And a New Decade Is Finally Here.

Well Well Well. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! May all's well in 2010. Let us all make the 1st January a day not only for celebrations of sheer enjoyment, but a day when we're all determined to allow the new seeds of new, positive ideas and outlook on life to inseminate and grow. Let the 1st of January be the day when the bad blisters of the past are allowed to be instantly removed, just to have them replaced with the fresh skin of new spirit and new goals. Attainable goals, of course.

Having talked about attainable goals, here my new year resolutions go. 11 resolutions for the period of 2010-2011! Voila :)

11. I want to become a better cook. I need to become a better cook. I know I've improved tremendously in this respect since I started studying in Melbourne and living alone there, but still, it's not good enough. But then, learning to cook shouldn't be a big problem for me now since I have one of the best cooks in the world as my mom. She can teach me Cooking 101 anytime I feel like it this summer, so for now, determination is the only key. It's whether I want to learn it or not.

10. I want to go to the gym and be healthy! Yes, this needs to be in the resolution for sure! I'm gonna be 21 next year (gosh I feel old) and of course it'd be pathetic if I look 20 years older than my age. It's not that I'm gonna be young twice or thrice, so it'd be a shame if I just embrace old age, appearance-wise, 20 or 30 years prematurely.

9. I want to, at least, try to keep in touch with some old friends. Well, people say friendships are forever. I think they're all wrong. Friendships can easily wilt and die if the people involved are not making some efforts to keep them alive. There's no harm in resorting to some ego-crushing measures like saying hello occasionally to some sincere and true old friends to just show them that they're still parts of my life after all this while.

8. I want to spend my money more wisely after this. I guess I should not binge-shop whenever I have some cash in hand. Apart from that, I should cook more and spend less money on eating out. It's a glaring misstep that I spent too much of my money last year on eating out. I should start saving from now on; there are lots of things that I wanna do in 2010, so I certainly need dollars and cents to keep them all rolling!

7. I should update my blog more often! Yes, this is for sure. You know how much I treasure this blog. It's been here since 2007, and a lot of things have changed since then. Sometimes, when I feel like it, I'd go straight to this blog's archive and read whatever craps I wrote back in the day. Especially the posts that truly reflected the situation I was in back then; if there's such thing as a publicised diary, this blog truly fits the bill for me.

6. I should be more engaged with the community; I should realize that the world is like a jigsaw puzzle; everyone that's in it is inter-connected to each other. There's no room for selfish attitude in this world, and I know I can do much to help make the world a better place. I can start small; I can reduce the usage of plastic bags and make it a point to bring my Safeway shopping bag whenever I do my grocery shopping, for example. For this, I have to learn from Khairul. He's gone far in this respect, I'd have to say.

5. I have to look for a job! Yes, a job. I need it cos I love money. Who doesn't? However, the job I'll pick should not be too time-demanding, since I always put studies as my number one priority. I won't put my grades in jeopardy because of a few dollars some demanding jobs will bring.

4. I want to become a morally and spiritually better person. I don't have to elaborate further on this; let it be as private as it should be.

3. I want to score good grades consistently. Call me kiasu all you want, but a side of me always wants me to be on the top league academic-wise. Flopping in the exams has always been one of the last things that I want to happen in my life, so I'll make it a point to stay focussed on my studies and work hard and smart to maintain my grades. I surely want to graduate with a good degree, but that doesn't mean that I'll nerd my way to score straight H1s or any of its derivatives. I'll try to find the golden-ratio kind of balance in this sense.

2. I want to travel more! I need to. First spot, New Zealand! That's my goal for now. I'd also love to go to Tasmania, Gold Coast, and even Alice Springs. Anyone care to join? Anyway, a trip to Canada is very much on the radar; I want to travel around Canada and the States with Mary so bad! It is going to be fun, I know that, and that's why I need a money-making job so bad!

1. Let it be a secret only I know :)

Anyway, have you guys thought of the things that have certainly changed in the past 10 years? I can still vividly remember that 10 years ago, I was just a boy who was so passionate with my lego and world maps. Thinking about this makes me grateful to have chosen Geology, something that I really love. Something that's me.

Can you all imagine what's gonna happen in the next 10 years? Who will you become in 2020? What will the world be like at that time?

I pray for the best. I'm meek now but I have optimism at least.

Bonne annee tout le monde. Selamat tahun baru.


Faizal Hamssin