In honor of my 34 spin around the sun coming up soon, I’ve kept the personal audit blog tradition and made a list of all the big things that happened this year. I’ve also added 34 random things about me that perfectly fit in the hot mess puzzle of my personality (if I keep this up in my 60s, I wonder what else will make the list)

  1. I’m a closeted perfectionist and a recovering self-saboteur – ongoing process.
  2. A day without dessert is a sad, sad day
  3. Although I believe there are no coincidences, I think that I belong to another culture/country than the one I was born into 
  4. I think Susan Sarandon is the sexiest woman alive – let’s never argue about this.
  5. I miss Christmas movies in July
  6. I always sucked at math – it’s painful to watch me try to do even the simplest stuff
  7. I used to be a pretty decent painter when I was a kid – gave up drawing and painting at 14 (don’t ask) and pick them up again in 2020 (thanks, COVID-19)
  8. The idea of an open car safari scares the crap out of me – I mean really, what’s stopping a lion from having me as an appetizer?!
  9. I have no favorite movie or favorite book – there are too many, I can’t choose. Not possible, people!
  10. My favorite city is NY – I lived at least 2 previous lives there. I feel it in my bones.
  11. I don’t drink alcohol and I never smoked – yup, I was NOT cool in high school. 
  12. I started uttering my first words when I was 7 months old – that’s how the family stories go, at least.
  13. I used to have “bioenergy” – metals would stick to me when I was a kid – and I could run in heels when I was younger. No superpowers left though. 
  14. I have 2 very small tattoos and planning a third one, at least
  15. My dad was a football player so I grew up around locker rooms, stadiums and stands – yes, I can speak jock. 
  16. I’m always cold – if the temperature drops below 25 degrees Celsius, I turn into the human popsicle and count the days until next spring
  17. After intense studies conducted by me, it has been demonstrated that I’m a better person when I’m on vacation 
  18. I constantly worry about my parents
  19. I can sleep for 12 hours straight – always could, always want to. 
  20. I live for action movies, Harry Potter and Gilmore Girls. 
  21. I hate winter, but love everything about Christmas and the first snow of the season
  22. I collect written notes – my parents used to leave me small notes when they left me alone, as a kid. I still have a few. Also, I have almost every love letter I’ve ever received. 
  23. I can drive a stick
  24. I can’t swim, but love to be near the water – I can do a floating froggy move, but if my toes can’t reach the ground I panic, big time.
  25. My mind never stops – I write novels in my head, almost every night, envision a world of possibilities and scenarios and wake up the next day with just 3 lousy lines that no one can make sense of.
  26.  I graduate Law School but hated every second of it
  27. I’ve always been a big fan of tea – it makes everything better. 
  28. I still can’t believe that Demi left Bruce – who does that?! 
  29. I’m in love with glossy magazines – always have been, always will be. Deal with it. 
  30. One of the greatest pleasures of my life is soaking up the sun at a cafe – good lemonade, good people, good conversation, that’s all I need
  31. I hate board games, but absolutely love charades
  32. In high school I was voted “most likely to become a Bond girl” – there’s still time, people!
  33. I can’t cook – not if my life depended on it. 
  34. Since my birthday is coming up, you should know that the best present is always a trip – I don’t want fancy dinners or expensive bags. Show me a plane ticket and my heart skips a beat.  

Ta-daaaaa! I did it. 

Coming up with 34 things about yourself, after doing this year after year, without repeating some stuff is nearly impossible. I admit it: they’re not all interesting, because I’m not all that interesting. 

Let’s face it. I’m the human version of tangled Christmas lights. A lot of daydreaming and high expectations constantly challenged by fear of not being good enough (such a millennial cliche, I know!), a couple of books that are already started on my nightstand, a huge tea mug with yesterday’s tea bags still in it, a TV set and comfy socks. That’s me at almost any given day. 

This year, though, new things happened:

  • I paid off a lot of debt → that is the most mature and financially healthy thing I ever did. It feels good to say it. It felt good to do it. After completing the payment on my mortgage, I’ve asked for a picture. Not a selfie. A classic portrait of me showing all my teeth to the camera, holding the payment proof, in front of the bank. Still thinking of framing it. 
  • This spring, I went from Rapunzel length hair to a bob → It was the most badass thing I did to my look in 13 years. My hair was such an immovable part of my personality. Its length was interwoven to my self-confidence. Before this, I got severe anxiety when chopping off 2 inches of my hair. I was well aware that the last part of my hair was alive at the same time as King Tut. Cause of death: bleach. My ponytail: a perpetual memorial I couldn’t let go of. I didn’t want the haircut to change my life, (sorry Coco), but it did anyway! Advice from a late-bober: Life after long hair is a breeze. Also, I thought changing my hair would also change how people saw me, but it only changed how I saw myself. 
  • 3 of my closest friends have experienced life-changing encounters with cancer. Another friend lost a parent 3 days before her wedding day → grief, fear, despair, powerlessness, anger and unparalleled sadness made their way into daily conversations without prior notice. We started talking about the meaning behind all that suffering. I struggled with finding the best way to offer support, advice and a fainted sense of hope. I realized that it’s ok if you don’t know what to say as long as you’re there to listen or sit in silence. And also, that there are other ways in which you can send love and light to the people you love. Christie Marie Shelton and her ball of light technique helped a lot. 
  • The best present I gave myself: finally enrolled in a copy-writing class I’ve been dying to get for years – Marie Forleo’s CopyCure! I treated myself to it. Payed off entirely and felt so proud of that. 
  • New exciting projects & people → another way of saying that this past year I worked my pretty little ass off. There were a couple of very demanding times, professionally, but after it was all done, I was super grateful for every new challenge that found its way towards my doorstep. 

Here’s to another year of adventure! And to all of you!