As I sat in the train on the night of January 1st, I decided to write down some of tha changes I'm planning to make in 2011. Many call it resolutions. Some call it aspirations. Whatever this thing we'd usually do at the beginning of every year is called, I thought it was better to consider them as changes I want to make and bring into my year rather than just changes I'm hoping would Happen in the year or one that the year would bring to me. The way I see, you make changes happen. Waiting for them to take place by miracle or chance is something close to ridiculousness.
So, here are some changes I'm planing to make:
try grow facial hair =)
This is just some crazy idea I feel like trying although all my friends don't seem to like the idea. I'd usually shave when the hair started to grow and friends would quickly notice and say I look younger =P clean-shaven but I thought this would be a nice try. I'm giving myself until end of January to see how well I can carry the look. I last shaved on the 30th before I went down to London so we'll see what's gonna happen when January ends =p!
go home for summer!!
I didn't go back to Malaysia last summer so I'm gonna go home this year, by hook or by crook (I'll seduce the pilot if needs be =p!), to see my beloved family. Plus, my summer break, which is one month short compared to the usual two month and a half, coincides well with fasting month and Eid. I'm not gonna be missing scelebrating Eid with my family and relatives two years in a row!
pass 3rd year medicine!
Well, there's no explaining this. I ain't repeating a year!
gain weight...hmmm...
Hmmm, pretty unlikely to happen. Aside from eating non-stop, I don't see going to the gym as a viable option to me because I really just lack discipline! Might be a good start for a change but I ain't gonna delude myself. Plus, I'll always have my huge workload as an easy excuse to not stick to the routine.
control and manage finance...
Not my favourite part. Nor is it my strong point. There have been numerous occasions where I caught myself in sticky situations (the gravity of those situations will not be mentioned, nor will the extent of the effect of them) so this has to be done. Although having just got back from London fresh from shopping at Oxford Street and Regent Street and Camden Town, I am now in one of those sticky situations.
travel???
I guess this will only happen if the above change works out.
take part in more writing competitions
Pumped up from my win last September, I had sent one or two entries for some other competitions and we'll see what happen of them soon. As for now, I'm already looking for other competitions to take part in.
exercise (meh...)/sports
Yeah, this need to be done also. The last time I properly sweat was probably some time in October last year. I haven't been to the sport centre either for badminton or squash. While I'm good at neither, it was good to just run around to sweat a little. I should really get back to doing this although I still haven't renewed my membership for the academic year. And this term is supposed to be more hectic. One thing I hate about exercising is that it make me lost weight which is not what I need!
make more friends =P
Not that I don't have any. I'm pretty close with all my friends but every year, tehre would always be new people to meet and befriend so that would be an interesting prospect to look forward to. And I'm increasing my Facebook 'friends' cap to 200. I've managed to maintained my 175 cap for 2010 (having had to remove a couple few =P) but I'm bound to meet more people in 2011. I decided, back in 2009, that it would strictly be for actual friends I've met and got close to. I don't even have any of my siblings on my Facebook. They peek their noses in my life through this blog =p.
read more out of medical topics
One of the changes I want to happen is to be more aware of other political and social issues happening around the world. This might be just me but being a medical student seems to have limit my interest on other broader and more important issues when it should be otherwise. On that note, I've decided to subscribe to TIME magazine to keep up with what's happening around the world. And probably read more news online and stuff like that. Plus, I like being a smart. Wit beyond measure is men's greatest treasure =P.
start on the 'novel'!!!
I've always had this dream of writing a novel and after the win, it sort of rekindles that flame again. There was a time after I just finished my SPM where I actually spent my time planning and plotting a story for a novel. Never worked out. Not that it's a topic I want to tell the whole world but I have a friend who says my love life is like a novel so maybe I should start writing about it. Or something related to it. Anyway. the crux is to just get started. No more planning and dreaming!
try one thing new every month
Just thought I would include this end. It would be nice to explore other exciting and slighly eccentric interests very few have tried. Twelve months ahead. Twelve new interests to think about.
volunteer!!!
The last time I actually volunteeered for something was back when I was doing my IB. Back then, active involvement in voluntary activities were sort of a requirement to successfully complete the IB so it was a lil' compulsary rather than voluntary. I did however joined a voluntary mission to help the flood victims in Johor back in 2008 and that had been a good experience. Since there is very few risk og any flood happening in the UK, I'm thinking of something cancer- or HIV-related. Again, this depends on the amount of time I have. We can all dream but it takes a wiser man to be realistic. I'm not gonna spread myself too thin but I don't want to sell myself short either.
read more - a book a month???
Again, medicine really takes a lot of time I've noticed I have been reading less and less for the last two years. We'll see if three to four chapters every night before sleeping will change that!
call/contact family more often
Yup, I really need to do this. I'm sure many will disapprove when I say that I'm a lot closer to my friends than I am to my siblings or that I reveal more to my friends than I share with my parents. That is true and I don't feel one bit of guilt about it. Yeah, I found it easier for me to be open to my friends on the simple reason that I'm spending more time with my friends so there are lotsa topics I can talk and discuss with my friends seeing as we see the same circle of people.
Having said that, I do feel guilty in terms of appearing to be less than concerned of what's going on at home back in Malaysia. I love my family and I rarely say the words and I rarely ask about things happening in their lives so this year, I will want to do that. I'm a pretty good listener to my friends so I guess I should be the same for my family/
try falling in love, again!!!
I feel like scratching this one out now. I've been wanting for the same change for 2010. There were attempts at it but none was successful. There was no love, but merely the idea of it. And there were times when I was a lil' deluded about it. And there are times when those failures had put me off believing in it all. Then again, a ship in harbour is safe but that's not what a ship is built for!
Not that I'm desperate but somehow it feels like a good thing to have happened. I have all the great things I need (family, friends, study - future career) and I seemt to be managing well so far so maybe it's the next thing to be on the look out for. It's not exactly the topmost priority but I wouldn't say no when it comes knocking!
less tweeting (reasonable!!!)
Yup, I do tweet a lot. It's about time I start reducing the amount of tweet I'm sending everyday. And no more checking Twitter every morning after I wake up. Not that it was any wrong. I've been made aware of some very crucial and important issues all around the world so Twitter does help in terms of creating awareness and it's all good that I can share those new things I've learned by retweeting them. But just like how I got bored of Facebook (I got bored of things really easy), Twitter is losing its novelty on me so I'm likely to spend less time on it.
So, that's it! Happy 2011 =P
