New Year Resolutions 2009

2 days left til the new year. I'm at work today since I'm saving my leave for my upcoming India trip. AND, I'd like to get everything in the office organised and sorted to start the year anew. PLUS, I like being in the office when there's less people and I seem to get more things done.

Amidst the updating, sorting, throwing out of junk and clearing my worktable, I've been thinking about how far I've come in the past year (and also all my guilty indulgences).

During the 12 months of 2008:
- I had a busy time at work. But my learning curve has steepened further and starting next week, I'm moving on to unchartered territory (okay I'm being dramatic here but starting to cover stocks is a big deal and I'm moving on to being a full-fledged analyst!). It has been a rewarding year (both in terms of experience and the paycheck didnt hurt).

- I passed my CFA Level 1 exams but failed Level 2. Not too upset about it though. Try and try again. Failure shouldn't deter me.

- I discovered the joys of yarn shopping online and spent way too much on yarn. Exactly how much, I have no idea. In fact, I dont even want to think about the cost. But buying yarn just makes me so happy so if its within my budget, I'm splurging. In the past, I just never wanted to buy yarn online just so that I could control myself. But I failed to resist the temptation... and ended up happier with my yarn stash.

- I also spent too much on knitting "literature". English and Japanese knitting books, knitting magazines... blah blah blah. I can't help it. Kinokuniya has such a great selection I can't stop myself each time I go in there.

- Too much on clothes too. And shoes. And bags. And jewelry (to a lesser extent). Whoops. I can't help it if I take after my mother the queen shopaholic. It's part of my training by her since birth.

- I overate quite a bit and quite often. So what is new? I've been a glutton for years. It's not my fault that restaurants in Malaysia keep serving yummier food all the time. (Speaking of which, we had dinner at Sage, The Gardens yesterday and it was good. My sister declared it was her new favourite restaurant in town. Review to come.)

- I indulged in my other hobby: baking. Spent quite a fair amount of money buying "essential items for the kitchen". But hey, I argue that they've been put to good use and that they last a lifetime.

- I made my annual trip back to London in June.... And had a great time. Short trips to Barcelona and Lourdes were great too. And of course stocked up on yarn and clothes.

- I tried to be more green.... and bought biodegradable shower gel. Which is the most likely culprit that triggered my recent case of eczema.

- My cholesterol levels have risen yet again. Obviously a direct result of my feasting and lack of exercise. And I've been avoiding my cardiologist. And that was in May so I think it's time for another round of checks.

- We had more holidays within Malaysia: Penang, Cameron Highlands, Pangkor Laut, Damai Laut (Lumut) and on the Kaleebso. Going local here given the worsening economy. Plus, we have such great places around the country that we should appreciate them and patronise these tourist destinations.


My resolutions for 2009 are:

- to spend less.
- to eat less (which then results in spending less since the bulk of my expenses is food).
- to lose some weight just so I can fit into my old clothes (also a result of eating less).
- to start going to the gym again? I have no idea if this will work out at all but I should try to at least start running on the threadmill at home.
- to do more charity work and put others before myself.
- to try to stay in touch more often with my friends, especially those in Malaysia. I used to be really good at keeping the communication thingy going (phone calls, emails, cards, birthdays etc) but busy schedules have sadly left me too tired to bother anymore.

And my knitting resolutions are:

- to be strict on my yarn diet because I'm running out of storage space and I may not have that much time to knit.
- to make more knitted gifts for people (which is of course a function of how much time I have to knit!)
- to finish my long outstanding WIPs before starting more new ones and try not to get bored or annoyed with them too easily.

We'll see if I can stick to these resolutions. I've not made such lists in years that I'm actually feeling rather nostalgic making them. It's such a high school thing to do.