End of 2012

This year went by particularly quickly. It is hard to believe that tomorrow begins the still-futuristic-sounding "2013". God...

This year, 2012, I moved to Washington, DC (technically Maryland) to start my first job out of school. On the professional front, I've been learning tons and am still doing my best to catch up on all there is to know. So far, they've been appreciating my work and how I do my work. And after about 11 days of vacation in New York this holiday season, I'm certain 2013 will be ever more exciting and ever more challenging when I return.

On the personal side, I can definitively say that I've continued to develop my world-view. I've strengthened the organization of my thoughts and personal belief system privately and quietly, like any good introvert should. With all the news that 2012 delivered us, whether good or bad, and with all the inane politics that comes from the goings-on of Washington, DC and elsewhere, I've come to realize that there are far more irrational, selfish, and idiotic people out there than I had hoped. Ask me directly if you care to know what I think about other things. Suffice it to say that: (1) people ought to have the freedom to privately do as he/she chooses so long as that does not disrupt or adversely affect the lives of others, and (2) people ought to know how and when to be a good person with a sincere understanding of personal integrity and moral obligation.

While I've always appreciate others' perspectives, this year, I learned not to entertain their bullshit. Back in April of this year, I tweeted, "If people spend as much time thanking and embracing their friends and family as they spend on God, the world would be a better place."

Anyway...

This year, I subscribed to paper delivery of the Washington Post. I created my first (and only) Photo of the Day photobook for the "POTD 2010" project. I visited both the Washington and New York auto shows. I visited countless DC museums, memorials, and landmarks too many times. I purchased a new bike and broke my single-day distance record, which now stands at 48.6 miles. I walked with the goal of 10,000 steps per day, a goal which I met most days this year. I've taken numerous free Amtrak trips to/from Washington and New York at the expense of my credit card award points. I visited Baltimore's Inner Harbor once, never to return again (Baltimore was a particularly bad experience).

I visited Europe for the first time ever, staying at two cities in France--Paris and Bordeaux. (Bordeaux was better.) Sadly, this was also my first (and only) non-Taiwan, international country; I intend to change that soon. I flew on the A380 for the first time and enjoyed a phenomenal economy-class meal on Air France. I twice went up to Ithaca from Washington for my sister's two Cornell graduation ceremonies, with the unofficial one in May and the real one in December. I visited Taylor in Pennsylvania and saw some real-life alpaca! I voted in the 2012 presidential election and in every single local election or ballot issue that was available for me to vote on in Maryland. I began a tutoring job more for the fun than for the supplemental income. I saw the Brooklyn Nets lose in a hilarious defeat against the Boston Celtics at the new Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn on Christmas Day. Etc.

Looking forward, I've got many things lined up for 2013. I'm going to rekindle my hobby of photography. I'm going to take my home-cooking to a whole new level. I'm going to read, and read, and read.

And while I'm not particularly fond of making New Years resolutions, I did come up with one relatively simple one. Don't eat easy, pre-packaged, store-bought foods. Obviously, this will eliminate a lot of junk foods that I cannot recreate on my own, including sodas, all sorts of sweet drinks, candies, macaroni-and-cheese in-a-box, and canned soups. I intend to eat from fresh, raw ingredients as best that's available. Of course, I can already see there'll be exceptions to this rule, including pasta, noodles, bread, and mineral water. But I'll come to it when I come to it.

For 2013, plan for the future, and live in the moment, and not through your cell phone. Happy New Year. I can't wait until 2012 is over. Oh man!

Resolutions for the Next Year, Maybe

Consider the laundry list of resolutions you have kept for yourself (if you believe in such things) over the last few years. How many of them have you actually accomplished?

(I define New Year's resolution in the popular sense, of losing weight or of volunteering to helping others; not in the sense of setting life goals like signing up for your first credit card or getting married.)

The trick with New Year's resolutions is to either ignore the whole thing and resolve to do nothing particularly different, or to focus on at most one resolution.

If you are serious and choose only one thing in your lives that you'd like to make better, it'll surely happen that year. By December 31 of that year, the resolution should be an integral part of our lives, to a point where it is no longer considered out of the way or special, but rather routine. The next year after that, pick something else. Year over year, it'll add up. And then things can actually change. Then, things will actually stick.

Now that you have only one resolution, make sure it is reasonable. For example, if you resolve to do something with a numerical value to it, divide that number by 2. Aim for that instead. (This can be for wanting to go fishing with your buddies 5 times next year, or hoping to sell 4 of your paintings, or eating one apple everyday. Change it to going fishing 2-3 times, selling 2 paintings, or eating one apple every two days.)

I do not believe in making resolutions public (because frankly, others don't actually care, and if they do, they'll forget anyway). Nor do I believe in writing resolutions down (intended to hold yourself accountable to yourself). If you need to do either one of these tricks to get you to focus on your single resolution, I would argue that the resolution you made is either too much to handle, that you are not ready to deal with the self-induced "change", or that you are not serious about keeping your resolution. Reevaluate your resolution or reevaluate yourself. There ought to be no give and take. There ought to be no forgiveness if you break this simple promise to yourself.

If you are at worried about not keeping your resolution, either resolve not to make it in the first place, or take baby-steps. Remember not to change to be someone else; make your own, not borrow one from others. It doesn't work that way.

Things will happen regardless of whether you resolve to do them or not. The purpose of a "New Year's resolution" is not to cover all aspects of your life. You will get to whatever you need to deal with when the time comes (and you'll know when). New Year's resolutions ought to be, I think, just an excuse to focus on one particular aspect of your life. The coming of a new year shouldn't be the only time when you consider making changes to your life. If it is, that's just foolish.

Things will happen as they will. The best you can do is to plan for one simple goal at a time and stick to it. You just have to set aside enough of your "resolve" to follow through and to undertake whatever else comes your way the rest of the year, not just on January 1.

Farewell 2008. Hello 2009. I'll see you on the other side.

(Image from timessquarenyc.org.)