

7. Cafe Essen. In my city, there's this cafe that's populated with hipsters, indie kids, coffee connosseurs and anyone who enjoys a good feed. I've been there so many times this year (at the beginning, I was stalking a good-looking barista. But then I was seduced by the food and excellent coffee). I'm a coffee snob, and I have actually no idea what I would do if this place shut.

8. The Music. Well... I have a rather varied taste when it comes to my music, and this year I've enjoyed everything from The Smiths to Aphex Twin, Kid Cudi to P!nk, Jack Johnson to Yves Klein Blue. It's been a solid year.

9. Typo. I found this shop way back in January, and I swear to God I spend so much money there - and imagine spending much, much more. It's just fantastic.

10. Last but not least... Zambrero. How could I leave this off? The best burritos I've ever had. Vegetarian, beef, lamb, chicken... rice, tomato, corn, onion... lettuce, beans, sour cream, guacamole... it's like a party in my mouth and everyone's invited. I know this sounds like a plug, but you couldn't pay me to praise this place. Actually, you could probably pay me in burritos.


Bad things.
... because, let's be honest. It hasn't been a totally awesome year.

1. Leslie Nielsen dying. So sad.
2. Hitting the kangaroo on the aforementioned road trip.
3. The blame game - especially in regards to police car chases. The police aren't to blame, criminals are.
4. Seeing some of my friends hurt each other, even unintentionally.
5. Justin Bieber. 'Nuff said.

Top Ten Songs for 2010:

1. Florence & The Machine/Dizzee Rascal - You've Got the Dirtee Love (Live)
2. Birds of Tokyo - Plans
3. John Butler Trio - Revolution
4. Pendulum - ABC News Theme (Remix)
5. CeeLo Green - Fuck You!
6. Washington - Sunday Best
7. Sia - Bring Night
8. Chiddy Bang - Opposite of Adults
9. Janelle Monae - Tightrope
10. Adrian Lux - Teenage Crime

And an honourable mention to P!nk for "Raise Your Glass". It's just so catchy.

'Tis the season

So, it has been over a month since my last post. That's pretty shameful, but I guess that time flies when you're having fun. I finished my second year of Uni, got some pretty good results, spent a couple of days at the beach, have been to a handful of birthday and Christmas parties, and turned 21 yesterday. I'm having my party on Saturday night, which should be really fun. Then it's Christmas next week (although I'm still not entirely sure how it got to be this late in the year so fast...), for which I'll probably be working lots of shifts and somehow managing to buy the presents I've got left to get.

I have mixed feelings about Christmas. It used to be my favourite time of year - probably because it's so close to my birthday, but when I was younger I used to get so excited about Santa, presents and lots of interesting food. Even though my family wasn't super rich, my Dad always got really excited and that was kind of contagious. Then, when I was 15 and working in a supermarket, I realised that that sense of pending excitement I had was strangely missing as I worked double shifts up until the Big Day. Same thing the next year, and the year after that (except by then I was working at a cafe, which was much less harsh than Coles had been). The third year that I worked in the lead up, I was so blase about Christmas - until Boxing Day, when my Dad played these old tapes of Carols for the first time that season, which made me come home.

The year of my Gap Year - so the Christmas just after my 19th birthday - was exciting for me again, with the only difference being that I wasn't working, and had time to actually get excited. Then last year, it was back to that sense of indifference that I'd gotten used to in my teenage years.

This year, is different again. I'm not really indifferent, or being a total Scrooge like I was last year, but it doesn't feel like Christmas yet. It's really surreal. Still, I am looking forward to the food, and the family. Even though Santa feels like a relic of my childhood, he is still found in various places around my house at the moment (including in one particularly scary incarnation that reminds me of Chuckie from Child's Play, and which my Mum and I have petitioned in vain to have banished from the house). I decorated most of the tree this year, with great results - it's entirely decked out in red and green.

I think that as I've grown older, even though I've lost that sense of excitement, but I've gained an appreciation of the traditions that make this time of year so important. It really is about family, friends, food and stories that are shared amongst everyone. As much as Christmas has become one of the most commercial, capitalist entities of our time, those values (I think, at least) will always be around. And that's why Christmas is special.