1,001 Days Are Up
On 31 December 2008, I started the "101 Tasks in 1,001 Days" challenge; now, it is over, and I have completed 81 of the 101 tasks.
I kind of started to forget in the last year due to too many other commitments, but below is a summary (as brief as possible).
1. Go for at least a month without losing my temper
This used to be really difficult for me since I used to lose my cool very often for various reasons; I don’t often lose it these days so I’m very pleased.
2. Visit five football grounds I haven’t been to before and buy match programmes (5/5)
Let me see -
a) The Hawthorns (West Bromwich Albion)
b) Matchroom Stadium (Leyton Orient)
c) Layer Road (Colchester United)
d) Sincil Bank (Lincoln)
e) Abbey Road (Cambridge United)
I love visiting new grounds and seeing what they are like.
3. Throw out some of my old clothes and books and take them to a charity shop
To be honest, I should have suggested a specific number of garments instead of “some”. I completed this one quite fast.
4. Go swimming at least once a week
Completed - sort of; I managed to keep this up for a while until Golden Lane pool closed, then it was hard to find a convenient place.
5. Keep my flat tidy
TidiER than it used to be certainly, and I’ve been getting more organised - I’ll call this a pass.
6. Attend a taekwon-do judges’ course
Attended in March 2009, and re-taken back in April; it was good fun too, and I enjoy judging others during their performances.
7. Meet up with my university friends
I’ll ignore the fact that I used plural - I did meet up briefly with PC Nick, who I knew at University; it wasn’t planned, as he happened to be on duty at Shoreditch Festival, where I was - but I’ll take it.
8. Get a promotion at work
Failed - no chance with this one; we don’t exactly get much promotion opportunities.
9. Get my 2nd degree black belt in taekwon-do
Completed 21 March 2010!
10. Get a tattoo
Failed - I often think about getting one but I’ve done very little in terms of actually going to the tattooist - mostly nerves, I guess.
11. Lose my beer belly
I’m going to be harsh on myself and say no because I still seem to have the belly that I had back at 31 December 2008.
12. Get to know my next door neighbours better
I counted this as a pass as I chatted to them a lot when I saw them - though it is tough because my original neighbours all moved on; the group living next door are certainly secretive, though they seem to have a lot of random friends.
13. Donate money to charity
Done several times via phone, sponsoring others and giving to people collecting in the street.
14. Act assertively towards someone in a situation where I need to do so, e.g. telling my friends if they are rude towards me
I’ve stood up to others in the past, though I can’t remember the exact context - anyway: completed!
15. Visit the outdoor swimming pool at Holborn and experience outdoor swimming in winter
Yes, strange one but I went there on 2 January 2009. It was actually good fun, and quite bracing but I’ve not been back.
16. Go jogging at least once a month
Just about passed, though there was certainly an emphasis on “once”. I just need motivation!
17. Visit Scotland or Ireland
This one was too unrealistic in terms of finance and my actually taking the trouble to organise it all. Failed.
18. Make 20 recipes using my Nintendo DS cooking guide (20/20)
I really enjoyed doing all the recipes that I did - passed. I’ve also become a better cook as a result.
19. Grow a beard
I remember “backing the beard” during the 2010 World Cup (I just didn’t shave while England were still in); it wasn’t a particularly impressive beard, but I counted it as a pass.
20. Learn another language
Failed due to pure laziness and not bothering to pick up a book to try and learn.
21. Become a full member of the Royal Town Planning Institute
In progress; I gave in my forms but I’ve had no response or acknowledgement; boo! It was a long process which involved me getting mentored for a year before writing up my full submission.
22. Take part in a sponsored event
The most notable one was the 6.5 km Crisis run. That was where I met George, who I had a long chat with about TV shows - I love it when I randomly bump into interesting people rather than antisocial layabouts who would rather read their paper/listen to their ipod.
23. Pay my bills on time each month
Just about managed, mostly by using direct debits, but I still missed a few.
24. Take an interest in two new singers/bands (2/2)
#1 Was The Stone Roses; I had plenty of others, but I guess I have more on an interest in Blur than I used to.
25. Purchase two new football replica shirts
Failed due to my finances - scrimp and save; scrimp and save!
26. Water my hyacinths regularly so that they bloom
I’d rather not discuss - just please don’t ask, I won’t reply. But I passed anyway, just about.
27. Not apologise when someone bumps into/barges into/pushes me in the street
Don’t even get me started on this one - I just do it out of habit. Failed.
28. Cook a proper meal (rather than a ready meal) at least once a week
I’ve been getting into the habit now of making sure I have ingredients for simple meals like spaghetti or risotto, so this is now second nature!
29. Visit an art exhibition
I visited plenty - the Le Corbusier exhibition at the Barbican, for example.
30. Perform my job consistently
The feedback I received from Stuart improved, and I definitely feel that I am doing better now.
31. Change my hairstyle
I barely changed it at all, but I did experiment a bit - mostly by combing it differently; I’m not too adventurous but completed anyway.
32. Attend a service at my local church
I did, but I didn’t enjoy it and stuck with my usual churches.
33. Grow a moustache for Movember
I’ve done this twice!
34. Read at least 30 books I’ve not read yet (30/30)
Completed - I get through books easily so I actually increased the target from 15. Could have been many more though.
35. Read an autobiography NOT written by a footballer
I just put this because I was feeling narrow-minded by only reading footballing stories - so I read Playing with Fire by Gordon Ramsay. I enjoyed it too, and it was a good insight into his life.
36. Attend a rugby match
I attended Saracens v Worcester, 13 February 2010.
37. Watch a proper cricket match
A bit of a cheat really; I watched some of the ashes a few years ago because it was being screened in public - but I never said anything about going there. LOL!
38. Attend my local cinema at least five times a year (5/5)
I managed this surprisingly easily, mainly because I live close to the cinema.
39. Go at least a month without getting horribly drunk
I challenged myself to this because I used to have a few alcohol issues like not knowing when to stop; I very rarely get particularly drunk now.
40. Join a club
I joined the office darts club; it was just a shame it disbanded in March.
41. Remember to cut my nails regularly
Done regularly enough.
42. Go to at least two music concerts (2/2)
I attended an Oasis and Coldplay concert in 2009.
43. Learn to bake a cake
Sort of, when I did a swiss roll. It wasn’t great though.
44. Ignore the trolls on GameFAQs.com
This was a whole incident that got totally out of hand on GameFAQs when I criticised one of the other posters and they started some sort of “war” with me, or an attempt at it. Nothing I said could stop them, even by saying I wasn’t bothered. When I stopped going to the Sims message board, which they went to, they followed me to another board. I stopped going to that one altogether after they hacked my Facebook account and sent abusive messages to my friends, and I’ve ignored them ever since. They’ve even tried sending me messages, which I don’t read - I hardly visit the message boards now; they’re mostly boring anyway.
45. Overcome my inhibitions about showering in public and actually take a shower after five-a-side
I used to have too many hang up about the idea that everyone was naked - “help, get me out of here”, but I forced myself to do it, and now I’m okay with it. I remember going into the shower after five-a-side earlier this year and getting into a chat next to the stalls with another guy; we were both naked, but neither of us was embarrassed or anything.
(Yeah, and - no pervy comments, please).
46. Join another art class
Failed; I just don’t have the time to even do the things I do, never mind another art class.
47. Finish the X-Files fan fiction I started a few years ago and never completed
My A-Z of Romance - I just didn't have enough time some how, plus I kept putting it off and putting it off and only wrote two new chapters - fail.
48. Go hillwalking
I went hillwalking in the Brecon Beacons in September 2009; it was great fun too.
49. Complete my “one picture for each day of the year” photo challenge
Completed easily, though sometimes I had no idea what to photograph. Basically, I took a picture each day
50. Visit the Odeon cinema at Leicester Square
A silly one really; I just went to watch Burke and Hare, in a small, poky room at the top of the theatre - but it counts I suppose.
51. Strike up one conversation a month with a person I don’t know (33/33)
This one was all about finding something to talk about, and trains going wrong was usually a sure winner, though some people on the trains really DON’T want to talk. Other good starting points were football and the weather, and then there was always talking to people at church!
52. Keep my diary up to date regularly for a month
I used to get really lazy with my diary, and then get obsessive and write a week of retrospective entries. I might be a little sad in that I still have a paper diary.
53. Visit a health spa and get a massage
Failed - never bothered to book.
54. Watch at least three martial arts movies (3/3)
I’ve seen at least three:
1) Red Belt
2) Ong Bak
3) Kiss of the Dragon
55. Meet up with one person who I haven’t seen in the last few years
One? I met up with several - LOL!
56. Start drinking tea or coffee
I used to feel rather immature by not drinking either, and I had friends who drank it when they were kids - so now I often drink tea and occasionally coffee (though I’m less fond of it).
57. Read a passage from a favourite author before I go to bed every evening for a month (31/31)
I just chose a few passages from Catch as Catch Can by Joseph Heller; it was good fun.
58. Read some of the bible at least once a week
I mostly manage this by attending church regularly
59. Do sit ups/push ups at least once a week
Again, this was mostly through taekwon-do - completed.
60. Watch 10 movie classics I’ve not yet seen (10/10)
Completed easily, mainly through taping stuff on Freeview; in all honesty, I’ve seen many more than ten of these.
61. Put a video on Youtube
62. Break a board in taekwon-do
I managed one of the plastic boards - I’m counting this.
63. Go for a month without winding up the Arsenal fans I work with, however much it amuses me
It was pretty hard to resist, so I challenged me, and I managed this.
64. Pull a successful (and believeable) april fools joke
Our IS guy has a very distinctive moustache and I told someone he’d shaved it off and he did believe me, but he also seems very gullible!
65. Record my dreams on a regular basis and attempt to interpret them
I’ve done several of these.
66. Stop moaning about my friends for at least a month
I used to do this a lot because I got annoyed at them for various reasons; I let them get to me much less now.
67. Go shirtless in public on a hot day without feeling self-conscious about it
I wasn’t sure if I should count this because the time I did it, I was on my own in the country, but - I counted it anyway. I am really modest though, and one of my main hang ups is that none of my friends take their shirts off in hot weather and I’d feel embarrassed being the only one.
No pervy comments please.
68. Get a new pair of sunglasses
I got varifocal lenses fitted to my glasses so that counts.
69. Complete the episode guide to The X-Files I started online years ago
I never even started - lazy.
70. Arrange a meal out for myself and my friends to celebrate my birthday
I managed this in February 2009; some of us went out for a curry one lunchtime just before my birthday.
71. Watch a Bollywood movie
“My Name is Khan” is a Bollywood Movie, though not a typical one - it’s set in America and deals a lot with 9/11 from the point of view of a Muslim.
72. Encourage someone else to join the taekwon-do class I attend (even if just for one lesson)
Attempted, but not successfully.
73. Sing karaoke using the microphone
I only added this because I was criticised for not doing it before, but I’ve had a few moments of grabbing the mic over the last few years.
74. Watch a play by the Royal Shakespeare Company
Initially I counted the David Tennant version of Hamlet, shown on BBC1 - but I did better this year when I watched the RSC live at the Globe.
75. Visit my local museum
Visited with Mum a few years ago.
76. Invite a few friends round to my flat for drinks
Failed - just didn’t get around to organising this.
77. Have a meal out in Gourmet Burger
Done - August 2010; delicious.
78. Earn more money than I spend for one month
Just about managed, and I am certainly handling my finances better, and budgeting well.
79. Give blood
Completed - August 2009, and it felt satisflying to do so!
80. Go to the pleasure beach at Blackpool
Basically, when I wrote my list I actually thought I would be bothered to do so, and time and finances got in the way again.
81. Start flossing my teeth
I did it regularly for a while, though I’ve got out of the habit now.
82. Help Mum clean up my Nan’s gravestone
I posited the idea, but nothing came of it - failed.
83. Attend the Notting Hill Carnival
Attended in 2009; it is great fun just to watch all the various people, but I probably would not go again because of the crowds.
84. Cook dinner for a family member or friend without any assistance
I cooked for both my parents without any help. Completed!
85. Update my twitter account at least once a week
Admittedly, I did fall out of the habit this year but I managed it for most of 2010.
86. Visit five stations on the London Underground that I have not yet visited and take photographs (if possible) (5/5).
I just enjoy visiting them, but I kind of got to the point where I don’t want to visit any new ones unnecessarily because I enjoy all the mystery of what they’re like when travelling through them (I’m crazy, I know), and I don’t want to end up having no surprises when I do visit them later in my life; for the same reason I have not yet bothered to do anything like jump on the Central Line and travel all the way to Epping; I love being able to look at the map of all the unexplored areas and think: “One day” - I think it’s mainly because I don’t like to come to “the end” of things and I’d get upset if there was nothing left on the tube to explore.
Yes, I’m crazy.
87. Watch my local amateur league football team play
I watched them last Easter; good fun!
88. Watch a parade other than the Lord Mayor’s show
I watched the St. Patrick’s Day parade on 15 March 2009.
89. Get over my irrational phobia of people with prams and pushchairs
I still have it; it’s just the feeling when someone’s shoving one at me and feeling that I could get hit by this oncoming “vehicle” that makes me nervous.
90. Keep my desk free of junk
Just about managed, most successfully at work, where I tidy up weekly.
91. Learn to dance properly
A matter of opinion really, what “properly” is, but I tend to follow what everyone else in the room is doing so I counted this as a pass.
92. Recycle the old newspapers/bottles in my kitchen at least once every two weeks
Usually I manage this weekly.
93. Go a week without having a mid-morning snack at work
I challenged myself to do this just because I feel that I do too much snacking between meals; it was tough at times, but I managed it.
94. Get a new carpet to replace the one I made a large burn mark on
Just never got round to it - fail.
95. Iron my clothes at least once a week and stop procrastinating
I usually do this on Sunday mornings and rarely skip it altogether.
96. Go to a stand-up comedy performance
My main hang up here was that any night when I didn’t have plans for doing other things, I just wanted a quiet night in.
97. Buy Christmas decorations for the office instead of waiting for someone else to buy them
I forgot the first time, then eventually got talked out of the idea because of possible breaching of fire safety regulations.
98. Keep a list of books I read and movies I watch on Livejournal
Done - evidence is in my blog!
99. Polish my work shoes at least once every two weeks
It took a while, but finally I am actually taking the effort.
100. Attend a public lecture
I attended a couple at London School of Economics back in 2009.
101. Have a more optimistic outlook in life
I used to be told I needed to do this, and I feel that I have - I am much more cheerful, and have less angst/inner turmoil than I had when I started. I really don’t want to go into how frustrated and negative I could be at times.
I kind of started to forget in the last year due to too many other commitments, but below is a summary (as brief as possible).
1. Go for at least a month without losing my temper
This used to be really difficult for me since I used to lose my cool very often for various reasons; I don’t often lose it these days so I’m very pleased.
2. Visit five football grounds I haven’t been to before and buy match programmes (5/5)
Let me see -
a) The Hawthorns (West Bromwich Albion)
b) Matchroom Stadium (Leyton Orient)
c) Layer Road (Colchester United)
d) Sincil Bank (Lincoln)
e) Abbey Road (Cambridge United)
I love visiting new grounds and seeing what they are like.
3. Throw out some of my old clothes and books and take them to a charity shop
To be honest, I should have suggested a specific number of garments instead of “some”. I completed this one quite fast.
4. Go swimming at least once a week
Completed - sort of; I managed to keep this up for a while until Golden Lane pool closed, then it was hard to find a convenient place.
5. Keep my flat tidy
TidiER than it used to be certainly, and I’ve been getting more organised - I’ll call this a pass.
6. Attend a taekwon-do judges’ course
Attended in March 2009, and re-taken back in April; it was good fun too, and I enjoy judging others during their performances.
7. Meet up with my university friends
I’ll ignore the fact that I used plural - I did meet up briefly with PC Nick, who I knew at University; it wasn’t planned, as he happened to be on duty at Shoreditch Festival, where I was - but I’ll take it.
8. Get a promotion at work
Failed - no chance with this one; we don’t exactly get much promotion opportunities.
9. Get my 2nd degree black belt in taekwon-do
Completed 21 March 2010!
10. Get a tattoo
Failed - I often think about getting one but I’ve done very little in terms of actually going to the tattooist - mostly nerves, I guess.
11. Lose my beer belly
I’m going to be harsh on myself and say no because I still seem to have the belly that I had back at 31 December 2008.
12. Get to know my next door neighbours better
I counted this as a pass as I chatted to them a lot when I saw them - though it is tough because my original neighbours all moved on; the group living next door are certainly secretive, though they seem to have a lot of random friends.
13. Donate money to charity
Done several times via phone, sponsoring others and giving to people collecting in the street.
14. Act assertively towards someone in a situation where I need to do so, e.g. telling my friends if they are rude towards me
I’ve stood up to others in the past, though I can’t remember the exact context - anyway: completed!
15. Visit the outdoor swimming pool at Holborn and experience outdoor swimming in winter
Yes, strange one but I went there on 2 January 2009. It was actually good fun, and quite bracing but I’ve not been back.
16. Go jogging at least once a month
Just about passed, though there was certainly an emphasis on “once”. I just need motivation!
17. Visit Scotland or Ireland
This one was too unrealistic in terms of finance and my actually taking the trouble to organise it all. Failed.
18. Make 20 recipes using my Nintendo DS cooking guide (20/20)
I really enjoyed doing all the recipes that I did - passed. I’ve also become a better cook as a result.
19. Grow a beard
I remember “backing the beard” during the 2010 World Cup (I just didn’t shave while England were still in); it wasn’t a particularly impressive beard, but I counted it as a pass.
20. Learn another language
Failed due to pure laziness and not bothering to pick up a book to try and learn.
21. Become a full member of the Royal Town Planning Institute
In progress; I gave in my forms but I’ve had no response or acknowledgement; boo! It was a long process which involved me getting mentored for a year before writing up my full submission.
22. Take part in a sponsored event
The most notable one was the 6.5 km Crisis run. That was where I met George, who I had a long chat with about TV shows - I love it when I randomly bump into interesting people rather than antisocial layabouts who would rather read their paper/listen to their ipod.
23. Pay my bills on time each month
Just about managed, mostly by using direct debits, but I still missed a few.
24. Take an interest in two new singers/bands (2/2)
#1 Was The Stone Roses; I had plenty of others, but I guess I have more on an interest in Blur than I used to.
25. Purchase two new football replica shirts
Failed due to my finances - scrimp and save; scrimp and save!
26. Water my hyacinths regularly so that they bloom
I’d rather not discuss - just please don’t ask, I won’t reply. But I passed anyway, just about.
27. Not apologise when someone bumps into/barges into/pushes me in the street
Don’t even get me started on this one - I just do it out of habit. Failed.
28. Cook a proper meal (rather than a ready meal) at least once a week
I’ve been getting into the habit now of making sure I have ingredients for simple meals like spaghetti or risotto, so this is now second nature!
29. Visit an art exhibition
I visited plenty - the Le Corbusier exhibition at the Barbican, for example.
30. Perform my job consistently
The feedback I received from Stuart improved, and I definitely feel that I am doing better now.
31. Change my hairstyle
I barely changed it at all, but I did experiment a bit - mostly by combing it differently; I’m not too adventurous but completed anyway.
32. Attend a service at my local church
I did, but I didn’t enjoy it and stuck with my usual churches.
33. Grow a moustache for Movember
I’ve done this twice!
34. Read at least 30 books I’ve not read yet (30/30)
Completed - I get through books easily so I actually increased the target from 15. Could have been many more though.
35. Read an autobiography NOT written by a footballer
I just put this because I was feeling narrow-minded by only reading footballing stories - so I read Playing with Fire by Gordon Ramsay. I enjoyed it too, and it was a good insight into his life.
36. Attend a rugby match
I attended Saracens v Worcester, 13 February 2010.
37. Watch a proper cricket match
A bit of a cheat really; I watched some of the ashes a few years ago because it was being screened in public - but I never said anything about going there. LOL!
38. Attend my local cinema at least five times a year (5/5)
I managed this surprisingly easily, mainly because I live close to the cinema.
39. Go at least a month without getting horribly drunk
I challenged myself to this because I used to have a few alcohol issues like not knowing when to stop; I very rarely get particularly drunk now.
40. Join a club
I joined the office darts club; it was just a shame it disbanded in March.
41. Remember to cut my nails regularly
Done regularly enough.
42. Go to at least two music concerts (2/2)
I attended an Oasis and Coldplay concert in 2009.
43. Learn to bake a cake
Sort of, when I did a swiss roll. It wasn’t great though.
44. Ignore the trolls on GameFAQs.com
This was a whole incident that got totally out of hand on GameFAQs when I criticised one of the other posters and they started some sort of “war” with me, or an attempt at it. Nothing I said could stop them, even by saying I wasn’t bothered. When I stopped going to the Sims message board, which they went to, they followed me to another board. I stopped going to that one altogether after they hacked my Facebook account and sent abusive messages to my friends, and I’ve ignored them ever since. They’ve even tried sending me messages, which I don’t read - I hardly visit the message boards now; they’re mostly boring anyway.
45. Overcome my inhibitions about showering in public and actually take a shower after five-a-side
I used to have too many hang up about the idea that everyone was naked - “help, get me out of here”, but I forced myself to do it, and now I’m okay with it. I remember going into the shower after five-a-side earlier this year and getting into a chat next to the stalls with another guy; we were both naked, but neither of us was embarrassed or anything.
(Yeah, and - no pervy comments, please).
46. Join another art class
Failed; I just don’t have the time to even do the things I do, never mind another art class.
47. Finish the X-Files fan fiction I started a few years ago and never completed
My A-Z of Romance - I just didn't have enough time some how, plus I kept putting it off and putting it off and only wrote two new chapters - fail.
48. Go hillwalking
I went hillwalking in the Brecon Beacons in September 2009; it was great fun too.
49. Complete my “one picture for each day of the year” photo challenge
Completed easily, though sometimes I had no idea what to photograph. Basically, I took a picture each day
50. Visit the Odeon cinema at Leicester Square
A silly one really; I just went to watch Burke and Hare, in a small, poky room at the top of the theatre - but it counts I suppose.
51. Strike up one conversation a month with a person I don’t know (33/33)
This one was all about finding something to talk about, and trains going wrong was usually a sure winner, though some people on the trains really DON’T want to talk. Other good starting points were football and the weather, and then there was always talking to people at church!
52. Keep my diary up to date regularly for a month
I used to get really lazy with my diary, and then get obsessive and write a week of retrospective entries. I might be a little sad in that I still have a paper diary.
53. Visit a health spa and get a massage
Failed - never bothered to book.
54. Watch at least three martial arts movies (3/3)
I’ve seen at least three:
1) Red Belt
2) Ong Bak
3) Kiss of the Dragon
55. Meet up with one person who I haven’t seen in the last few years
One? I met up with several - LOL!
56. Start drinking tea or coffee
I used to feel rather immature by not drinking either, and I had friends who drank it when they were kids - so now I often drink tea and occasionally coffee (though I’m less fond of it).
57. Read a passage from a favourite author before I go to bed every evening for a month (31/31)
I just chose a few passages from Catch as Catch Can by Joseph Heller; it was good fun.
58. Read some of the bible at least once a week
I mostly manage this by attending church regularly
59. Do sit ups/push ups at least once a week
Again, this was mostly through taekwon-do - completed.
60. Watch 10 movie classics I’ve not yet seen (10/10)
Completed easily, mainly through taping stuff on Freeview; in all honesty, I’ve seen many more than ten of these.
61. Put a video on Youtube
62. Break a board in taekwon-do
I managed one of the plastic boards - I’m counting this.
63. Go for a month without winding up the Arsenal fans I work with, however much it amuses me
It was pretty hard to resist, so I challenged me, and I managed this.
64. Pull a successful (and believeable) april fools joke
Our IS guy has a very distinctive moustache and I told someone he’d shaved it off and he did believe me, but he also seems very gullible!
65. Record my dreams on a regular basis and attempt to interpret them
I’ve done several of these.
66. Stop moaning about my friends for at least a month
I used to do this a lot because I got annoyed at them for various reasons; I let them get to me much less now.
67. Go shirtless in public on a hot day without feeling self-conscious about it
I wasn’t sure if I should count this because the time I did it, I was on my own in the country, but - I counted it anyway. I am really modest though, and one of my main hang ups is that none of my friends take their shirts off in hot weather and I’d feel embarrassed being the only one.
No pervy comments please.
68. Get a new pair of sunglasses
I got varifocal lenses fitted to my glasses so that counts.
69. Complete the episode guide to The X-Files I started online years ago
I never even started - lazy.
70. Arrange a meal out for myself and my friends to celebrate my birthday
I managed this in February 2009; some of us went out for a curry one lunchtime just before my birthday.
71. Watch a Bollywood movie
“My Name is Khan” is a Bollywood Movie, though not a typical one - it’s set in America and deals a lot with 9/11 from the point of view of a Muslim.
72. Encourage someone else to join the taekwon-do class I attend (even if just for one lesson)
Attempted, but not successfully.
73. Sing karaoke using the microphone
I only added this because I was criticised for not doing it before, but I’ve had a few moments of grabbing the mic over the last few years.
74. Watch a play by the Royal Shakespeare Company
Initially I counted the David Tennant version of Hamlet, shown on BBC1 - but I did better this year when I watched the RSC live at the Globe.
75. Visit my local museum
Visited with Mum a few years ago.
76. Invite a few friends round to my flat for drinks
Failed - just didn’t get around to organising this.
77. Have a meal out in Gourmet Burger
Done - August 2010; delicious.
78. Earn more money than I spend for one month
Just about managed, and I am certainly handling my finances better, and budgeting well.
79. Give blood
Completed - August 2009, and it felt satisflying to do so!
80. Go to the pleasure beach at Blackpool
Basically, when I wrote my list I actually thought I would be bothered to do so, and time and finances got in the way again.
81. Start flossing my teeth
I did it regularly for a while, though I’ve got out of the habit now.
82. Help Mum clean up my Nan’s gravestone
I posited the idea, but nothing came of it - failed.
83. Attend the Notting Hill Carnival
Attended in 2009; it is great fun just to watch all the various people, but I probably would not go again because of the crowds.
84. Cook dinner for a family member or friend without any assistance
I cooked for both my parents without any help. Completed!
85. Update my twitter account at least once a week
Admittedly, I did fall out of the habit this year but I managed it for most of 2010.
86. Visit five stations on the London Underground that I have not yet visited and take photographs (if possible) (5/5).
I just enjoy visiting them, but I kind of got to the point where I don’t want to visit any new ones unnecessarily because I enjoy all the mystery of what they’re like when travelling through them (I’m crazy, I know), and I don’t want to end up having no surprises when I do visit them later in my life; for the same reason I have not yet bothered to do anything like jump on the Central Line and travel all the way to Epping; I love being able to look at the map of all the unexplored areas and think: “One day” - I think it’s mainly because I don’t like to come to “the end” of things and I’d get upset if there was nothing left on the tube to explore.
Yes, I’m crazy.
87. Watch my local amateur league football team play
I watched them last Easter; good fun!
88. Watch a parade other than the Lord Mayor’s show
I watched the St. Patrick’s Day parade on 15 March 2009.
89. Get over my irrational phobia of people with prams and pushchairs
I still have it; it’s just the feeling when someone’s shoving one at me and feeling that I could get hit by this oncoming “vehicle” that makes me nervous.
90. Keep my desk free of junk
Just about managed, most successfully at work, where I tidy up weekly.
91. Learn to dance properly
A matter of opinion really, what “properly” is, but I tend to follow what everyone else in the room is doing so I counted this as a pass.
92. Recycle the old newspapers/bottles in my kitchen at least once every two weeks
Usually I manage this weekly.
93. Go a week without having a mid-morning snack at work
I challenged myself to do this just because I feel that I do too much snacking between meals; it was tough at times, but I managed it.
94. Get a new carpet to replace the one I made a large burn mark on
Just never got round to it - fail.
95. Iron my clothes at least once a week and stop procrastinating
I usually do this on Sunday mornings and rarely skip it altogether.
96. Go to a stand-up comedy performance
My main hang up here was that any night when I didn’t have plans for doing other things, I just wanted a quiet night in.
97. Buy Christmas decorations for the office instead of waiting for someone else to buy them
I forgot the first time, then eventually got talked out of the idea because of possible breaching of fire safety regulations.
98. Keep a list of books I read and movies I watch on Livejournal
Done - evidence is in my blog!
99. Polish my work shoes at least once every two weeks
It took a while, but finally I am actually taking the effort.
100. Attend a public lecture
I attended a couple at London School of Economics back in 2009.
101. Have a more optimistic outlook in life
I used to be told I needed to do this, and I feel that I have - I am much more cheerful, and have less angst/inner turmoil than I had when I started. I really don’t want to go into how frustrated and negative I could be at times.