Best Of 2008 Meme

I don't usual do them but Chris from My Egg Noodles tagged me in his Best Of 2008 meme and, as I haven't written anything about this crazy year, it seems like a good idea to me...

1. One of my fondest memories of 2008 was:

The feeling I got boarding a plane with a one-way ticket to Bangkok from London.

 

Other highlights include being crowned Hotwire’s 100m sprint champion (read it and weep Masih), chilling in Sicily with my brother and the Hotwire away-weekend in Paris (the Algerians in Sacre-Coeur!).

 

2. One of the happiest moments for me in 2008 was:

The birth of my son, Tobias, on 18 October 2008. A load of cute photos here.

 

3. The best album I downloaded/bought in 2008 was:

The Stanton Session by Stanton Warriors. Not new in 2008 but highly recommended nevertheless. They have the Midas touch.

 

4. The best book I read in 2008 was:

Struggled with books this year but Danny Wallace’s ‘Friends Like These’ was enjoyable and I am still getting through Sir Ranulf Fiennes’ autobiography ‘Mad, Bad And Dangerous to Know’ and ‘Twenty Something’ by Ian Hollingshead.

 

5. The best movie I watched in 2008 was:

‘I Am Legend’ – released late 2008 but I watched it in 2009, I think.

 

6. The most beautiful place I visited in 2008 was:

Difficult to choose between Barcelona, Paris, Sicily, Chiang Mai and other Thai cities – a great year for travelling!

 

7. The best quote I heard/received in 2008 was:

There have been a few but one springs to mind as it is useful for life in general...

 

“Just don’t fuck up” – from a senior boss on my first day at Hotwire. I’m not sure I kept my side of that one!

 

8. The best gadget I bought for myself in 2008 was:

My laptop, Acer Aspire 2930Z. The days of desktops are behind me.

 

9. The best website I came across in 2008 was:

Predictably (for those who know me) I can’t live without BBC Football. FootieTube is another – essential viewing for anyone wanting to catch up on action.

 

10. The luckiest moment for me in 2008 was:

I can’t think of any specific events of great fortune but I survived 2008, a year that got pretty crazy at times!

 

11. A new food/drink I discovered that I really enjoy:

Soya Milk, Som-Tam and SangSom – originally discovered in London but better acquainted with in Thailand.

 

12. The best restaurant I dinned at in 2008:

Esarn Kheaw, Shepherd’s Bush, London – the best Thai in the capital and my first taste of authentic Thai food.

 

13. The best bargain I picked up in 2008:

The Hugo Boss shirts from London, my Tiger trainers or the countless buys from ASOS.

 

14. The best blog post I wrote in 2008 was:

It was only born in October so far too young for highlights.

 

15. A blog I discovered in 2008 which I highly recommend is:

The Lost Boy was the first Thailand ex-pat blog I came across. Although Matt has moved on from Thailand his blog remains a recommended read.

 

16. The best Xmas present I received in 2008 was:

Thais don’t really do Christmas but the photo of my family back home in the UK was a favourite.

 

17. My 2008 addiction was:

My BlackBerry – RIP, it departed when I left my job in London. Gone but not forgotten, we will be reunited some day.

 

18. A goal in 2008 that I did not accomplish:

Not going to Las Vegas. After planning and running projects for CES 2008 and CTIA 2008 trade shows I was hoping to get out there for at least one of them.

 

19. But that’s okay, because I did accomplish:

Finally started a blog after two years of um-ing, err-ing and lost thoughts. 

In other news...I moved to Thailand, but we know that already, right?

 

20. The website I visited most in 2008:

iGoogle, my personal window to the internet.

I'm going to attempt to send this meme to global (UK, Finland, Australia) by tagging Big Tim, X, Dom, Ben and Emily.