Auld Lang Syne

"I just want to take life as it is. Better it where I can, but not get tied up in the things I absolutely have no power to change. So instead of a New Year's resolution, I'll start a new tradition. I have a empty Pirouette can in my dorm room and I'm going to fill it up with little slips of paper. On these pieces of paper are going to be written things that happen to me during days of 2015 - good, bad, funny, everything I will think was significant about that day."
     ~Ring in 2k15

Last New Years (last last year, in 2014), I made a resolution that I followed pretty diligently throughout 2015. I promised myself that each time something noteworthy about my day happened, I would write it down on a slip of paper and put it in a jar. One year later, I have a large pile of folded slips in front of me, documenting things as far back as January 2015 - a time that seems ages ago to me now.

I've already gone through the whole pile, and now recall a lot of small things that happened to me ages ago, things I would've forgotten had I not written them down. Things I would've hated to forget had I not written them down.

I've compiled these days below, with red dates being especially memorable:

*Brackets are edits, either to add things I remember/enhance comprehension, or to protect identities*

• 1-1-15: Went for a horse ride at [Dude Ranch] where my family spent New Year's.
• 1-2-15: Cousins, aunt, and Nana played Loaded Questions, I used the awful Lincoln joke [If historical characters had Twitter, what would they tweet? "Wife dragged me to another show again. #bored #shootme"] and was voted most funny. Aunt, who is a nurse, took the game too literally [What would you use to replace an amputee's limb? "A medically-certified prosthesis of the highest caliber."]
• 1-4-15: Went out with Captain Obvious, [HS Friend #2], [HS Friend #3], and [HS Friend #3's little sister]. 
• 1-9-15: Arrived [at college dorm]. Friendly man on bus asked for a pen. Tree outside window still has some leaves.
• 1-16-15: Staying over in [College Friend #1]'s room tonight. [She lived in a different dorm than I did.]
• 1-18-15: A (senior) student stopped me on way back from Quidditch and asked if I believe in heaven/God. Told her I'm atheist-agnostic, and I think there's no heaven. She took it very nicely. Not all Christians are a**holes.
• Saw the girl who stood in line with me and [College Friend #2] at PTV concert last December at the movies today. Never thought I'd see her again.
• 1-20-15: Turned in first Island and Marine Ecology homework today, got kudos because I was the only one with citations.
• 1-21-15: Found out [HS Classmate #1] is in my Geography class. Large campus my a**.
• 1-25-15: Two new members in Quidditch, one just approached us and joined in as we were practicing.
• Started watching Supernatural, [My College] is mentioned, except they said [it a different way than locals do].
• 1-26-15: [Friend] asked for advice to break up with [Other Friend].
• Attended a rush meeting for an Asian sorority.
• 1-27-15: The religion lady from last time stopped me again. Told her she already stopped me before, but she [didn't recognize me and] wanted to keep talking.
• 1-29-15: Saw a dude with a horse head on today, casually walking. Wore a black trench coat, too.
• 2-2-15: I feel that [College Friend #1] is becoming a better friend than [College Friend #2].
• 2-4-15: Assigned to the Ukraine Separatists group in Geography recitation debate. Boo.
• 2-9-15: Went to look at townhouses. Found out I can sublet :)
• [Chem Lab Partner #1] showed me how to order my first Grab-N-Go burger.
• 2-13-15: Friday the 13th!!!!!
• [College Friend #2] is very perceptive, asked if I was okay.
• 2-20-15: Sent my Owl City Photoshop movie to dad, he forwarded it to, like, EVERYONE (it has more views now though).
• 2-24-15: [For Bio Lab I got to measure the blood pressure of [Extremely Attractive and Funny Partner with Nice Biceps]]. Had to have my blood pressure measured by [E.A.F.P.N.B] too. With sweaty pits [because we were measuring blood pressure before and after exercising, and I was wearing a tank top].
• 2-27-15: Finished and uploaded my first mashup to YouTube, after [working on it] for a week.
• 3-5-15: Made vegan "Coral Reef" cake in Island and Marine Ecology.
• 3-13-15: Friday the 13th!!!!!
• Went for my 2nd, better boba here with [Biology Lecture Friend].
• Had a funny sarcastic conversation with the popcorn guy at "Cinderella" today.
• 3-20-15: Got tix to Echosmith!! (Ironic how I originally got tickets to see Echosmith, but by the day of the concert I was a raving twenty one pilots fan.)
• 3-31-15: [Island and Marine Ecology Professor] really liked my drawing of a moorish idol.
• 4-2-15: Saw Bo Burnham in person on his "Make Happy" tour. "Wouldn't've Got the Lettuce If I Knew It Wouldn't Fit."
• 4-7-15: I have turf burn on my knee, a cut on my knuckle, and conjunctivitis since Monday [for two days] [From rubbing my eye too hard and smearing makeup into it].
• Grandpa passed away.
• 4-8-15: Went in to get eye drops for conjunctivitis, [made to wait a long time, ended up leaving without drops], and was late to Geography recitation's GMO debate.
• 4-11-15: Extremely nice (and cute) server at Five Guys. [Crush #2] discovered I wear glasses.
• 4-17-15: Heard old man at Target say, "Excuse me b****." I turned around, and his finger was pointing an inch from my face. I said, "Excuse me?" and he turns around and walks off.
• 5-2-15: Went to Cinco de Mayo fair at [College Friend #1's Home Town] with [College Friend #1] and [College Friend #3].
• 5-11-15: Started internship, met [Intern #1].
• 5-16-15: Helped euthanize a mallard. First witnessed death at internship.
• 5-26-15: [Head Staff in Recovery] liked that I wasn't a clingy intern always asking for things to do.
• 5-27-15: Met my neighbor's new Corgi puppy Chowder.
• Dad finally returned my Nintendo DS Lite [after 4 years].
• 5-29-15: Went to 3 auto body shops to get estimates on fixing dent in my car.
• Went dress shopping with [HS Friend #1] for contra, got black with pink roses.
• Confessed a lot to [HS Friend #1] about [Crush #1] and [Crush #2]. When told that [Crush #2] had asked me to visit him over the summer, she really pushed me towards doing that. (2016 Update: I didn't).
• 5-30-15: Visited Captain Obvious with [HS Friend #1] for dinner and contra dancing. Very dizzying. Cute guy in black [galaxy] shirt with freckles. [Friend pushed me to say hi; when I didn't she did it herself.]
• 5-31-15: Cute volunteer at my internship remembered my name. (Really? You wrote THIS down?)
• [Staff Member] liked the snitches I painted on my new scrubs.
• 6-4-15: [HS Friend #1] bailed on Bake Day because of her brother's dinner party.
• Started cleaning out my papers and read a lot of old journals from [Elementary School]. Taught my mom Mario Kart.
• 6-6-15: Babysat Chowder for first time.
• 6-9-15: Laughed too hard at work; [Staff Member] commented, "Sounds like you guys are having too much fun..."
• 6-13-15: Went to [local mall] with Captain Obvious to get scrubs.
• 6-18-15: Emergency called [into internship] on Friday to open Recovery [without guiding staff] and it went great.
• 6-20-15: Went to San Francisco to look for secret parks with Captain Obvious.
• 6-21-15: No one showed up in Courtyard, so I opened it and trained 2 volunteers by myself.
• 6-23-15: Cleaned all raptor condos in Recovery in a little over an hour - praise from [Head Staff in Recovery]!
• 6-24-15: Taught Chowder "roll over," when [Owner] has been trying forever.
• 6-29-15: Caught a sparrow in midair [as it tried to fly away] - "cat reflexes." [Intern #1] and [Intern #2] saw.
• 6-30-15: Praise from [Internship Boss] and [Head Staff in Recovery] on great screech owl setup in the pavilion. 
• 7-4-15: Taught Chowder to "play dead."
• 7-5-15: Opened and closed Courtyard [at Internship] all by myself.
• 7-14-15: Took home a vole to foster - [Intern #2] suggested I call it Vole-demort.
• 7-17-15: Went in on wrong day to show around new volunteers. Vole-demort nearly died from aspiration.
• 7-19-15: [Internship Boss] pulled me into his office to tell me I'm one of the favorite interns.
• 7-26-15: Last day of internship, day of final [test]. Took 5 hours to complete because [Intern #3] and I kept talking. [Staff Member] said she would miss our early mornings working together.
• 7-31-15: Showed new volunteers around [Place of Internship]. First group didn't show up, second group only had 2 shows. 
• Released Vole-demort to Mills Canyon.
• 8-1-15: Went to a Renaissance Faire with [HS Friend #4], [HS Friend #4's Boyfriend], [HS Friend #5], and [Friend of HS Friends #4 and #5]. Got sunburned shoulders.
• 8-4-15: Took Amtrak to Santa Barbara. Saw Grandpa's desk calendar still open to April on his desk; he had written "[My Name]'s Birthday" in the 15th's box.
• 8-5-15: Walked Zoe [Dog of Grandparent's neighbor], very good running buddy.
• 8-8-15: Took Amtrak home from Santa Barbara; cheated out of my window seat by an underage girl with preferential treatment. Got Skittles. 
• 8-11-15: Last day at [Internship]; ran into [HS Classmate #2] at CVS. Bleached my hair.
• 8-12-15: Bleached and dyed my own hair [blue], [couldn't book a stylist].
• 8-14-15: [After leaving in hair dye], finally washed out dye after 3 [days]. No spare dye washed out. Brightest color yet.
• 8-17-15: Lit a bunch of candles with apartment roommates to celebrate moving in
• 8-18-15: Got textbooks with [College Friend].
• 8-19-15: Bought spearmint seeds and planted.
• 8-22-15: Went to WelcomeFest [concert put on by university]. Saw Joywave and Seven Lions.
• 8-26-15: First time I recognized a panic attack as a panic attack.
• 8-28-15: Found a woman's journal/sketchbook/diary in a shopping cart, filled with collages and amazing doodles. Called the number under the name, was returned.
• 8-31-15: [Boy from Music Class] asked me for my number in note form. Gave it to him, he's constantly texting to hang out. Severe regret. I discover that I must know the person a bit before I'm willing to hang out.
• 9-1-15: Girl in Chem lab has the exact same Guess combat boots as me. Had to run back to apartment between classes to get lab goggles.
• 9-3-15: Saw a girl with with jeans and just a strapless bra on, walking around campus in the morning; she wrote "Still not asking for it" on her chest and stomach.
• 9-4-15: Saw a guy with a PTV shirt and a girl with a The Ready Set shirt.
• Ate my first edible. No effect but a placebo one.
• 9-7-15: Got twenty one pilots and Echosmith tickets in the mail.
• 9-9-15: Saw a dude with a twenty one pilots shirt.
• 9-10-15: Ran into [College Friend #3] randomly at the library, first time I'd seen him since semester started.
• 9-17-15: A wasp flew into my boobs.
• 9-21-15: Studied Chemistry from 7 PM to 1:30 AM with [Chem Lab Partner #2].
• 9-22-15: Studied again from 3 to 7 PM before the test, only got [bad grade :( ] on test.
• 9-24-15: Went to the [College Town] Creek area for Ecology lab, lots of grasshoppers around, and winterberry bushes.
• 9-27-15: Saw twenty one pilots.
• 9-29-15: Submitted study abroad application, waiting on course proposal email.
• 9-30-15: Panic attack in religion class, when I said "jaguar" instead of "leopard" when answering what Dionysus's animal was.
• 10-1-15: Ecology partner very terse today, snapped and said, "You don't have to be so rude." Confusing and frustrating.
• 10-2-15: [College Friend #1]'s birthday today. I and the other two roommates bought a 2 ft. diameter pizza and baked red velvet cupcakes for her.
• 10-8-15: Saw girl from last semester's Chem lab, waved hello. She recognized me still!
• 10-13-15: Saw the girl who kept standing up on the bus to TØP concert when walking to Chem recitation.
• 10-16-15: Saw my old Chem TA at supermarket. She recognized me still! We talked for a bit.
• 10-22-15: Forgot my umbrella in Ecology lab, too shy to go back to get it, will wait for next week.
• 10-25-15: Dyed my hair blue again.
• 10-27-15: Accidentally played my music without the jack fully inserted for a few seconds when walking home. New paranoia whenever I plug in my earbuds now.
• 11-6-15: Religion classmate brought her sister to my religion class.
• Walked by a girl on the phone who said, "Ciao mama, come stai?"
• 11-7-15: Collected data with Ecology lab parter at a ponderosa pine area that had received burn treatment.
• 11-18-15: Stranger man walked by and complimented my new computer decal.
• 11-21-15: Burned my finger making cookies for a potential roommate for next semester; too bad they never showed.
• 11-24-15: I stayed in [College Town] for Thanksgiving while my roommates drove home. I got a text from [College Friend #2] this morning saying "You're going to be at the apartment right? I ordered takeout to you. It's already paid for and tipped. Happy Thanksgiving!"
• 12-5-15: Bought a Christmas tree and ornaments. Had so much fun decorating it with personalized memento baubles, photographer roommate took Polaroid pictures and we decorated tree with the film. 
• 12-14-15: Went with [College Friend #1] and [College Friend #2] to get free breakfast at night, sponsored by the university. Only received a crappy breakfast burrito.
• 12-15-15: Finals cancelled today because of snowstorm. Saw a guy get his car stuck in the snow; a stranger came over to try to help tow it out, failed; his friends came out to help him dig it out. Roomies and I, spying, all cheered, "Sqaaaaaad!" when they did.
• 12-18-15: Shipped possessions back to home town. Tried to marathon Star Wars with [College Friend #2], but sound quality was weird, ended up watching "Sherlock" instead.
• 12-19-15: [College Friend #2] drove me and suitcase to campus so I didn't have to trek uphill to return my textbooks. On bus ride to airport, I saw a dude giving a barefoot girl a piggyback ride.
• Just so happens that [College Friend #3] got on the same bus to the airport, didn't plan it. When he checked in, we discovered we were also departing at the same gate (his flight was right after mine).
• 12-21-15: Visited [Place of Internship] today. Very slow day, but met all the old volunteers again. High-fived [Head Staff in Recovery]. 
• Picked up my cousin from airport, she is staying with us instead of flying back to China for Christmas.
• 12-22-15: Drove down to Santa Barbara.
• 12-22-15: Drove down to Los Angeles to join the rest of my family.
• 12-29-15: Visited Getty Villa, a mansion styled after the Villa of Papiri in Herculaneum. Was able to guess about 30% of the time who the statues were before reading the caption. Recognized a statue of Cybele as the one my religion professor showed us in class. I saw it in person!
• 12-31-15: Spend New Year's at home watching the New York ball drop.

I was complimented on my dyed hair 42 times throughout the year.

I had 6 breakdowns over Chemistry (math) this year, concentrated in February and March.

I cried over anxiety problems 11 times this year, concentrated in January and February but with outliers in October.

Perhaps it's a coincidence, but I notice these breakdowns happened more often when I slept alone in a room.

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2015 Musical Favorites:

• Motley Crew, by Thomston 
• "Overcrowded and lonely / Dysfunctional in every way."
• Above the Clouds of Pompeii, by Bear's Den
• "Just don't cry / Hold your head up high / She would want you to."
• Holding On To You, by twenty one pilots
• "You think twice about your life / It probably happens at night, right?"
• Props & Mayhem, by Pierce the Veil
• "I'm gonna light up this place, and die in beautiful stars."
• Geronimo, by Sheppard
• "We can make this leap / Through the curtains of the waterfall."
• I Luv This S***, by August Alsina
• "I'm way too young to be living like this."
• Guns For Hands, by twenty one pilots
• "You all have guns / And you never put the safety on."
• Anaesthetic, by Thomston
• "Living on anaesthetic / No one seems to get it."
• Youngblood, by Jem and the Holograms
• "Who wants to walk on a wire / Dance in the fire / Never get old."
• Bloodstream - Arty Remix, by Ed Sheeran
• "I got sinnin' on my mind."
• Go Go Go, by Sleeping with Sirens
• "I was naïve / But no one knew / I kept it to myself."
• King Kunta, by Kendrick Lamar
• "From a peasant to a prince to a motherf***ing king."
• Can't Handle This, by Bo Burnham
• "Part of me loves you / Part of me hates you / Part of me needs you / Part of me fears you"
• Blank Space, cover by I Prevail

Honorary Mention: Trees, by twenty one pilots. What it lacks in lyrics it makes up for in instrumentation. And it was the most amazing song live.

And for some reason I've been craving an old, old song:

• Sere Nere, by Tiziano Ferro
• "Puoi rimanere / Perché fa male, male / Male da morire / Senza te."

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I hope to keep this tradition going. I like it.

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2016!