It’s great to be able to look back and really look back–to be able to review a year’s worth of blog posts, to remember, to see how much I’ve changed and how much I’m still the same.

Here were the goals I set for myself last year:

By August 2009, I’d like to be able to look back and say that I’ve:

• completed a book on Emacs (whether published by No Starch Press or self-published)
• increased my reach and responsibilities at and outside work
• completed my paperwork for the permanent residency application (Canadian experience class?)
• continued to donate 10% of my income
• continued to save at least 50% of my income
• developed another income source aside from salary, interest, and index growth
• learned how to cook at least 20 new recipes

The book on Emacs fell by the wayside as I started doing more and more Drupal development at work. I turned the project over to Ian Eure, another Emacs blogger whom I greatly admire. At work, I became a Drupal guru, and I spoke at DrupalCon on the deployment processes. I submitted my paperwork for the Canadian Experience Class skilled worker permanent residency. I have a fair amount of money in circulation on Kiva.org and earmarked for the Toronto Public Library, although less than the 10% I’d targeted. I’ve been able to save 52% of my income, building a healthy retirement fund, an investment fund, and a dream fund.  I haven’t developed another major income source, although I’ve identified a number of opportunities that I could turn into income someday. As for recipes–I’ve had lots of fun cooking, and I’m sure I’m well past that number.

Compared to my 24th year, my life as a 25-year-old wasn’t about major changes. It’s hard to top all the shifts that happened in 2007-2008: graduating, starting at IBM, getting used to the idea of being in Canada… 2008-2009 was much calmer. I discovered my inner domestic goddess as we acquired two cats (both adopted from the shelter), a sewing machine, a garden, a canner, numerous pictures and frames, a number of camera lenses, and a love for making and photographing things. I built on existing skills such as drawing and presenting, and I branched into new hobbies such as improv and playing the piano. I’m still as much in love with both my partner and my work as I was a year ago, which is absolutely wonderful. My in-jokes with W- are deeper and richer, thanks to another year of shared experiences. At work, I became the go-to person for Drupal because of my development skills–and then I switched hats and took a consulting/networking role created for me. I’ve started experimenting with ways to make life even better: trying out delegation, exploring crafts, creating experiences… Life is amazing!

My favourite posts:

• Work that I love: reflecting on the whats and hows
• The way I work
• Happy BlueDay to me!
• The return on mistakes
• Being less stupid is harder than being smarter
• Travel tips
• Braindump of conference networking tips
• Talking about Enterprise 2.0 and knowledge management (see recording)
• Book workflow
• Creative encouragement and following passion
• On the other side of the (virtual) desk
• 25 tips for totally rocking your Drupal development environment
• Making a name for yourself
• Networking outside the firewall
• Five reasons why I’m experimenting with outsourcing to virtual assistants
• How to do a lot
• From reactive to proactive, from inboxes to goals; thinking about the big picture
• Making the most of opportunities – tips for managing time, energy, and money
• Remote presentations that rock
• My financial network map and virtual envelope system
• Mapping what makes me happy
• Drupal staging and deployment tips: it’s all code
• Mapping my work happiness
• Refuse to Choose; or life is a many-splendoured thing
• The Read/Write Internet: Advice to Students
• Combining multiple social media services
• My life as a 25-year-old

I’m looking forward to learning even more about my passions and interests, people, and life. When I turn 27, I hope to be able to look back and say that I:

• created another year’s worth of experiences, memories, and dreams
• helped build innovation networks and shared what I’ve learned with others
• helped build Drupal skills within the company
• wore something I made every day
• enjoyed home cooking and explored new recipes
• relaxed in improvised situations
• saved half of my income and donated a tenth
• got to the point of having a place for everything, and everything in its place
• built and deepened more friendships
• figured out what I know, what I want to learn, and how to share both of those
• shared my happiness and enthusiasm with even more people

Thanks for sharing an amazing year with me. =) Looking forward to future adventures!