Hello, Year 2009!

Happy New Year Everybody!!!

It's New Year's Eve already and in just less than 10 hours we will be welcoming another year again. It's this time of the year where I get to really think about a lot of things: what happened in the last 365 days of my life, what I did, what I did not do but could have done, what I still have, what I gained and what I lost. Year 2008 hasn't been the best year for me. I wasted months doing nothing. Thinking that I should take a couple of months off before getting a job and I wouldn't be able to do a lot of things then like maybe blogging every day and watching movies and TV series. I wasted months earning nothing when I could have been blogging religiously and earn through it like what I'm doing now. I wasted months saving up enough money for Christmas shopping hoping that my brothers and sisters would give me enough to buy even just a pair of pants, shoes and a top. Just one outfit. I ended up getting nothing, buying nothing and receiving nothing. I'm just stuck thinking and planning but never doing. I wasted a lot of time doing nothing when I could have done something, anything.

Now that 2009 is almost here I'm going to make sure that I won't repeat the mistakes I made this 2008. I am not one who makes yearly new year's resolution. I didn't believe in them. I do now. And I am going to make one for myself. This list would be more of like a guide to me and a reminder of the year that has been and not repeating it and then regretting afterwards.

Mara's To-Do List for 2009:

1. Get a JOB before the end of February 2009. - I want to be specific about this. I am now conditioned and motivated to work and I want to start my year with a JOB. Help my Mom with the expenses and all and eventually save up for more things.

2. Save More, Spend Less. - It would be unrealistic for me to say not to spend anymore cos I still have to. I have phone bills, internet bills and food expenses. Those three would remain. By spending less I mean, no buying of unnecessary things, no splurging, no whims. Buy things that are needed and not just wanted and go out only if I have to.

3. Eat healthy and Exercise. - I admit I suck at this but I want to improve. I tried doing this later this year but I only lasted about a month. I need this because my family has a history of Diabetes and I eat a lot of sweets: pastries and chocolates and ice creams which aren't really good for my health since I rarely move. I just go up and down the stairs, lie down, eat, sit down, eat. No chores, no exercise. Bad. I will work on this. I have to. I have read another blog entry from Meet Her Here about being a new you for the year 2009. They had articles regarding physical health and mind. I found a link on the World's Healthiest Food. 

4. Improve my blog. - Even though I am now decided to have a real job with a real monthly income, I don't think I will end my being a blogger. Not now that I'm starting to enjoy it, not not now that I know how to monetize it, not now that I'm meeting new people from different countries. I may not be posting everyday but I would still update every time I can. I still want to change my layout. Maximize my Adgitize, Entrecard and other paying sites. A little extra money on the side doing what I enjoy isn't a bad idea.

5. Be able to afford buying a new car OR a new house. - When I land on a job by February or by June (the latest), I'm going to save up for an initial payment. I wouldn't be buying solely, my Mom and I talked about this months ago and we're going to divide the expenses in two. This is going to be the highlight of my 2009.

6. Singapore or Hongkong on December 2009. - A treat for myself and if I saved enough I might let my brother come too and if my Mom is still here she could go too. But if not, I'm just going with my high school friends, all 2 or 3 of us. A gift to ourselves WHEN everything went as planned of course. Since I am not going to have a birthday party (which I do YEARL) until my 30th birthday, an out-of-the-country trip would be a nice treat, a belated birthday present, a time to relax even for just a few days and my friend would be graduating from college this coming March, so it would also be a belated graduation gift for her.

In summary, my To-Do list is actually a complex way of saying: 

"I want to turn my life around already! No more moping and bumming around! Be productive and use your College Degree! My parents didn't send me to a good school and paid expensive tuition fees just so I could waste what I've learned doing nothing at home."

I'm being positive about this and hopefully good vibes, good vibes, good vibes for the year 2009!