Housebound as I am on a Saturday night while feeling under the weather, I've found the time for a quick review of my own highlights and memorable moments of 2011. Not everything listed here was exactly new in itself in 2011, but it was new to me. For my list of favourite songs of 2011, click here.
Personal highlights
• Running two half-marathons
• Conducting a wedding ceremony in Italy
• Gaining a distinction in my 2-year Life Sciences Cert HE course at Birkbeck
• Winning the Senior Division title with Red Star, and scoring a 25-yarder
• Plucking up the bravery to try out coasteering
Favourite Food
• Arbroath Smokie at Great Queen Street
• Loving my Asian food - Pho / Ping Pong
• Scallops at River Café and Hive Beach Café
• Ruth's homemade Stromboli, chutney
• Halloumi breakfast at Lowthwaite B&B
TV highlights
• The Killing
• 10 O'Clock Live
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Spiral
Sporting highlights
On the box
• England winning the Ashes in Australia, and beating India
• Birmingham's League Cup final win over Arsenal
• Darren Clarke winning the British Open
• England beating Spain 1-0, in traditional Alamo style
• Charlton riding high, ending Huddersfield's long unbeaten run
Personal
• Getting No.1 Court tickets for Wimbledon
• Winning the Tug of War at our Royal Wedding street party
• Beating Kev twice at fourballs golf on the 18th green, with my partner Joe
• Day out at Lord's with my Dad, brother & Kev
• Trips to Celtic Park and Wembley
Books
• Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
• The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker
• One Day by David Nicholls
• The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
• All Quiet On The Orient Express by Magnus Mills
Films
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• True Grit
Live Music
• Sufjan Stevens
• The Boss at Glastonbury (on BBC)
Social events
• Butlins end-of-season tour with Red Star
• Camping in Kent with Jamie & Kath
• Stag dos in Pembroke, Southwold, Newcastle and Ascot
• Italy with uni friends for John & Suzette's wedding
• Bellydancing at Souk Bazaar for Buffy's birthday
Top 5 Smartphone Apps
• Zite
• Read It Later
• Camra's Good Beer Guide
• Nike+ GPS
• Spotify
Memorable News
• Downfall of the News Of The World
• Deaths of Amy Winehouse, Bert Jansch, Jimmy Saville, Christopher Hitchens, Socrates, Osama
• London riots, protests across the Middle East, Occupy
• Eurozone crisis, downfall of Berlusconi
• Poppygate saga
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