twenty-oh-seven

okay, so this is about a month delayed -- the reason which i've already explained in one of my previous posts. but in honor of the year turning new, here is my list of things to do or my goals for the new year (and believe me, i am sure pretty optimistic about it!). i do hope that by the time this year ends, i get to do everything on this list..and even more :-)

1) travel
- i think this will always be part of my new year's list of things to do...coz i'm a WANDERLUSTER!!! hahaha. i just see this finally come into fruition more now that i have someone to constantly travel with :-) i also foresee myself having more time this year (hmm, how can that be possible? hahaha). we will most probably try land travel first so that we could roadtest carlo's dear elcy! i don't mind since I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ROADTRIPS :-) i think we should start with local tourism first to gain firsthand experience on what our country has to offer. and anyway i don't really have money yet to travel outside of the philippines. basta, aabot din akong europe pero hindi pa ngayon.

2) learn more about photography
- i assisted carlo earlier today for a shoot and a realization dawned on me -- that photography is something i would like to be good at and something i would like to earn money from at the same time. even if all i did this morning was be carlo's errand girl, there was this fun element from the experience: the whole process of coming up with an idea and capturing that idea into still image, the whole creativity involved, is simply satisfying. kaya naman ngayon napapaisip na akong bumili ng dSLR. and of course, i would need a laptop. i do need a laptop. like a macbook perhaps. sige patch, i-justify mo pa. hahaha. hay, low on funds. both are pretty hard on the bank account, which isn't really pretty fluid these days. so although it is very probable i won't really be able to get my dSLR nor my macbook, i will still try to practice and learn. at least carlo's camera is there for my usage, hehe :-)

3) finally learn how to speak nihongo
- my tita is going to kill me! i asked her to buy me a nihongo book as pasalubong when they came here to visit feb of last year..but i haven't gone past lesson 1! and they are coming to visit again this year! for sure she's going to ask me how the lessons are going..i don't have the heart to tell her that i haven't progressed! so i have, i have, I HAVE to move on to the advanced level at most by the end of the year.

4) buy me meh gadgets!
- macbook! dSLR! lomo LCA +! i've always wanted these. doubt i'd be able to get any this year but i'll just put them on the list anyway. let me push myself to the limits! :-)

5) live independently
- again, talk about pushing myself to the limits. i remember telling myself before that by the age of twenty-six, i should be living independently already. it didn't push through coz i chickened out! bokbokbokok! hahaha. i made excuses. i told myself that i should save money first. i also thought that i have all the time in the world to live separately from my parents when i get married. but at the start of this year, i realized that now is the time to try living on my own. first, i find where we live at too small for all of us. second, it is far from work and friends and..hehehe :-) third, i really need a my own personal space -- a place where i can set-up my craft and work on it and not be bothered by anyone. the third reason is tied to my other goals. if i don't satisfy the third reason, it may be hard to accomplish my other goals (wekwek, justifying again!). question is, can i really move out already? am i financially capable? is my family ready to let me go? well, we'll see. after all, i am three years shy from turning thirty, for crying out loud!

6) study. study. study.
- i don't know why but there is just this craving to keep on learning and to absorb everything out there that interests me. here are just some of the things i do hope to be knowledgeable/good/better at by the end of the year: photography, dressmaking, operations research, accounting, speaking and writing in japanese, anything and everything about designing, investing.

7) learn how to cook/bake
- i know nothing about the kitchen and i made a promise that before i get married or, at most, before i have kids, i should know how to cook already so that when my kids talk to their playmates, they wouldn't be embarrassed to say that their mom doesn't know how to cook. hehehe. and so that i can bake my kids cookies! myself too! :-)

8) open the circle!
- i've met a lot of people in the past year and i must say it's been great. i've always had a closed world and just keep several friends close because i'm pretty shy! pramis! most of all to girls..i don't know why. i have a hard time bonding with girls that's why i have a lot of guy friends. i guess it's partly because i can't find girls who have the same interests as i do, except for the whole fashion thang. most girls love to dress up. i guess it's also partly because of that characteristic of girls to overanalyze and nitpick people's personalities. in other words, girls love to bash other people, most of all other girls (hence, mean girls). this why i get shy and scared when around girls, most of all new acquaintances. i just somehow can't get myself to connect! or maybe, due to the growing years spent with the a-boys, all social skills towards the female specie was never really developed! hahaha. joke lang, i miss those guys. but really, i'm going to spread my wings and meet more people..shed the cloak of shyness! haha. it's fun most of all when you bond with someone who's nice and you share the same interests with: you know there's always someone there whom you can learn from and exchange ideas with. and you'll never know when that connection may be useful in the future. but don't take me wrong..i'm not user-friendly!

9) get into shape and exercise more
- i'm one lethargic ball of skin! and since i'm not getting any younger, i know it will be beneficial for me in the future if i invest on my health now. eat right. move more. less sugar. more of the healthy stuff. maybe get into the activities that i'm interested in learning (basketball, capoiera, pilates, zips..striptease?!?! hahaha)..and pursue tennis with carlo..even if it's so frustrating for me, hahaha. and i'm inspired now after seeing pix of my friend..she's so hot! :-)

10) work on THE goal
- i think that this entry is what's closest to my heart because it involves passion and hardwork. i say this every year but i feel that this year is THE year. what it is will probably unfold in my blog entries in the coming months. i don't want to say anything first so as not to jinx it (and so that it'd be a surprise!). i'll detail the experience as i progress. hopefully, i do progress :-)