New Year 2007

Happy New Year all!

Although lots of stuff have happened over the Christmas period, I'll blog them later - right now, I want to look back on 2006 and then forward to 2007.

Reading back over my old blog post at the start of the previous year, I had set four goals for myself:

Independence, fitness, and proficiency at learning Japanese. I can say now that I have been able to fulfill two of those three goals.
Although I haven't been able to move out of the house, the fact that I now have a car means that I have more freedom to go whereever I want, and now that I have a steady job, I can support myself a little more.
I've been going to the gym over the year, and have dropped down to about 80-81kg. I've been keeping at it, and now I'm fitter than I was at the beginning of 2006. Definitely a good sign, and hopefully it'll continue to improve over the coming year as I aim even further.
Learning Japanese, considering that I'm a Japanophile, is something I have gained incredible progress in. I can now write hiragana and katakana, as well as some kanji (about 30 or so I think), and speak it relatively well - so much that one friend has been asking me to translate stuff for her, although it is still hard trying to translate considering my vocabulary is a bit limited. I have to keep at it this year, and by the year's end, I hope to be able to speak it fluently and have a relatively good grasp of written Japanese.

As far as romance is concerned ... there was Forbidden Fruit during most of the second quarter of the year, but it sort of faded, after much heartache and sorrow. I'm rather glad that I'm over her. That which cannot kill you makes you stronger, as they say. Then I found out another girl had a crush on me, and somehow started liking her to reciprocate her feelings. Unfortunately, spread over several months, things went south. I saw her at a friend's party a little while ago, but she doesn't even seem to want to give me the time of day, despite my extending an olive branch to just let things pass.

2006 has been a really ... interesting year. I had half a year at university, and then took off after first semester finished to take a break. The semester at university was all right - getting to borrow a family friend's Prelude gave me more freedom to go where I wanted.
Getting together with a friend for a good poker night was a lot of fun as well - ironic considering that Casino Royale came out later that year.
The highlight of my year has to undoubtedly be the Ex-Trip. I've never travelled with friends before, and spending a week with some of my closest friends - those from high school - travelling around Australia was a great experience. The highs, the lows, the laughs, it was something that I'd definitely do again.

Overall, I think that 2006 has been a good year for me, and I feel that I've really grown over the year, on the inside as well as on the outside. I've been listening to a lot of self-improvement stuff, and I feel empowered to take on the year ahead. By the time I'm done, the year won't know what hit it! ^_^

I've set myself some resolutions this year that I will be working towards with vigour:

1) Get straight Distinctions for all my subjects. This I will strive towards with all of my power.
2) Save up $10,000 for the J-Trip to Japan that I plan to go on at the end of the year. I have already managed to enlist a couple of travelling companions, so all that is to be done now is find more and get the cheapest prices we can.
3) Get my weight down from 81kg down to 70-71kg. By the end of the year, I want to have sculpted a body that I'm immensely proud of - a visible six-pack, well-toned arms, legs and upper body, and a rock-stable core.
4) Get myself a girlfriend. Although I haven't seen The 40 Year-Old Virgin, I certainly don't want to end up with a title like that. As well as that, I really want the female company. I want a woman who will stand behind me, and support me as we move on through this adventurous voyage that is called Life.

So then,

To 2007, a year of success and growth!