Year in review - big questions

dogmeat

Hmm - Some of these are not set in stone. On another day I might well change my mind but right now

What was your favourite moment of 2023?
Nothing stands out - probably the QF from a sporting perspective but the mens Final at the ASB Classic back in January before the climate turned to shit was great live sport.

Otherwise a street walking tour in Penang that included the best single dish I've ever tasted was memorable.

What was the best thing you purchased in 2023?
A three-piece, handmade linen suit to an original 1930's pattern. Bought for Art Deco. When that was cancelled went out on a Friday night in Auckland in it despite the incongruity. Got a lot of complimentary comments as I bar hopped..

What was the best thing you watched/read/listened to in 2023?
Nothing really stands out so I'm going to say my podcast listening in general. Keeps me sane and pretty informed as I grind out the steps.

What are you looking forward to in 2024?
the 'R' word. Unless work serves me up something interesting. Tentatively looking at renting a base in northern Italy for late summer and the autumn until the AB tour. possibly some sailing on the Adriatic.

Kiwiwomble

give it a go although i admit when these things come up im reminded how poor my memory can be!

What was your favourite moment of 2023?
our club quarter final against the rich club in town who had topped the table after the round robin...we beat them at home in the final round (they were that far ahead it didn't change them topping the table)...and then went to theirs the next week and snatched victory with a lineout steal inside our own 22...kick it out...whistle blows...crowd storms the field...beers are had

(id post a small video because i love watching it but i dont think we can)

What was the best thing you purchased in 2023?
55" Samsung Frame tv, all mounted, cables hidden etc...so good, rolling through an album (every 15min) of our travels over the years, love it

What was the best thing you watched/read/listened to in 2023?
this is where i'll really fall over because i feel whatever i put down TV wise....someone will say something and i'll regret my choice....so i'll go with "read" ...."Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir....couldn't put it down and have been considering reading again...which i almost never do

What are you looking forward to in 2024?
Can i say Dune 2?....other than that we have some trips planned including going right up into the arctic circle in Finland in january

Machpants

@Kiwiwomble said in Year in review - big questions:

give it a go although i admit when these things come up im reminded how poor my memory can be!

What was your favourite moment of 2023?
our club quarter final against the rich club in town who had topped the table after the round robin...we beat them at home in the final round (they were that far ahead it didn't change them topping the table)...and then went to theirs the next week and snatched victory with a lineout steal inside our own 22...kick it out...whistle blows...crowd storms the field...beers are had

(id post a small video because i love watching it but i dont think we can)

What was the best thing you purchased in 2023?
55" Samsung Frame tv, all mounted, cables hidden etc...so good, rolling through an album (every 15min) of our travels over the years, love it

What was the best thing you watched/read/listened to in 2023?
this is where i'll really fall over because i feel whatever i put down TV wise....someone will say something and i'll regret my choice....so i'll go with "read" ...."Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir....couldn't put it down and have been considering reading again...which i almost never do

What are you looking forward to in 2024?
Can i say Dune 2?....other than that we have some trips planned including going right up into the arctic circle in Finland in january

Good book and also looking forward to D2!

Nepia

Dam, I had an average year - it's hard to fill these in. No trips. Had a good chill job and the company ran out of money so now have another decent job. But I'll give it a go:

What was your favourite moment of 2023?
M@gpies winning the shield, breaking it, and watching the moral meltdown in the media and on the Fern. If we'd won the NPC final this would have been the best year in history and I'd still be hungover.

What was the best thing you purchased in 2023?
I don't think I had any big purchases this year. Looking at getting a mini PC to run my Plex Server and Steam for Xmas so that will cover it.

What was the best thing you watched/read/listened to in 2023?
TV: Reservation Dogs, The Bear.
Movies: Oppenheimer.
Book: Killers of the Flower Moon. Much better than the movie.
Podcast: Not the best, but the best new 2023 is Once a Warrior with Monty Bethem, great interview podcast with old Warriors. Worst is the official Warriors one One Take. Presenters are too nicknamey with players and I'm pretty sure they started the Wahs bullshit.

What are you looking forward to in 2024?
Finally getting to do my Japan trip.

Nepia

This post is deleted!

antipodean

What was your favourite moment of 2023?
Sport: RWC qtr final.
That's about equal with convincing the government to remove a tree from the front of my house.

What was the best thing you purchased in 2023?
Trip to France to play my last games of rugby. Took the opportunity to go to Portugal and Spain - both countries I'd never been before. Loved it more than I thought I would.

What was the best thing you watched/read/listened to in 2023?
Book - Some People Need Killing
Movie - Oppenheimer
TV - Hijack

What are you looking forward to in 2024?
Spending more time fly fishing and improving my casting.

Smudge

What was your favourite moment of 2023?

Can a month-long holiday be a moment? If not, it was getting a phone call from the real estate agent in early March, advising that I had two offers on my house after 10 days on the market. If I can have a month-long moment, it was my holiday in the UK & France. Everything went to plan and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

What was the best thing you purchased in 2023?

cute little 3-bedroom cottage with a big backyard in Hutt Central
turntable, amp and speakers
a limited edition whisky from Balvenie.

What was the best thing you watched/read/listened to in 2023?

the NZ TV series Far North was genuinely enjoyable

What are you looking forward to in 2024?

Las Vegas for a week in early April.

MajorRage

This is probably a bit early as I'm heading to NZ in a week and not been there for 4 years so this will surely have some epic moments. But here we go:

Moment.

It has to be the New York marathon. Has to be. I guess if you are looking at moments as I was 23 seconds away from my time then crossing the finish line would have to be number 2. Top spot would be finally meeting up with my wife after 45 mins at the end. Despite passing / running with probably over a million people, it's a pretty lonely place out there.

Purchased

Tesla Model 3. It's quite far from my favourite car / best car but for what we use it for, I cannot think of anything that comes close. Next generation of driving combined with some incredible tech, as a town runner car, it's spot on perfect.

Watched

The Last Dance. Story was everything I wanted it to be.

2024

Edinburgh marathon, summer villa holiday in France with friends, then up to another friends summer/beach house in Denmark.

Catogrande

My best moment was really bittersweet. Ms Cato No1 had finally moved out but took her dog. Of course we miss her but bloody hell, we missed the dog. So we got him laid and he sired a litter of pups. 7 girls and 1 boy and we had dibs on the boy. Finally settled on a name for him and that was when he truly felt he was ours. 2 days later the poor lad dropped down dead playing with his sisters. We hummed and haahed about taking one of the girls and I was not keen. Anyway on the next visit one of the girls chose me by rushing across the room and delivering a flying headbutt to my guts. Outcome is we have a beautiful dog that we adore.

Best thing I watched was a rewatch of the original Tinker, Tailor. Just brilliant TV. The writing, the acting and dialogue just spot on. It shows that you don’t need lots of set piece action to make good viewing.

Best purchase was probably a long weekend in a beach house as a Christmas present for Mrs Cato. We were visited by both Ms Catos as well. Probably the last time the four of us will be away together as just us.

What am I looking forward to in 2024? Possibly retiring, not sure yet. I’d like to say I’m looking forward to England playing some rugby but that will probably be behind the sofa viewing as likely to be a horror show. On reflection it is probably planning a couple of touring holidays in France and possibly Spain to see an old rugby mate.

Dodge

I started to think about this earlier, I didn’t even get to the last three questions. As I was thinking through the year I realised that all of my favourite moments were friends and family ones, moments with my parents, moments with my children and moments with my wife. Its been an amazing exercise in realising how lucky I am. A few for my benefit more than yours:

Taking my dad to Twickenham to watch England in the 6N, first time we’ve done it for ages. Felt like a kid again, and yet somehow a grown up.
Eating caviar and drinking champagne in Copenhagen on a weekend away with my wife.
Eating late night chips in a bar in soho with my wife and kids after a surprise trip to Matilda musical and night away in London - their faces when they found out what was going on.
My kids last days at their schools, and first days at their new schools - watching my 11 year old grow up infront of my eyes as she takes her next steps into the world without needing me.
The four of us eating pintxos and swimming in the sea in my favourite city in the world, San Seb, taking the exact same photo in the exact same spot with my youngest for the 4th time, seeing how she’s growing without me noticing.
My youngest winning a gymnastics competition despite being shit scared about taking part, my eldest winning player of the match for her netball team the week after she was told she was too short to play much for her club (she’s 11 for fucks sake)
A weekend away with best mates, picking apples, making and drinking cider in the sunshine and swimming in the sea in October - those moments when a group of lads pause and realise how lucky you are.
Cycling through Times Square no handed with my best mate of 30 odd years whilst our wives were getting drunk somewhere else.
FaceTiming my eldest from a rooftop bar in NY so she could see ‘the friends skyline’
Picking my brother and his fiancée up from Heathrow at 5am when I hadn’t seen him for so long.
Drinking with my oldest school mates last Friday night with guest appearances from the Australian and Northern contingents.

I know I cheated but fuck me that list could have been longer. Wow

voodoo

@Dodge said in Year in review - big questions:

I started to think about this earlier, I didn’t even get to the last three questions. As I was thinking through the year I realised that all of my favourite moments were friends and family ones, moments with my parents, moments with my children and moments with my wife. Its been an amazing exercise in realising how lucky I am. A few for my benefit more than yours:

Taking my dad to Twickenham to watch England in the 6N, first time we’ve done it for ages. Felt like a kid again, and yet somehow a grown up.

Eating caviar and drinking champagne in Copenhagen on a weekend away with my wife.

Eating late night chips in a bar in soho with my wife and kids after a surprise trip to Matilda musical and night away in London - their faces when they found out what was going on.

My kids last days at their schools, and first days at their new schools - watching my 11 year old grow up infront of my eyes as she takes her next steps into the world without needing me.

The four of us eating pintxos and swimming in the sea in my favourite city in the world, San Seb, taking the exact same photo in the exact same spot with my youngest for the 4th time, seeing how she’s growing without me noticing.

My youngest winning a gymnastics competition despite being shit scared about taking part, my eldest winning player of the match for her netball team the week after she was told she was too short to play much for her club (she’s 11 for fucks sake)

A weekend away with best mates, picking apples, making and drinking cider in the sunshine and swimming in the sea in October - those moments when a group of lads pause and realise how lucky you are.

Cycling through Times Square no handed with my best mate of 30 odd years whilst our wives were getting drunk somewhere else.

FaceTiming my eldest from a rooftop bar in NY so she could see ‘the friends skyline’

Picking my brother and his fiancée up from Heathrow at 5am when I hadn’t seen him for so long.

Drinking with my oldest school mates last Friday night with guest appearances from the Australian and Northern contingents.

I know I cheated but fuck me that list could have been longer. Wow

sounds like you spent half of 2023 drunk, sounds like my kind of year!

barbarian

@dogmeat said in Year in review - big questions:

Otherwise a street walking tour in Penang that included the best single dish I've ever tasted was memorable.

What was the dish? I did a street food tour of Penang in 2019, still talk about the egg samosa that I had. Amazing place.

dogmeat

https://www.forum.thesilverfern.com/post/901316

Been in Malaysia Had the best single dish of my life in Penang from a Michelin bibbed street stall. A Laksa but with a broth of salted herring rather than coconut cream. The depth of flavour was amazing just kept on developing. The char koay teow with duck egg was damn fine too. Malays really know how to enjoy their food.

barbarian

That sounds awesome. I need to go back there.

dogmeat

@dogmeat said in Recipes, home grown goodness, BBQing and food stuff:

@Nepia It's a very descriptive name - Penang Road Famous Laksa.

Just beware it's not actually on Penang Road! 5 Lebuh Keng Kwee

Thoroughly recommend the food tour
Penang: Afternoon Walking Foods Tour
Best $60 you will spend. Go hungry!!!

dogmeat

mariner4life

Best thing you ate would be a good addition.

NTA

Favourite moment: went camping in the Blue Mountains with my daughter, then 15. After the sun set, we chilled out on a canvas tarp looking up at the stars and taking about life, the universe, and everything. I am repeatedly amazed at her emotional maturity.

Best purchase:
got my old car a new stereo? A couple of camping bits and pieces. Not much to mention really.

Best media:
I'll say dead heat between Oppenheimer and The Barbie Movie

Looking forward to:
A new car in 2024, and an EV at that.

voodoo

My best moment - on a selfish/personal level, hard to go past finishing the Port Mac Ironman. I won't forget the red carpet experience at the end in a hurry (nor the limping around like a cripple for 2 weeks afterwards). Had lots of great family moments, usually revolving around a holiday, watching my girl run, or my oldest lad playing gigs. Nothing really on the sport-watching calendar in 2023 ranks up there for me - yeah the QF was solid, but it already feels overshadowed by the F.

Best thing I watched was Drops of God - cracking series, can't recall if I posted about it or not. Highly recommend.

Best purchase - can't think of anything of significance that I bought this year other than 3-4 pairs of running shoes (a weird fetish of mine).

Looking forward to in 2024? Fuck all new stuff to be honest. No milestone events ahead, no major holidays planned. I'd love to be back here in 12 months answering Q3 with "My new Kamado Joe", but that's probably not going to happen. 2024 looks like more of the same, and to be honest, that's probably pretty OK with me.

Kruse

Best moment - it's fucking sad, but it really was probably RWC QF... it was such an unexpected result, with the pure sporting fan pleasure - but also watching it with 2 uni mates, the 3 of us not having had been together for a couple of decades - and then just over-celebrating afterwards

Best purchase - a backpack. Again - sad. A ridiculously priced backpack/rucksack. Half-a-grand worth of motorcycling backpack. But it's fucking awesome. Kriega shit is quality. Went to pick it up from the local store having ordered it in, and the girl asked "Oh - is that the gold-plated one?" - obviously disapproving. https://kriega.com/riderpacks/roam-34-backpack

Best watch/read/listen - had to lean back and think... and nothing stands out. Sad again - but maybe Succession or the not-zombie-but-fungi series? The Last of Us - had to look it up. Or - I could just cite all the shit from previous years - which are better than anything which came out this year.

2024 - trip to Vietnam/Laos in Feb - riding dirty dirt-bike over the Ho-Chi-Minh trail, and a legitimate Cu'o'ngs t-shirt (a-la Christian Slater on Archer). And possibly a move to Vancouver, for improved access to Class-A drugs. Expect my posts to become vastly less coherent, until I sell my work laptop.

The Silver Fern

Year in review - big questions