BeSt On ReCorD

Let the record state, I am not a fan of New Years Eve. That is, until this year. Let's see, in recent memory I've been stuck at a lame party with an ex boyfriend, I've frozen my toes off standing for hours in NYC for 10 seconds of fanfare (seriously, DO NOT go), and been in many a "transition phase" during winter breaks where none of my uni friends were at school (so why go back?) but I live in a place I didn't grow up, ergo no friends. That meant I ended up getting my new years night kisses...from my little nephew at 9pm as he scampered off to bed. Not that I mind being with my family but, you know. Oh, and let's not forget the two I spent on Temple Square and was in bed by 10pm only to be awakened by drunk people guestamating midnight. Or the time a few years ago when I tried to make up for lost time by ringing in the New Year a la London style only to get separated from my friends and ring in the New Year on my own. Yup, that was one for the books.

I think my biggest problem is that people make NYE out to be this amazingly momentous occasion. As if by the stroke of midnight some fairy godmother will make your life/event/evening different, happier, crazier, more fulfilling. Maybe it's been that way for you, but for it always seems very anticlimactic. I guess I also don't like the count down aspect. Why do I need a crystal ball to tick away my time? I don't; I don't want that! Thus, this year was a breath of fresh air for me in so many ways.

I hopped on a plane last minute to a place I'd never been (adventure!) to see a friend I hadn't seen in ages (love reunions) and to relax (yes please). That's it, no big hype... After a relaxed dinner Kunal, Markus, Amy and I meandered through Zurich to meet Kunal's friends at a bar and arrived nearly at midnight. The only reason we knew it was midnight was because we heard commotion in the street. I looked down at my still GMT-set watch and said, "Oh, Happy New Year!" We all said cheers and kept on with the conversation. That is, until we had to walk down to the lake for fireworks (you can't top that!) Then for the next twenty or so minutes we watched fireworks explode into various shapes and shades as we sipped on tea Kunal had the foresight to pack (if he wasn't a boyscout, he's made up for lost time.)

Seriously, I felt so content. Good food, good company, great entertainment. In fact, one thing I loved the most about ringing in NYE in Zurich was that the fireworks actually started at 12:30, almost as if to say to the New Year, "oh you're here? Okay, sure we can acknowledge your presence." From there, we wandered through the city not so much bar hopping since most were closed, but wandering and enjoying the evening. Post-bar, post-Kebab, post-"this is closed too?!" we made our way home at 4am to sip on some more tea before crawling into bed for a few hours sleep before we continued the glorious adventure of Zurich fully into 2012.

As I said, literally no better way to start the New Year. Best. On. Record. Happy 2012!