5 out of 10
Happy New Year everybody!!! I’m looking at my 2011 to-do-list and realizing that I’ve crossed out 5 things out of 10 and they are:
- Going back to Germany
- Stop using internet excessively
- Reading more than 10 books
- Doing sport more often
- Getting a scholarship so I can save more money
I’m not in the mood of talking about the other 5 because since I made them I already knew that they were impossible to reach, (like: I want to be a vegetarian, I want to go to Africa, I want to take hip-hop class, I want to do bungee jumping and scream like never before, and so other imaginative things that you can imagine) but I kept making it anyway as an ‘accelerator pedal’. Correction, they aren’t impossible but maybe they will be on the list for a decade until they will eventually get crossed out.
In 2011, A lot of things happened, I finally went back to Germany and surprised my friends at the school prom. Before I went home in 2009 my friend once said “man sieht sich mindesten 2 mal im Leben” (people will meet each other at least 2 times in life) in other words they were saying that I would go back to Germany someday and the farewell was just temporary. I finally proved that it was true after 2 years. I got the best closure for all the yearning and waiting. Oh yeaaaahhhhh I couldn’t be any happier!!!
In 2011 I also got to move to a temporary building because the previous one was actually built for the male dormitory and the female dormitory was still under construction until only God knows when. My current room isn’t as big as before and the bathroom is outside the room, and there is no internet connection so if I need an internet connection I have to go to the male dormitory and access it there. But I feel happy because now I know what a good bedroom should be, it must be very quiet and it’s the place where we can sleep soundly and have a good rest and put aside all the life’s hustle and bustle so in the next morning waking up with a fresh mind is clearly possible.
With that condition I also automatically managed to fulfill my to-do list: to stop using internet excessively. I’m not sure whether to feel woe or just blame my inactivity on spending too much time accessing Internet. But in 2010 I was an internet addict!! and I put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done too often and it happened until the first quarter of 2011. Now I only use the internet for maximum 3 hours per day and that is good! Previously I used it for more than 6 hours per day on weekdays and more than 10 hours per day on weekends. HA!
In my minimalist bedroom, my source of entertainment is only books and some magazines, well I have cable tv here but as you know I don’t really like to watch TV. I feel like I’m back to 90s when I was 6 years old and time seemed crawl by so very slowly, my night is so peaceful and finally I have time to read more than 10 books, and they are :
The Black Swan, Flightless, Winning Arguments, What Philosopher Think, Economics A-Z Guide, Die Mutter Des Erfolgs (German translation for Battle Hymn of The Tiger Mother), Beim Leben Meiner Schwester (German translation for My Sister’s Keeper), Ecological Intelligence, Madre, Antigone, and Sustainable Energy- without the hot air. Oh well, I also have more time to read my engineering books : )
In 2011 I also spent a lot of time to play badminton, my favorite sport. I also learned how to do pilates from youtube and practiced it quite regularly. When I was in Germany in July, I was joining gymnastic class for my body flexibility with my friend Maike as my tutor for a month. I enjoyed my swimming session and hopefully in 2012 I will be able to do it regularly like I’ve planned with my friends.
At the end of 2011 (A day before the new year’s eve), I got news stating that I was granted a scholarship from an Energy Company which collaborates with US Embassy’s Foundation. All my college tuition fees starting from the fifth semester until I graduate are going to be covered, I also get a provision for my thesis, and monthly cash! What so special with this scholarship is I don’t have to work for the company, they let me free to decide my future and that is super amazing!! With this scholarship, my parents don’t have to pay anything for my college and I can save more and more money, yayness $$$$$!!
I think those are my 2011 resolution that I’ve successfully fulfilled, I also think that 2011 was a beautiful beautiful year. How about you?
