It’s that time of the year again when we make our annual list of New Year resolutions we don’t intend to keep. But hey, tradition, yeah?

Seriously though, this has been the craziest-happiest-darkest-weirdest-best year of me life yet, so some reflection’s in order, I think. That and we all know how much I love making lists. So read on, noting there’s no real order to anything, other than the way they came up in my twisted li’l mind:

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Ten Things I’ve Accomplished This Year

 
1. Started the first personal website/online journal I’ve managed to keep doing without giving up halfway.
2. Had my Toscana Dream fulfilled.
3. Surviving my longest, and worst, bout of depression. With a little help from my friends, as John + Paul would say.
4. Changing my whole life around and finally doing what I want and am good at, which is not as simple as it sounds.
5. Becoming closer to Dad. Pretty amazing that.
6. Backpacked solo around Europe for a month.
7. Not drowning in a pool, and discovering I really dig it underwater.
8. Finally getting on a horse, and getting it to move forward without me dropping off.
9. Falling in love again.
10. Letting go.

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And, flipping ol’ Janus’ coin:

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Ten Things I Will Do In The Next Year

 
1. Backpack to Bangkok, Angkor Wat, or anywhere suitably exotic and nearby.
2. Take up Tai-Chi, rock-climbing, horsebackriding and diving. Or maybe just anyone of this will do.
3. Go for a Neil Gaiman reading when he visits Singapore next September.
4. Learn a musical instrument or to sing, so that come my next Talentime, I wouldn’t have to resort to, erm, talking.
5. Write a story or poem I would actually read if it weren’t written by me.
6. Get broader shoulders – for the girls who requested them to lean on. (No washboard abs though, I like my li’l paunch.)
7. Earn some money. (Just for the heck of it, since it’s become a concept alien to me.)
8. Complete Master’s degree.
9. Make other people happy.
10. Stalk a famous personality.

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And finally, most importantly, for the people who have made the most difference in my past year:

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Ten Thank You’s

 
1. Mom + Dad, for surprising me with your unconditional love and support, for being constant.
2. Sis + kids, for being there always and finding me fun still. Pikachu!
3. Shwueetheart, for opening me up to new worlds, and following me there. Nous croiserons ces étoiles ensemble.
4. Justin, for Andy’s letter to Red. 你总是我的最佳的伙伴
5. Famiglia Mazza, grazie per accoglierlo favorevolmente nella vostri sede e cuori.
6. Donina, my Dark Lady, ripartiamo le stesse storia e la stessa anima – grazie per ripartirsi.
7. Marco, für den Wein, das Lachen, die Flüche aber am allermeisten, dein helles rotes Hemd.
8. Erich, for being the only one frank enough to tell me I was a prick. Ich bin immer ein grösserer Arschloch als dich.
9. Sarah, for the postscripts. ¿Hemos alcanzado ciento, cómo alrededor de ciento más?
10. Manuel and Monkey, for “Army of Darkness” and everything, and I do mean Everything, else.

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Happy New Year, everyone!

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Copyright © 2002 Kenny Mah Ying Fye.