“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ~Larry Elder
I normally don’t like to make new year resolutions, but I think it’s important to have goals, whether long or short term ones. I hope to review my goals every month and assess my progress. Putting them on this blog will also help hold me accountable for the completion of these goals. There will be a lot of changes this year and I can already tell you that in a year’s time, I will be in a new city, doing new things, with new friends. I feel anxious about the unknown, but excited for new challenges.
My Goals for 2009
- Improve my physical health – I’ve already purchased a 2-year membership to 24 Hour Fitness from Costco.com for $300. There are no additional fees and that’s including use of the swimming pool and all classes. That’s only $12.50 a month, and it’s only half a mile from where I’ll be living. I also hope to do some hiking and try new athletic endeavors.
- Eat better - I come from the northwest, which is known for it’s granolas (the people and the food). It’s very easy to eat organic, locally grown food, so I’m going to take advantage of that. In addition, I want to make use of my mom’s garden and start planting vegetables in early spring.
- Improve my photography skills – I’m looking to sell my Canon XTi and upgrading to the Canon 50D. Even if that doesn’t come through, I hope to continue learning through shooting.
- Learn Spanish – I’ve been wanting to learn Spanish for years. For six months, I taught and saw the dedication of Korean students who attended daily English class at 7am, then continued to work for 10+ hours at their regular jobs. I felt ashamed by how lazy I was, but no more! In two months, I will report back with my progress.
- Explore the northwest – I never realized what a great place I lived in until I left it. Since it was my home, I never explored Portland/the NW like a tourist would. If you ever wanted to know what Portland, Oregon is like, check out this blog for the next couple of years.
- Perfect my to-be-named signature dishes – I can’t cook anything that involves meat. This next year will not change that fact. I leave that endeavor to experts, which I will never be. Instead, I hope to perfect modest dishes and baked goods that I can call upon whenever a potluck/dinner party arises. By this year’s Christmas party (wherever I may be), people will say, “Have you had lao-ocean-girl’s *****? It’s delicious!” (***** = salsa, guacamole, carrot cake, casserole, cookie, dressing, appetizer, etc.)
- Read 2 or more books a month – I used to read so much as a kid, but now I hardly do. My goal is to read 2+ books a month for pleasure, on top of informational books and books for school.
- Continue to try new things – enough said.
What about you? Do you have any major goals for the next year?
8. January 2009 at January 8, 2009 - 3:00 am
TODAY IS GONNA BE MINE!!!!!
Lao-ocean-liner,
You made me think of David Kilgour’s, Today is Gonna Be Mine.
Listen here:
http://www.myspace.com/davidkilgour
And the band the New Year because well, it’s the new year.
http://www.myspace.com/thenewyear
New Year’s Resolution: to drink more, laugh more, sleep more, dream more.
Adios Amigalita,
Garrett
8. January 2009 at January 8, 2009 - 2:10 pm
Thanks for the links. I really enjoyed the music!
8. January 2009 at January 8, 2009 - 10:42 pm
I had my Lasik done over 10 years ago while it was in its infancy. After wearing glasses for 20 years, it was a modern miracle. I paid to have it done by the best, the doctor who wrote the book and taught the procedure at the UCLA/Jules Stein Eye Institute. The doctor, who also did many royals in Europe and the Middle East, offered a very large discount if I allowed one of his students to perform the operation. I declined, but was really scared we would have an earthquake there in L.A. as he started.
I did a ton of research, and what sold me on him was his open operations book policy. Anyone who had the surgery had to be open to receiving calls from future candidates for up to a year. I did call a couple of people who raved about the doctor and his work, and I even met with one near my job. I was only called once myself. It surprised me that so few people actually took the doctor up on this service. I guess it helped that he was the best.
On the flip side, my best friend, who had truly horrible eye sight was denied the service in the U.S., so he went to Mexico to get the procedure done. While it did help him, he is still dependent on glasses.
9. January 2009 at January 9, 2009 - 1:48 pm
John,
Why was your friend denied the procedure? Was his eyesight too bad?
9. January 2009 at January 9, 2009 - 6:32 pm
Yeah, mine was pretty bad coupled with astigmatism, but his was “really” bad. His eyesight did improve, but it was a huge gamble on his part, and he still needs to wear glasses or contacts.
We worried about his flying to Mexico to get it done, but back then the doctors were more conscientious about who actually qualified and who did not. Nowadays, they will let just about anyone have the procedure as long as they sign a form stating that they will not sue if something goes wrong.
This was my doctor (he has a new, self-named , clinic): http://www.assileye.com/html/dr__assil__md.html
He was the best doctor of any sort that I have ever been to. He was totally open and honest about everything which was something else considering how busy he still is. I did take a bit of flack from my Jewish colleagues back at the television Network I was working for, but I wanted the best no matter their religion or nationality. If his being the head professor at “The Jules Stein Eye Institute” at UCLA wasn’t good enough for them, his performance and glowing endorsement from me helped convince quite a few to give him a shot. I see now that he is even endorsed by the Los Angeles Lakers in addition to several royals in Europe and the Middle East. Oh, even Lebron James had Dr. Assil do the procedure on him.
It is a pain, but go to several different eye doctors to find the one that is right for you, and one that answers all your questions. You only have one set of eyes. Pretty much the computer and laser do all the work, but you want to make sure the operator is very competent.
By they way, in over ten years, my eyesight has stayed constant at 20/15. I did have a bit of a problem with florescent lighting for the first couple of years, but nothing to really complain about as the upside has been so great.
16. January 2009 at January 16, 2009 - 5:26 am
Biggest help in learning to cook meat: a meat thermometer. We have one that you stick into the meat (I used it for a pork tenderloin roast last night) and that runs out of the oven and plugs into a little timer/temperature unit. You tell it to beep when it reaches a certain temperature and you’re usually done.
On a grill, the best way to learn is just to mess up a few times. You’ll figure it out eventually.