Showing posts with label Resolutions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Resolutions. Show all posts

Thursday, January 10, 2008

2008: Building My Future

I'm back with my 1st entry for 2008... :)

I gave myself enough time to think about my plans for this year. I've spent the past few days reflecting on my thoughts, recalling my decisions last year, observing my daily routines, studying my spending patterns, understanding my desires, and realizing my needs.

Here's my guide for 2008...
Comments and suggestions are welcome...

Start...
  • Paying for condo down payment - I've already allocated a portion of my monthly salary for this but it is better if I could save enough money this year so I wouldn't have to worry next year.

  • Tracking and controlling my expenses - With great "spending" power comes great "saving" responsibility.

  • Paying my taxes - With great "spending" power comes great "taxes" as well. I better put it on a separate bank account so I won't be able to spend it "accidentally".

  • Taking over some of the bills - Since I'll be spending most of my time working at home it's just appropriate for me to pay for the additional resources I'm consuming.

  • Studying robotics - I should spend more time poking with the robot I bought from Sir Melvin last December.

  • Getting a Linux Certification - I failed to do this last year but I guess there's a greater chance for me to get it this year.
Stop...
  • Procrastinating - As always, I still need to remind myself not to delay the things that I've always wanted to do and accomplish.

  • Oversleeping - My sleeping pattern changes with the weather but it's not an excuse for me to keep on hitting that snooze button whenever my alarm goes off.

  • Staying up late - This is probably the main cause of my tendency to oversleep. It's also bad for my health so I should start sleeping earlier.

  • Wasting time spacing out - Daydreaming has been a part of my daily routine, I should convert those unproductive time to something useful.
Continue...
  • Paying for life insurance/investment - Hopefully, nothing bad happens to me this year.

  • Playing badminton - With my friends of course.

  • Reading books/magazines - I have yet to finish some of the books I've started reading last year. And, I should also start going over the December and January issues of Linux Magazines. I'll probably renew my Linux Magazine subscription.

  • Supporting World Vision - And maybe get another child to sponsor.

  • Traveling - We'll probably settle with local destinations for now due to budget reasons.

  • Catching up with old friends - It's better if I could go out with my high school and college friends more often this year.

  • House cleaning - Due to the sheer amount of decade old stuffs lying around the house, it would probably take me a couple of months to clear them.
Think about...
  • Getting a Canon S5IS Camera - I've really enjoyed using my Canon S2IS and I think it's about time for an upgrade. My target date would be May (1 Year after release date).

  • Getting a Wii Console - No time frame for this one, hopefully the price drops dramatically in the next few weeks or months. I still have to consider the integrity of the structure of our half-century old house though.

  • Getting a Mobile Hard Drive - I don't want 7+ years worth data and 2+ years worth of photos to just disappear due to some electrical accident or ant invasion. This is my top priority for now.

  • Taking some training courses - I still have to think of some thing that I would like to learn.
Looks like it's going to be an interesting year for me... :)

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Stress...

... is in the mind of the beholder...

Just came from a Stress Management Seminar
last Feb 16 and 17. It was indeed a learning
experience for me and my officemates.

I finally realized that...
It's about time that I take control of my life,
at home and even at work!

By the way, here's my long and a bit overdue
plans and targets for 2007...

1. JLPT Level 2
I almost destroyed my hopes for getting
this by accepting an offer for a 2-year stay
in Japan. This time I'm gonna make sure
I'm taking the exam this year and in the
Philippines... :)

2. Read more
Pocket books, tech books, magazines, etc...
Hopefully I will be able to keep the habit
of reading during lunch time, before sleeping
and during travel... :)

3. Get more certifications
PhilNITS SW, LPIC, Brainbench Certifications.
Hopefully I'll be able to try the PhilNITS SW exam
this year, though I'm not hoping to pass right away.
I just want to be familiar with the questions.

LPIC, I really want this, but it seems that I'm
having problems preparing and even deciding when
to take the exam, though I already have set aside
money for this.

Brainbench, I started taking some free exams
late last year, hopefully I'll be able to take the
real ones this year. Here's my Brainbench
Transcript ID: 6225436.
Honestly though, I'm not so comfortable w/
Brainbench because I was able to pass the
C# exam without any experience on the language.

4. Spend more wisely
Minimize my online purchases and save, save, save
more. Which probably means, I won't be planning
on getting a DSL connection in the early half of this year.
I also want to be familiar with financial planning and all
the banking and investments stuffs so I can manage
my money better.

5. Play more, sweat more
Badminton! Badminton! Badminton!
I'm going to do some experiments w/ Badminton... :)
Hopefully I'll be able to be good at this sport.

2007... My theme for this year...

"Self Preservation"