This is the Year I Kick My Own Ass: Part 2

Ready, get set... GO FOR AN AWESOME YEAR!

 Welcome to Part 2 of my yearly goal-setting post!

I decided to make two separate entries so that you people don't have to sift through every single one of my goals. I didn't want to omit them though, because these are things that I really need and want to do. These are also goals that are either standard in every year, or goals that need to be done.

Also, I've included a section called "notes to self". I mentioned in my previous entry that I've always made goals that weren't tangible or measurable, so I didn't know how to evaluate my success. Thus, I'm not listing them down as "goals" per se, but rather tidbits of advice that I will try to keep in mind to govern me towards a better 2013.

Who says 13 has to be bad luck? With these goals, I'm gonna try and make 2013 awesome.

This is the Year I Kick My Own Ass: New Year Goals Part 1

Hooray 2013!

FOREWORD: I wrote this entry and its skeletal contents a few days ago as a draft, after putting off my yearly goal entry for the longest time. Lo and behold, our blogging challenge for this week is "5 things I dare myself to do in 2013!" It's like I have ESPN or something. Now onward to the entry. A word of warning: it gets pretty long. 

Everybody approaches the coming of a new year with different levels of enthusiasm and effort. There are some people who make the standard goals like "lose more weight" or "travel more" just to say that they made a goal. Some people forego the resolution-making all together under the excuse of "Resolutions are meant to be broken anyway." And some people tackle this goal-setting process with an ardor rivaled by the determination of people lining up the Apple store to get an iPhone 5.

I used to be a lazy goal setter. I set random goals that (1) are super generic and make no sense, (2) have no means of measure and (3) don't get fulfilled at all in the span of 365 days. Disappointment ensues and more halfhearted goals followed.

Thankfully, I've changed my goal-setting personality by making goals that are actually tangible and quantifiable. Now I look forward to listing my goals for the coming year!

It took me a while to write this entry because I wanted to make my goals a bit more cohesive and thematic, and also wanted to avoid pitfalls like having way too many goals that don't get at all fulfilled (it happened last year, cue my cringing!). So this year, I decided to unify my goals with the theme NOUVEAU. I don't use want to use "new," I want to sound fancy schmancy. This year (aside from my standard goals) I'm going to try and do things that I've never done before (which fits so well with our current blogging challenge prompt!).

Onward to le goals!

The Happy Jar Chronicles

(Image from bitsofwisdom.org)

I will readily admit that one of my worst traits is my negativity. I'm going to blame my father for this because he's where I got my road rage and general anger from. My sister always says that I should never be allowed to drive, lest I run over someone on purpose. General angst and my paranoid tendencies don't help at all in my almost daily tirade at things and people who put a dent on my day.

Last year, however, I went through a seriously upsetting discussion with a (now former) friend, and it almost felt like I was going through a panic attack. I had difficulty breathing, my eyes were clouding over, and my fingers were so cramped from typing so fast. I calmed down after I took a step back and took some deep breaths. And then I said to myself -- "Wait a second, are you going to let your anger be more powerful than you?"

Let’s talk about my closer-to-reality job

When people ask me about my “dream job,” I’d say in a heartbeat: Gundam pilot. Why? Because as far as dreams go, it’s the most impossible. For one, I’d have to wait until After Colony 195, which is probably five centuries from now. Also, I don’t possess the athletic and mental capabilities of Heero Yuy, my childhood hero. Finally, it’s not nice to wish for an all-out global war just so I get the chance to fly around in a giant mobile suit.

So let’s talk about a job that I call my closer-to-reality job.

My Year in Books

Image from yourebeautiful.tumblr.com

Let me just say this: the phrase "I love books" is a humongous understatement when applied to me.

I don't think I can make it out of the week without beginning a book. Not a lot of people share my excitement for the coven that is Book Sale. Whenever I go there, I can't seem to make it out without toting at least one book. Sometimes books that I'm not so crazy about. I just feel so sad for such unread little beauties. I guess it's because I just have a penchant for stories, be they fiction or non-fiction.

I've always inserted a book quota as part of my yearly goals. I did it because I felt that I wasn't reading as much as I should, choosing instead to mope around my room watching Youtube clips of cats or re-reading horrible fanfiction. Every year since 2009, I set a goal number for myself and tried to catch up to that by the end of the year. So I began with one book a month, then added one book for the years to come.

Sadly, this is the first year that I didn't accomplish my book goal. As I mentioned in a previous entry, 2012 was a really trying year for me and I gave myself a lot of leeway for my goals. A good thing though, is that I read books that really made an impact on myself, books that I'm sure I'm going to return to.

This year, I read a really random mix of books, from romance to science fiction to classic to young adult. This was the year I failed my goal, but I don't think that matters as much when I seriously enjoyed a lot of the books that I read.

I'm going to try and comment on the books per month.

Lunch break is the best time for internal debates

And the best time to think is while waiting for your order at Chow King, which will always take at least 2 minutes longer than it should. My packed lunch had a bad taste to it. And I was really looking forward to eating corned beef with potatoes. Siomai and pork chao fan would have to do. 

It's four days into 2013 and I've still not written down my new year goals. Aside from being really lazy, I'm also really confused. Looking back at my goals for 2012 (see latest post!), I realize I'm all over the place when it comes to things I really want to do. I want to refine my writing, particularly my prose. I want to work on my art and explore new mediums. I want to learn more software programs. I want to develop my photography, even with just a point and shoot. I want to marry Takeru Sato (yes that's a legit goal, be quiet). But as I found out last year, it's pretty difficult to juggle all these with everyday life.

Another thing I'm confused about is this blog. Most blogs I go to have some sort of cohesiveness to them, a general sort of theme that sticks the blog together. I don't. Then again, maybe I do, as almost all posts I have made here involve some sort of whining. Lol but srsly. I originally made this blog so I'd have a sort-of art progress blog. As you can see, that failed in the most epic manner. It's turned more into my pensive-thoughts-during-lunch-break blog.

So, should I turn this into my personal blog of random musings and get a new one for my art? Or do I stick it out and wait for it to make sense on its own?

To be frank, I'd rather be a hikkikomori but there's no monies in that.

It's four days into 2013 and I'm still the same, confused daydreamer as I was last year.

Play on.

For the longest time, I was known as the girl with the CD player, then as the girl with the discman, then as the girl with the mp3 player. My earphones are practically glued to my ears. Suffice to say, music has been a huge part of my life.

It's why I decided to make this artsy fartsy typography listing most of the artists I've ever listened to in my entire life. I listen to a lot of genres and in different languages, hence the variety of artists listed. Yes I listened to Britney Spears. Yes, One Direction is there somewhere. I'm not gonna omit them just to look cool lol.

Looking Back

Year-end evaluation!

2012 was a SUPER bad year for me. I don't think I've ever had a year so bad in my entire life. It was as if every month, I had to deal with at least one event filled with utter bullshit. I went through a family death, work troubles, personal troubles, THE WORKS. 

But thankfully, I've stopped counting these things that made my year bad and started taking them in as a collective experience, one that helped me improve as a person who's going to be ready for even more crap that's sure to be slung her way on 2013.

That said, let's take a look at how well I've kept up with my 2012 resolutions!