That Time of Year Again (Thanks 2012)!

There’s something about the end of a year that makes me a bit mawkish. So before I continue with this, if you don’t mind, I need to fix myself a nice cold drink of Chivas Regal.

Need to put these somewhere safe, in my stomach.

[Full disclosure about the Chivas Regal: it was actually a Christmas leftover my girlfriend and I nicked from my sister’s neighbor’s party. We were invited and there was this huge buffet with plenty of foods, beers and liquors. We sang songs with the nice neighbors, ate their food, drink their wine, played games with them. Before it’s over, we ensured the safety of the three quarters full Chivas Regal. It was a good party.]

Here’s to 2012! Cheers!

Now that’s better. 

Wait I need another one. Okay, that’s best.

Where were we? Oh. Well, it’s been a tradition on this blog since I started it in 2008 to write a post that wraps up the entire year, which also serves as a way to look back and see how I did. It contains mostly some of the highlights of another swell year gone by. Sometimes, or is it all the time, I include a few things I want to do next year – some goals I want to achieve, all that pretty stuff.

Let’s jump to the highlights.

First off, I’ve written 31 blog posts this year, 32 if you include this one, which make it 8 more posts than last year. That’s something to celebrate. Did I have it in my New Year resolution to blog more this year? Check. Taps back.

Here are the top 5 best posts of 2012:

• My Top Ten Best Books
• Blog Drunk
• You Are What Books People Give You
• Miami Heat 2011-2012 NBA CHAMPION! LeBron Finally Got the Ring!
• Lebron James' Reading List to Winning the NBA Finals

Most posts are short, but also a laugh to read and honest.

Second off is my reading. This could be the slowest year, sorry to say that, with only 28 books I’ve read in all. That’s lame. Here’s the list anyway:

1. True at First Light (Ernest Hemingway)
2. Green Hills of Africa (Ernest Hemingway)
3. The First Forty-Nine Stories (Ernest Hemingway)
4. The Pocket Book of O. Henry Stories
5. The Art of War (Sun Tzu)
6. The Thin Man (Dashiell Hammett)
7. My Best Friends (George Burns)
8. H.P. Lovecraft: A Biography (L. Sprague de Camp)
9. George Bernard Shaw: An Unauthorised Biography Based on Firsthand Information (Frank Harris)
10. The Mystery of Georges Simenon (Fenton Bresler)
11. Goldfinger (Ian Fleming)
12. The Illustrated Man (Ray Bradbury)
13. The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)
14. Spider Kiss (Harlan Ellison)
15. The Hilliker Curse (James Ellroy)
16. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
17. A Game of A Thrones (George R.R. Martin)
18. A Clash of Kings (George R.R. Martin)
19. A Storm of Swords (George R.R. Martin)
20. A Feast for Crows (George R.R. Martin)
21. A Dance with Dragons (George R.R. Martin)
22. Bukowski: A Life (Neeli Cherkovski)
23. Harlan Ellison's Watching (Harlan Ellison)
24. No Easy Day (Mark Owen)
25. Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown (Eric Blehm)
26. On the Road: The Original Scroll (Jack Kerouac)
27. Post Office (Charles Bukowski)
28. Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)

These are all great reads for me this 2012. Period. They enriched me and I’m always grateful for that. My only regret is that I failed to read more books. Hope 2013 would be a great year for reading.

Why I’m listing them? Because like some people, I love lists, especially this kind of list.

I also finished the whole Transmetropolitan comic book series by Warren Ellis, which was a great reading experience, by the way.

Third, something cool is in the works for 2013. Wish me luck. I fill you in the details later.

Chivas Regal is calling. And there’s still the countdown to usher in the New Year in some hours.

Cheers everyone! Hope you’d a great year, too. Feel free to tell us about your best moments and highlights in 2012 in the comment below.