Looking back at all the things that have happened in my life in the last year both online and offline, I am suddenly realizing just how long and adventurous the year has been.
I’m going to take a little time to reflect on everything and give you all a chance to read some older posts if you’re up for it.
My life offline
I started off 2008 in Seoul, South Korea amongst thousands (millions?) of people at probably one of the biggest New Year bashes in the world. At the time, I was teaching English to advanced Korean students (elementary age) in Bundang, which is a bit outside of Seoul. I spent the rest of the year there until coming back to the U.S. a few months early in October.
When I came home to Alabama, my sister, Amy, and I decided that it would be beneficial for us both to live together. So, I packed my bags for Atlanta, Georgia, where I’m currenlty living and working. At this point, I had decided that I’d be working from home.
Okay, so living in Korea was pretty much the highlight of the year. I met people from all over the world, learned more about different cultures than many will in a lifetime. I made many good friends that I will never forget and some that I still keep in regular contact with now.
My only regret is not chronicling more about my life here on the blog, which is something I hope to do more of in the future (even if it does bore some of you). Here are some posts from this past year on my life:
- Changes: Some things to expect in the coming year
- South Korean morning
- Korean folk village
- They do say all good things must come to an end
- I’m leaving on a jet plane
My life online
Most of this year, at least here on this blog, has been about WordPress. WordPress is pretty much my life anyway. The highlight of the year online for me was launcing Theme Hybrid. Since I blogged so much about WordPress, I’ll have to break these posts into categories.
WordPress plugin/theme releases, news, and other announcements
- Options WordPress theme release
- Cleaner WordPress Gallery Plugin
- Get the Image WordPress plugin
- Project M announcement (Theme Hybrid)
- Bringin’ sexy to…bbPress?
- Launch of ThemeHybrid.com
- Hybrid WordPress Theme Framework
- Widgets Reloaded: WordPress Plugin
- JavaScript Logic: WordPress Plugin
WordPress discussions
- In defense of the WordPress 2.5 widget panel
- Screw the premium theme market.
- Got options?
- If you were a WordPress theme developer: Page templates
- If you were a WordPress theme developer: 404 templates
- If you were a WordPress theme developer: Widget areas
- If you were a WordPress theme developer: Plugin support
- If you were a WordPress theme developer: Theme options
- If you were a WordPress theme developer: Feature
- Putting the boot to premium theme developers
- Using bookmarks (links) more effectively
- Some thoughts on the WordPress community, themes, and the GPL
- Why I created a WordPress theme framework
WordPress tutorials, tips, and hacks
- Doing more with Gravatars: Comments
- Doing more with Gravatars: Author bio
- Doing more with Gravatars: Authors page template
- Replacing WordPress content with an excerpt without editing theme files
- Tips on using and developing for WordPress happily
- Installing two WordPress blogs with the same users
- Making your theme’s comments compatible with WordPress 2.7 and earlier versions
- New page menu function in WordPress 2.7
- Creating single post templates in WordPress
- How to change your feed links without using .htaccess
Looking toward 2009
I suppose it’s time to say farewell to 2008. It’s been a great year, and I expect 2009 to be even better.
Now I’m off to draft my goals for the new year. There’s a lot to look forward to. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year’s Eve.
Justin,
Wishing you a safe and prosperous new year to come.
Frank
You’ve contributed alot in 2008, thanks for that!
Happy new year!
Frank — Thanks. I hope you have a great new year as well.
Wesley — I think I could’ve contributed even more, but I was lazy at times. I’m hoping to do a lot more blogging in 2009 and contribute more than last year.