Direct Flights Only

Happy birthday to my blog. It’s now one year old.

Lots of friends, places, and adventures featured in 74 entries during the past year.

This is entry #75!

10,153 hits (average of 27 per day) is rather unexpected — didnt realise people actually find stuff on this site interesting or useful.

I feel my blog is still far from being personal (it’s predominantly narrative). Hopefully I will be able to improve on that bit over time.

Six (6) months have gone by and it’s time to see how far I’ve gone (or how far away I am) in terms of my personal targets this year.

On track

• Revamp casual and weekend (including night-out) wear. Priority shirt colors for this year: white, black, red. [Still need to define work clothes and casual clothes. Decided not to be too strict on colors though have preference for purple, orange, and white as of now]
• Increase your level of interest in Singapore real estate property developments (read newspaper ads, visit showrooms). [On and off interest which will shift to high gear in the 3rd quarter]
• Learn and memorize five (5) Mandarin songs by yearend and sing them in public (i.e  KTV). [About to finalise the 5 songs and will begin work on pinyin lyrics pronunciation before public launch haha]
• Lose some more weight (but still take breakfast!). Be a “legitimate” size L (heading to “aspirational” M) instead of borderline L/XL. [More comments about me losing weight than gaining weight so that's a good indication. Can fit into L shirts comfortably and jeans/shorts that are 2 inches lesser than before. The dryer better not shrink my clothes too much or else!]
• <Undisclosed target — to be shared at yearend if achieved> [Still undisclosed though making good progress]

Started but need to be more serious

• Track expenses. Minimize impulse purchases – local and overseas. [Began in January, even purchased a software but found it challenging to keep receipts, type info, etc. Hopefully I will gain more patience in the coming weeks to track whatever I can track until yearend. I guess the trick is not to spend too much so I don't need to track a lot in the software]
• Learn how to play mahjong, seek opportunities to practice, and aim to playing decently in 2010. [Learned a bit in the first quarter, missed an opportunity to practice recently but still positive about it]
• Develop basic appreciation for jazz. [Interest is there, just not enough hours to sit in a bar and listen to live jazz which is part of this target]
• Volunteer your time to give encouragement to younger people and/or differently-abled individuals. [Started in the first quarter and will resume in July/August]

Not much progress; at risk

• Have breakfast most days of the week. [Have traded this for more minutes of sleep. If I wake up 30 mins earlier than usual, this will be possible]
• Cook one new dish (at moderate complexity) per month. [This is meant for the weekend. Still possible but that means cooking two new dishes per month to reach 12 by end of the year.]
• Think green. Save the earth in your own little way. Lessen volume of paper at home (scan pages if info is useful). [Scanner is active but I still collect a lot of paper along the way, especially on weekends when I go around, i.e. brochures, pamphlets, etc]
• Take the bus and MRT more frequently. [Weekends are quite ok but weekdays/nights are terrible since I take a cab to/from work.]
• Determine your threshold for alcohol level intake (in as few attempts as possible). It’s about time you have an idea. [Not much partying as I either stay home on Friday nights or do other things on Saturday. Not really sure whether this will be met]

To be replaced as unlikely to happen

• Visit a country at least 5 hrs away by plane on holiday. [Ideally for late 2nd quarter or early 3rd quarter but with the H1N1 virus around, I am happy to stay in Singapore]