What year has been the best year of your life (so far) and why?

1980 because that's the year my son was born.

dunno

Hmmm. I don't remember any years that have been *awful* so it's a bit hard to choose one....

Not 1994/1995 because I had a nasty teacher at school and I wasn't happy there much at all.
Not 1999 because I was ill for about 3 months and thought I would never get better.
Not 1983 because I was born right at the end of it, just 9 days befor ethe end of the year!

1997/1998 were good years because I really came into my own at school. I was happy, doing well and popular.

2001 was a great year - I was studying at a new school, doing well, lots of friends. Also doing a lot of other activities, feeling very politically connected. Getting more of a global sense of what the world was. I got an offer from Oxford.

2002 would have been brilliant - I got really good exam results to get my place at Oxford and then started here. Unfortunately, the actual doing of the exams knocks that back a bit! That month or so was most definitely the most stressful one of my life (so far)!!!

2003 has been an amazing year. I've been really happy at university. I had a boyfriend. I've got wonderful friends. I feel independent and strong and free. I'm involved in lots of things. I've been busy, and loved it all. I had exams, but didn't stress out over them (didn't do great in them either, but I only had to pass!). I'm getting to do a project for my degree that nobody's done before, in a field that I'm extremely lucky to get a project in. The future is a wide-open road. The only blip has been breaking up with my boyfriend, but even that has proved to me how capable I am of carrying on with life and putting an optimistic and happy spin on it.

I think I'll go with this year as being teh best one of my life so far. But last year, I would probably have said it was that year, and the year before that, that year.... My life is getting better and better all the time, I hope (and have faith that) it carries on for the rest of it!

I had a lot of great years in the past, but my best I would have to say is 1985. I was fresh out of high school and into college. I also turned 18 that summer, which gave me my first real tastes of freedom and independence.

2002 was my best year. It was also my worst.

2003 until now.
The last really good year was 1996/7, but this is better.

Yet to come...though the year when I was about 4 or 5 and got a KnightRider bike for Christmas has to be up there.

er, actually I really dont. Thats weird.

1999, because that is when my son was born. 1999 was also one of my worst years because a lot of bad things happened then. But my son's birth outweighed all the bad.

My senior year of college was pretty awesome.

Probably 1972-the year I graduated from high school

So this means you were in the Brady Bunch generation, right?

Possibly one of my childhood years when things were just summery and easy - and I played all day with mates and went home and ate and slept and stuff.

I don't know that I would necessarily characterise any particular year as being "the best", but I do think that one year kind of stands out as being memorable for a number of reasons. I seem to often think back fondly of various events which took place in 1981. That was the year that I turned 19 and was therefore able to go to nightclubs and cabarets without having to use fake ID. I was playing in a band, and we did numerous live performances and made a record and got favourable reviews in the local press. It was the year that I first moved out on my own. It was the year that I first had sex. There seemed to be so much great music that year. It seems that so many bands that I liked around that time put out their best albums that year.

1987, but I won't tell why.

Mi fa piacere! Complimenti e auguri (per le cose che ti fanno bene).

each year seems better than the one before............. so i would think this one, right now!

Grazie!

This one. It has been the very hardest one ever and has taught me so much. I really believe that at this very moment I am the best "mentally and emotionally" that I have ever been in my entire life. The physical, emotional and financial hardships I have faced this year have put so many things into perspective for me. This year has been cursed! Thank goodness.....

Yep! Groovy, Marcia!

juliw, juliw, juliw!

Just because it was really interesting - 1996 - the year I spent trying to figure out Japan (living there). I didn't have a boyfriend (as I do now), I didn't love my job so much, I ran out of money once and had to walk 5 hours along a highway because I couldn't afford the train (reading signs written only in chinese characters), I went through a phase of not bathing or washing my clothes for some wierd psychological reason, I got to experience racism first-hand every single second - but my brain was constantly engaged more than any other year and I had a real positive outlook that there was better things to come (and there are).

I agree with you about the music. 1991 was a good year - I liked (so many names I forget) - I can remember Kurt Cobain but not the name of his band and I saw him at the Commodore around that time, and Mudhoney, and I loved NoMeansNo and I loved Jane's Addiction - and lots of stuff like that. And now, I'm not buying music, I'm not really excited by music except I'll enjoy Bob Marley and some Brazilian music and things like that.

I just don't think like that... I want to say this year or next year. I'm sure I've had a lot of good years, but they are in the past now. I don't really care to figure out which was the best; I just want my life now and in the future to be good and getting better.

To hard to pick one, I've had good things happen to me in a bunch of different years. A couple years ago when I got custody of my son and hadno more child support to pay was a real good year.

1966, it was a vintage year

I think that it was 1996 or 1997. I had a job that I liked, not a lot of financial responibilities, and a really neat place to live. Life was good, life was relatively easy.

The Commodore?!! Where do you live?

2004 (fear of the unknown turns me on)

1991 was a great year- I was a sophomore in college and having a great time....lots of friends, lots of parties, clubs.....And my favorite memory of that year was a goal that me and 5 of my friends set. We set out to throw the biggest private party ever held off-campus. And I think we did it . The police estimated that it drew around 3500 guests. We hired 4 rent-a-cops for security and invited six more to join us after their shift let off at 11pm so that we would have no trouble from the police. That worked out beautifully. We had a band and went through 21 kegs. We had it all cleaned up by 7am the next morning. There were no fights. The only casualty was one person got bit by a dog. (And I think he was harassing the dog!) The night couldn't have been better.
Ahhhh.....Glory Days.....
but I think I'm much happier with my life the way it is now. I'm a much more mature, well-rounded person. I'm the exact opposite of who I was then, and I have no idea how or when that happened

no, not really. Perhaps so far, its my freshman year in college, but these two years are just as good, I think.

He he he

Cant say.

Maybe 1994. It was my lasy year at school and I won both School Music competitions (600+ pupils in school) and was the start of my "year off" time.

Next year was good too because I joined University!

........and this year, you met me too!!!

That day was a total highlite in an otherwise dramatic and turbulent year. I had such a great day!!!!!!!

Wicksy just reminded me of that day we met in your lovely city. This year has been great!!!!! Meeting you was amazing. I had a fantastic day/evening! Thanx again

It's just a shame that I couldn't stay longer!!

No seriously, where are you?

Yeah, we'll have to do that again sometime. Next time I'm taking you out for dinner!

Burnaby. But I've been purposely evasive for a while because I was waiting for you to notice. Ha ha ha ha he he he (I am a hyena).

Well, we should connect up one of these days...

Yes, more time with you would have been brilliant!

I want more Flamenco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, that could happen. It would be cool if I've already seen you around (a familiar face even though you're a stranger) but from what I know about you I don't think we've met.

Bad things happened to that place. The shows have been seriously hampered by some stupid rules. I'm sure I can come up with something fun though...

I stick pretty close to downtown. I have a very good friend in Burnaby, so I get out there fairly regular. I lived there for a few months in 1999 and 2001. We were near Curtis and Duthie. My buddy works at SFU.

Where in Burnaby are you? Just tell me the nearest major intersection or landmark.

I live near Metrotown.

I get out that way now and then, usually to the theater or to grocery shop. It's convenient to the Skytrain.

2003 - the birth of my daughter Laura.

2001 - It was the year I fell in love with Josh.

Ok Zang, my martial arts group is having an event this weekend at the Westend Community Centre at 870 Denman St. from 5 to 9 pm. You could come and watch and you'll see where my name Hyena comes from. It's a Brazilian martial art called Capoeira. The event we're having is a belt ceremony - the thing is to watch is by donation but it would be good for me to meet you there because you could also get some idea of who I am by seeing the martial art that I'm involved in.

I have a friend whose son does Capoeira. You didn't say which day. I know the Westend Community Centre, it's a block away from a friend's place.

Hi Zang - it's Sunday.

Maybe I'll come down and check it out. I won't make any promises, but I might just be there!

Did you go?

Almost! I totally planned to, and I even got as far as my friend's place for a little dinner party and watch a video. So I was right across the street. Problem was, we hadn't arranged to both wear pink carnations or anything...I thought of making a big sign saying: "Zang from Survey Central" and wearing it around my neck, but I thought I would feel too silly.

Anyway, let's try it again sometime with a little more planning. Here's my email: z.dong@shaw.ca Once we've established email contact I'll give you my cell number and we can go from there. Okay?