2009 Genevieve's Choice Awards

1) DRINKING BUDDIES OF THE YEAR -
My BFFs Ruth, Aileen & Yvonne, plus my cousin Joseph. Even though the one who really drank was Joseph. We just enjoyed plying him with alcohol and posing for pictures with bottles of alcohol in our hands.

2) LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD (longest friends) -
My BFFs since high school are Ruth, Aileen & Yvonne, so they'll always win this award every year. I suppose I should rename this category "Honorary GRAY Member" which this year would go to my cousin Joseph.

3) NEWCOMER AWARD (newest friends) -
I have to say that 2009 was easier to handle with the help of my coworkers Christine G., Malia & Rajeana. As much as I appreciate where I work, without these partners in crime, my days at work would be simply long & arduous.

4) HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR?
Ending it on a high point.

5) LOW POINT OF THE YEAR?
Almost ending it on a low point.

6) BEST HOLIDAY IN 2009?
New Year's Eve. It was a simple family affair at my parents', but I got to witness my nephews, Gareth and Yvonne dancing to Rayman's Raving Rabbid.

7) YOUR SONG FOR 2009
Ugh. I have to pick just one? I listened to a lot of Sara Bareilles this year, but the song with lyrics that resonated at the end of this year is Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone." But if it's just pure, unadulterated fun? BEP's "Boom Boom Pow", Shakira's "She Wolf", Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and Ke$ha's "Tik Tok." LoL..

8) MOVIE FOR 2009?
The one I looked forward to the most? Harry Potter. The one that made me cry? UP. The most visually pleasing? Avatar.

9) WHAT DID YOU DO ON YOUR BIRTHDAY?
Got together with my BFFs and then had a birthday breakfast with Gareth, my parents, Auntie Gay & Uncle Ben, Kuya, Yvonne & my nephews.

10) WHO DID YOU SPEND VALENTINES WITH?
My husband. Oh, and my mother-in-law..LoL. We went to Moclips Ocean Crest Resort. Beautiful & relaxing, even with the snow and crashing wave 100 feet below our room.

11) BEST RELATIONSHIP?
I reconnected with some old friends this year, and to be able to pick up where we'd left off has been truly gratifying.

12) WHAT WERE YOU FOR HALLOWEEN?
Me. I don't dress up for Halloween.

13) RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR?
Any good Thai restaurant works for me, but Thai Bistro is the closest & has such a relaxing ambiance.

14) BOOK OF THE YEAR?
Wow. Can't think of one that stood out this year. I really did not read many new books this year. Sad.

15) BEST DECISION MADE THIS YEAR?
To rid my life of unhealthy distractions and focus on only the good.

16) WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2010?
Travel a little more. Write a little more. Make date nights really count. Work on the house.

17) MOST STUPID IDEA WHEN DRUNK..
I get enough stupid ideas without drinking. If I did get drunk, the stupidest idea would be to drive. Second would be to text someone. Have you not seen TextFromLastNight.com?

18) TV SHOW OF THE YEAR?
I still love The Office, and enjoy what I call the "surrounding" shows: Parks & Rec, Community, 30 Rock. I just started Netflixing "How I Met Your Mother" before the end of the year and I really like it. But my guilty pleasure is still SYTYCD.

19) MOST LOYAL FRIEND?
Gareth tops my list, as well as my brothers. As far as non-relatives, my BFFs...even though technically two of them are related by marriage.

20) BIGGEST CHANGE OF THE YEAR!
My cell phone number. I've had that number for a long time. But with the new year comes new beginnings.

21) BIGGEST RETARD AWARD?
Kanye West.

22) NEW YEAR RESOLUTION?
As always, to take better care of myself and appreciate my loved ones more.

Made Santa's "Very Nice" List

Santa was very nice to me this year. Actually he's always been kind to me, but this Christmas I feel like I must've been on his "very nice" list. Right now I've got Justin Timberlake crooning in my ear, after spending all day today loading up my new Zune. Santa Gareth was pretty slick, telling me for weeks that Zunes were no where to be found. Not that I had asked for one. I actually listed an iPod on my amazon.com wishlist. I hadn't even given Zunes a thought, except to ask Gareth what the difference was between a Zune and an iPod. Let me tell you...I LOVE my Zune. So far, I've only loaded it with J.T., Ciara and Christine Aguilera, the 3 CDs Gareth gave me this Christmas (Ciara was my St. Niklaus gift ~ it's been his family's tradition to get gifts on Dec. 7. We got clogs from my mother-in-law to set outside our bedroom door, and on the morning of the 7th we each had a gift in the clog. That's really all I know about the tradition, but hey, any excuse to get a gift is a good excuse to me.)

I also was generously gifted with calligraphy sets from both Gareth and Trista & her boyfriend Jeff. Now I have no excuse to master the art of calligraphy. I'm really excited about that. T&J also fed my other addiction with a Sudoku book. Mom gave us a flannel sheet set, my favorite of her many, many gifts which included earrings, gloves, socks and votive holders to name but a few. She really goes overboard with the gift giving for Christmas, and the kids have picked up on this tradition. Phedre & Josh gave us an awesome Family Guy Monopoly game with a $100 target gift card. I claimed the gift card and gave Gareth the game but of course we had to split the card 50/50. I forgot what Gareth got with his half, I think it was something for his Xbox360 or his PS3, but I requested new king size pillows for the new sheet set. Now we're drowning in pillows, I could build a fort with them, which Gareth claims I have, barricading him one side of the bed. Rhyana gave me some wonderful Bath & Body lotions and also gave us a $100 gift card to Best Buy. That certainly made Gareth's eyes dance. We're putting it towards the Nintendo Wii fund so once they're back in stock, we'll be playing Wii Sports again in no time.

Oh! Santa Gareth also gave me a laptop for Christmas. I'm still shaking my head over that one. He managed to surprise me twice on Christmas Eve when we opened our presents at my mother-in-law's house, first with the Zune and then with a Dell laptop. Now I have no excuse to not write. So, here I am. On Christmas Day, my parents gave me a black Coach tote & wallet set as well as new pajamas which I always love getting. They gave Gareth two Tommy Bahama sweaters which he loved. My nephews showered me & Gareth with our favorite socks. They're the ones that keep our feet dry and fit so comfortably. My cousin Joseph gifted us with a 300 ct Egyptian cotton sheet set, a great dress shirt for me and a wireless PS3 control for Gareth, things we jokingly told him we wanted but didn't think he'd really get us. My aunt gave us a bed-in-a-bag comforter set for our Cal-King. Family's always been generous with us, but this Christmas they seemed to pull out all the stops. I know my aunt was just showing her appreciation for our help with my grandmother's 92nd birthday party. I know I have my husband to thank for a lot of her gratitude, so kisses to my husband. :)

Somewhat veering on a tangent here, but I've been repeating this song on my Zune a few times now. It's struck a chord with me. It's Justin's "All Over Again." I don't know if it's the lyrics or the soulful & heartfelt way Justin sings it. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for songs about second chances. Maybe the lyrics will strike a chord for someone who reads my ramblings.

All Over Again

You've been alone
You've been afraid
I've been a fool
In so many ways
But I would change my life
If you thought you might try love me

So please give me another chance
To write you another song
Take back those things I've done
Cause I'll give you my heart
If you would let me start all over again

I'm not a saint
I'm just a man
Who had heaven and earth in the palm of his hand
But I threw it away
So now I stand here today asking forgiveness
And if you could just

Please give me another chance
To write you another song

Take back those things I've done
Cause I'll give you my heart
If you would let me start all over again

Little girl, you're all I've got
Don't you leave me standing here once again
Cause I'll give you my life (yes I would)
If you would let me try to love you

So please give me another chance
To write you another song
And take back those things I've done
Cause I'll give you my heart
If you would let me start all over again
Again oh
No no
oh oh

You know I love you (yeah)
Give me one more chance
No No
No No No No