2012: A Year in Retrospect

What an amazing year 2012 has been for me...

January
My family kicked off the year with a trip to Kuala Lumpur, just before I returned to the UK for the 2012 Spring Term. Then it's revision, Entered the trial phase with Pat. And to end the month, I started the Breakfast Show on 31 January 2012. Boom!

Song of the Month: M83 - Midnight City

February
February was probably the most insane month for me - a highlight, I dare say. Guild Election Week was a manic week for me as I helped out with the Outdoor Broadcasts and Debate Shows. And to top it all off, I had a surprise Birthday Party thrown at me. Good times!

Song of the Month: Avicii - Levels

March
March was when I got elected as Head of Production - one committee position that will shape the rest of 2012 for me. Speaking of Xpression, we had our Charity Football Match, in aid of Sport Relief. Raised £700+. Good times...

April
So April was the Easter break. Kicked the month off with the Student Radio Conference in Bradford, went to the Exeter Food Festival with Pat for some good food and music (Remember The Voice?), saw Charlie Simpson live. Oh, and revision.

Song of the Month: Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe

May
Did I say revision? Well that's a lie. Because it's the opening of the Forum! Xpression kept me a bit busy, as usual, but it was worth it (see November). After that, things got pretty dull - Exams, things were on ice between Pat and myself. On the plus side, the Olympic Flame arrive in Exeter! Oh, and CIMA GBC Filming started, and we got through to the UK Finals!.

Song of the Month: Gotye ft. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used To Know

June
Halt! Xmedia Awards! Not a great night in terms of awards I hoped to clinch, but great night nonetheless. Then there's the Annual Celebration of Volunteering - Event of the Year? Apparently, that's what the Guild thought of the Xpression Guild Election Coverage! Student Radio Chart Show from Xpression FM. Also, CIMA GBC UK Finals came and went. Held at the Milkround HQ (News International), rubbed shoulders with some interesting people, and our team won the award. #Winning

Song of the Month: Madeon - Finale

July
So, UK Finals sorted, now we set our sights on the CIMA GBC Global Finals. Tough, considering I was back in Indonesia, and I had to juggle the prep with editing entries for the Student Radio Awards (See November). Not the best of times, until Sri Lanka came and went. #WINNING #TRAVELLING #SriLankaIsAwesome Had a great time, met some great people, and to see a country that I wouldn't normally have the opportunity to explore. Fantastic...

Also, watched loads of Olympics on YouTube. #TeamGB #TeamIndonesia #TeamSingapore

Song of the Month: Muse - Survival

August
So, Post-Sri Lanka, I returned to Indonesia to enjoy my holidays. Oh, and editing station sound (See September). Family Vacation to the US East Coast was brilliant - from New York (Times Square, 5th Avenue, all the touristy stuff) to Toronto, then Pennsylvania and DC (saw the Magna Carta, US House of Representatives, all the touristy stuff), and then it's Singapore (Founder's Day, met up with a few of my best mates), then finally Jakarta. Oh, and then, back nice and early to Exeter.

Song of the Month: Coldplay - Paradise

September
New Station Sound at Xpression finally launched. Phew! In non-Xpression Radio news, I listened in to Chris Moyles' Last Show on Radio 1 - and actually wept, because it's one of those things that I sort-of got used to doing - waking up with Moyles, even back from my A Level days in Brighton, when Carrie Prideaux was Sports Bulletin Reader. T'was the end of an era. But start of a new one, too! Did I mention the start of the Mix & Mash Show? Also, I finally got my new laptop. Yep. Retina ftw. New Resolution? Mine's 2880x1800. Hunting for a Dissertation Supervisor - which eventually led me to Dr Petros Vourvachis.

Song of the Month: Swedish House Mafia - Don't You Worry Child

October
Football Varsity Coverage - gave up tickets to see Benjamin Francis Leftwich for this, but worth it? I guess so. We had issues at the start, when the stream from the OB PC sounded stuttery on the Studio PCs and on air. Had to run on to campus with an iPad and minijack-to-coax cable to save the show. And thank heavens that worked out alright.

Song of the Month: Of Monsters And Men - Little Talks

November
Roll on the Student Radio Awards. 2 nominations, which were converted to 2 awards on the night. #Boom. And the 24 Hour Broadcast. And SSB lineup announcement. And even though I had little to do with the Lad Culture Show (props should go to Hazel, Amelia, and the rest of the News Team), The Lad Culture Show was such a bangin' show.

Song of the Month: Anything involving Calvin Harris and Florence Welch together.

December
As the final month of the year rolled on, things slowed down. There was that horrible BEA3001 Financial Management Coursework test. There was the fantastic trip to Reading. Christmas meant another Christmas song from the Sports Team, Christmas Dinners aplenty, and me putting on a load of weight. No snow, though - only rain and floods. And in a totally insignificant kerfball, I celebrated my 2nd year with my iPhone 4 - the longest I've held on to the same phone. Bearing in mind this phone got dunked in sea water in Sri Lanka, and now the camera broke. So, to celebrate this fact, I ordered a new phone. Apart from that, the Christmas Break meant doing some overdue tasks - Masters Applications (Personal Statements, Forms, Reference hunting, GMAT), Dissertation Literature Review and data collection (a bit), editing to add onto the Station Sound, the new Xpression Website (Wordpress), revision.

Song of the Month: Anything Christmasy.

So, loads happened in 2012. What will 2013 be like?

Bring it on!

New Year's Post

So, as is tradition on this fine blog of mine, I post a review of my New Year's Resolution for the year that is about to close on our behinds, and a new one for the start of the new year.

So, let's begin, shall we? Starting with the review...

Review: My New Year's Resolution of 2012

ORIGINAL POST: HERE.

ACADEMICS: 2 / 2
I will finish my 2nd year with at least a 2:1 overall. [1st!]
I will NOT go back to Jakarta over Christmas, so I can focus on my January exams in 2013. [Didn't!]

JOB PROSPECTS: 1 / 3

I will get an Internship, and I will actually enjoy my internship &// find it useful and beneficial. [Didn't.]

I will actually help Robin with his Bubble Today website (have you heard of it? it's really good) [Pardon?]

I will brush up on any sort of code. HTML5/CSS/Objective-C, etc. Seriously, I will actually improve my knowledge of one/more of the above-mentioned computer/web design languages. [PHP, CSS, Javascript. The lot.]

SOCIETY STUFF: 2.5 / 5

I will be in a committee in my 3rd year and not regret it. [Xpression!]
I will submit 6 articles to Exeposé by December 2013. Surely not that difficult, right? [err...]
I will single-handedly work in a team to make Photosoc awesome. [Not sure about this one. Did I?]
I will learn to develop film.[Didn't. Unless Polaroid counts?]
I will get presenter-trained/tested and get my own radio show on Xpression. [Did a Breakfast, Morning After, Afternoon Sessions, and Specialist Slot (Mix & Mash Show). In short: I passed presenter training!]

MUSIC CRED: 2 / 2

I will go to a gig in 2012. [Charlie Simpson! Would have made it two with Benjamin Francis Leftwich, if it weren't for the football varsity.]
I will not chicken out like I did in 2010/2011, and I will actually get tickets to Glastonbury 2013. Failing that, I'd love to go to any of the major music festivals while I'm still in the UK. BBL, perhaps? [Radio 1 Starts The Summer in Torbay counts in my book.]

PERSONAL LIFE: 1.5 / 6

I will get a girlfriend. [Let's not delve into this one, shall we?]
I will give up chocolate for Lent. [Whoops. Completely forgot about this one. Missed the start of lent by 2 days.]
I will wean off my Pescatarian diet by the time the June exams come. And I will then learn to cut the sugars and carbs out of my diet. [Did the first bit, getting to grips with the second]
I will run a 10K (standard triathlon distance). [My longest run of the year seems to be 6.74km.]
I will cycle 40K (standard triathlon distance). [My longest bike ride for the year was 16km.]
I will try to do a triathlon in one day. Yes, I know I've had this resolution as holiday targets that never ever gets done, but I'm going to give it a try.

FINANCES/TECH: 2 / 2

I will NOT ask my parents for any more money until the 2012/2013 academic year, when I really need money to pay my tuition fees. [Didn't]
I'm allowed to buy an iPhone 5 and a new Mac this year. NO MORE. No iPad, no iPod. [Followed through.]

My 2012 New Year's Resolution Report Card: 11 / 20. PASSED!

Moving on to 2013...

My New Year's Resolution for 2013...

Academics & Job Prospects: ___/3

• I will graduate with a 2:1 minimum, and a 2:1 minimum in my dissertation.
• I will keep in touch with my friends from Exeter.
  I admit, I'm rubbish at this, so this one's probably going to turn red.
• I will make it to a Masters Programme.
  Applications have been prepared, and references have been sought after. It all depends on my results now.

Society Stuff: ___/3

• I will do a Breakfast Show in the new term.
  #plug
• I will contribute to the best damn Guild Election Coverage, Varsity Coverage, and Busking Culture Show.
• I will hand over every thing I do for Xpression by March.
  Everything. Website, Station Sound, News/Sports Show Production, Logo, the whole lot.

Personal Life and Finance: ___/4

• Personal Life Resolution 1
• Personal Life Resolution 2
  Some things are just not meant to be shared in the public domain. My top 2 resolutions for this section are amongst them. When I see this at the end of 2013, I will know what 2 resolutions this bullet point represents. But for everyone else, just know that there are two resolutions here that I really want to achieve in 2013. From a personal view, these resolutions mean a lot to me, but they are tough nuts to crack. I have been making progress towards resolution 1 in 2012. Here's hoping that things will get better, eh?
• I will make it a point to do some form of exercise every week.
  Badminton, Football, Cycling, Swimming, Running, whatever it may be. As long as I can get my sorry bum off my bed.
• I will not buy any tech stuff worth over £250/€250/S$500/US$400/IDR4,000,000.
  (Doesn't include bikes and cars, but does include Apple products, phones and whatnot. I did buy an iPhone towards the end of 2012, a new laptop in September 2012, and I am in possession of a new iPad. So, really, there is no reason for me to be buying anything in 2013. The only exception to the rule that I will allow is a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L ii USM Lens. Apart from that, nothing over the above-stated prices. Subject to change, with currency fluctuations.)

Total: ___/10.
What will I score? Well, bring on 2013!