The decade that was for me

It's hard to believe that we are entering a new decade. I really find it hard to believe that 10 years have already passed.

For me these past 10 years have been challenging to say the least. First of all, I changed careers at the beginning of decade deciding to become a journalist.

In 2001, my dad got into a serious car accident that he truly never recovered from fully. 9/11 happened.

I graduated from J-school and walked away with many lifetime friends. I returned home to help my younger brother take care of our father. In 2002 started working at the Bay and ended up there for almost 5 years in customer service and only for the past 5 did I finally land a job in journalism.

As a tech journalist, it allowed me to travel the world (well just Shanghai) and some of the United States that I normally wouldn't have. It was a great experience that I truly will never forgot.

Another great event that happened this decade was first my older brother getting married to a great woman and then the birth of their daughter in 2007. She is definitely the apple of my eye.

Of course, this decade I moved to Toronto and lived their for four years. Despite a rough seven months, I slowly embraced and loved my time in the center of the universe. I enjoyed my jaunts to TIFF and my road trips to Niagara-on-the-Lake and Stratford to see great plays.

I also moved back to Vancouver a couple of years ago. A decision I don't regret despite leaving all the great friends that I made in TO but seeing my niece do adorable things everytime I see her made my decision much easier to take.

Does are my life's highlights but this is a blog for pop culture so here I am to name my tops in music, books, stage, TV and film.

For me music in the 2000s starts and stops with The Swell Season and the three albums that introduced me to their music: Once, The Swell Seaon and Strict Joy.

My favourite books of the decade are:

• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• The Twilight Saga (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn) by Stephenie Meyer.
  I have to say that this was my surprise of the decade as I didn't want to love this book series but I did fall for it hard last year.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (although I discovered the Harry Potter series at the beginning of this decade). I love this book series above all as it got me to read again. I didn't fall in love with Harry Potter, I wouldn't have read all the books that I have read over the last 10 years.

My favourite stage plays of the decade:

• Bard on the Beach's 2002 Twelfth Night
• Mirvish's Sound of Music
• Mamma Mia
• Jane Eyre the musical
• The Music Man revival with Craig Bierko
• Hairspray
• Avenue Q

My favourite TV shows of the Decade:

• Jon and Kate plus 8: I love this show before it imploded on itself this year. What I love about this show (and I think what most people love this show) is the kids. They are adorable and when I first discovered this show, my niece was just born and these kids with their Asian looks (especially Alexis) gave me a glimpse into what my niece would be like when she reached the ages the Gosselin kids were during the show.
  

• Felicity. Sure the show started in 1998 but it ended in 2002 and if EW can select the Daily Show and The Sopranos (both shows started in the 1990s), why shouldn't I be allowed to pick Felicity. I related to this show as I was embarking on a new college career so it hit all the right notes at the right time. Plus I still would want Felicity to chose Ben over Noel. One of the things I remember was Season 3 premiered the night of 9/11 and it was a great respite from seeing all the horrors of the day.
  

• Gilmore Girls: Lauren Graham and Alexis Bleidel's mother/daughter relationship was why this show worked plus the mile-a-minute dialogue and numerous hilarious pop culture references and quirky characters especially Mrs. Kim.
  

• Battlestar Galactica: As a fan of the original cheesy 70s version, the re-imagining of BSG took it to a whole new level, in particular making it relevant to today's war environment. Plus it was neat that I knew Felix Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani) as my brothers were in the BC Boys Choir with him and those Centurions kicked some serious ass. The best moment of the show was when Galactica swooped in to rescue people off New Caprica.
  

• How I Met Your Mother: This show is hilarious. I love the Slap Bet episode where we are first introduced to Robin Sparkles, which I think is the funniest episode of the entire show.
  

• Veronica Mars: There was something very smart about this high school/mystery show. Kristen Bell was so great as Veronica with her witty remarks as she was doing her detective work made me love this show as well as the father/daughter relationship. Plus I love Tina Majorino as Mac.
  

• Survivor: It is the grand-daddy of all reality shows and at first I didn't want to watch it but I slowly got sucked-in to the challenges and even the strategy that I still watch the show even after 19 seasons. I can't wait for Season 20: Heroes Vs. Villains
  

• The Amazing Race: My favourite reality show of all time. What I love about this show was not just the challenges but the globe-trotting nature of the show. I got see places in the world I probaly would never think of seeing but because of this I want to go to there like Dubai, Estonia, Tunisia, Egypt, and I could go on and on
  

• Everwood: This show, what I can I say...I still miss this show and really wish it was still on and simply it was because of the introduction of one character as to why I love this show. It is Sarah Drew's Hannah Rogers. When she came on, we all were led to believe that she was meant to be an obstacle between Ephram and Amy but no she was actually crushing on the typical dumb jock, Bright. Instead of making it unrequited, Everwood did something that I love and that was to bring them together as a couple. Plus I love Tom Amandes as Dr. Abbott and Canadian Merrilyn Gann who play Mayor Abbott not because she's Canadian but she was also in the same film as my Dad (Chung Chuck).
  

• Jane Eyre (2007): The BBC did something extraordinary this decade and it gave me my one true love, the one version of Jane Eyre that is the one. The one version that gave me everything I wanted in a version which is a great soundtrack, excellent location and powerful, passionate chemistry between Jane (Ruth Wilson) and Rochester (Toby Stephens).

My favourite movies of the decade:

• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: As a fan of the Star Wars saga, I was thankful that George Lucas' ended the prequel trilogy on a high note with awesome battle scenes and lightsabre duels. Too bad about the corny dialogue.
  

• The Chronicles of Narnia: Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: There was something magical about this adaptation of CS Lewis' fantasy series plus two words: Those Beavers.
  

• Dear Frankie: This was a moving story of a single mother who hires a stranger to act as her deaf son's father to protect him from the truth. This movie also made me fall in love with Gerard Butler -it's too bad that he hasn't done anything as good since.
  

• Enchanted: Amy Adams makes this movie work. If you didn't believe in her performance as this Disney Princess who finds her self in today's NYC then this movie fails but her chemistry with Patrick Dempsey and her singing the Oscar-nominated That's How You Know makes this movie a favorite.
  

• Wallace and Gromit and the Case of the Were Rabbit: I love W&G, especially Gromit and this movie was just another wonderful wacky adventure of theirs.
  

• The Incredibles: When this Pixar movie about a family of superheroes came out on DVD, I watched it like 4 times. It was a innovative take on the Super Hero genre and who can forget Edna Mode.
  

• The Bourne Trilogy: Matt Damon, Matt Damon, Matt Damon kicking some serious ass with things like a magazine and a towel. What's not to like.
  

• Ratatouille: There is something cute about a rat that loves to cook and the way Brad Bird paints Paris is just breathtaking.
  

• The Harry Potter film series: I love them because they are based on a book series that I love. Here is the order that I love the film series so far: Half-Blood Prince, Goblet of Fire (it made the right cuts and got all the good bits in and plus Robert Pattinson is in it), Prisoner of Azkaban (except for that very last shot), Philosopher Stone, Chamber of Secrets and Order of the Phoenix (hated the cuts but the movie was awesome in IMAX).
  

• Once: I love this movie and the music. There is something absolutely simple and raw and honest in John Carey's film about an Irish Busker and a Czech flower seller who makes beautiful music together very winning.

So those are my tops of the decade. What are your favourites of the 2000s?