Last night was very busy and a lot of fun. We’re on our way out soon to join friends for a New Year’s party, so I’ll write about it tomorrow. Today I’ll write about a bit more concise topic–New Year’s resolutions. Dear Reader, did you make New Year’s resolutions for 2006? I tend not to, because they’re usually too difficult to fulfill. I did last year, though. How did I do?
- Finish Korean language class with an adequate testing score
- Arrive in Seoul safely
- Take a real vacation
Well, two out of three ain’t too bad. I finished Korean language class last year with the required proficiency level. However, I should have resolved to maintain it, because my Korean language ability has receded precipitously. I am not taking any Korean classes right now, and I rarely speak Korean, unfortunately. I speak a little once in awhile, although I never carry on conversations in Korean anymore. Even my Chinese ability has decreased a bit. My German improved, although not by much. I plan to retest in German in January before I bid for my next assignment. If I test well, I would be qualified to bid on German-speaking locales early next year (read Europe).
We also made it safely to Seoul. However, we did not take a vacation this year. My wife and son went to Shanghai, China in April and May, but I haven’t left Korea since we arrived here. Interestingly, I feel like more of a homebody in Seoul than I did when we lived in the U.S. We spent a few days in February in Hawaii en route to Korea. We also made overnight trips to Gyeongju and Seoraksan National Park, but that’s all the traveling we’ve done together. However, none of these were really "vacations." We had planned to return to the U.S. over Christmas, but that trip has been postponed until next summer.
I thought about what resolutions I want to make for 2006. Here’s what I came up with:
- Lose 10 pounds. I need to lose more weight than 10 pounds, but I need to be realistic! I can never achieve unrealistic weight loss goals. Can you relate?
- Increase our net worth by 15%. By aggressively saving, I think we can do it.
- Spending more time reading for pleasure and reading what I need to read. I never seem to have enough time to read. It’s probably because I spend too much time on the computer.
- Improve my Korean. It would be nice to leave Korea speaking better Korean than I do now.
- Take a real vacation. This one carries over from last year’s resolutions.
So, Happy New Year, Dear Reader! I hope you have a wonderful and prosperous 2006. If you make any resolutions, I wish you all the best in fulfilling them.
From the "Things that Make You Go Hmm" Department: This morning I found my son in the pantry trying to reach something on the shelf. He was using a case of bottled water as a step chair. The first thought that crossed my mind was, "Wow, my son can even walk on water!" Now if he could just let us know when he needs to use the potty.
fine, my friend, happy newyear!
Hi Mike! Wishing you and your loved ones ‘A happy new year 2006’ and may all your new year resolutions be fulfilled.Best Wishes,Angeline
Yeah… two out of three isn’t bad, and just because your son can "walk on water" doesn’t mean he is the messiah… :-)My New Year’s Resolutions… 1) Post more regularly to my blog… I started at one point this year, but have failed to post regularly… Need to get back to it. 2) Get back to the gym on a regular basis, Not so much about "weight loss" but more about just getting exercise so when I hike to Annette Lake or up Mt. Si, I don’t feel like I am going to die, as if I do that, the other things follow naturally, or should. 3) Complete all necessary requirements for receiving a VFR Private Pilot’s License. I have an instructor lined up and ready to go… hope to start in the next week or so. IFR rating would have to probably be 2007. ("VFR" == "Visual Flight Rules" && "IFR" == "Instrument Flight Rules") 4) Improve in my Astrophotography (get rid of the "z" and "w" stars 🙂 )
LOL! I just updated my blog before reading yours and our resolutions are almost identical (I think I have a few more but the main ones are pretty much on the same track and almost in the same order). Good luck my friend.