2016 means we turn a page. Look back and look forward. During 2015, I hurt my foot, knee, and had my bike stolen, yet there were also positives such as making acquaintances and experiencing untried things. I visited a newly-opened museum which was interesting. Also a few lectures, Should We Fear the Robots, and another about Kierkegaard.
Christmas as usual with the family, some illness which we are still recovering from. Fortunately nothing serious.
Presents, I received a few dvds, including Ray w/ Jamie Foxx, The Immigrant w/ Marion Cotillard, and Chang-dong Lee's Poetry (2010).
Books, I got a collection of Kafka's short shories. A subscription to a magazine about world news. An ice box and woolly socks were a couple of useful gifts that will come in handy.
Goals for the New Year include going on a holiday, reading+reviewing books from my reading list, continuing with the music project on the year 1980, and prioritizing classic film instead of new releases.
Speed of reading is exceedingly slow, despite a new arm chair and glasses. Each year I read less which is frustrating so now I've joined a book club. Maybe I just need to make reading a routine and then I will finish more books in less time.
In 2015, I saw 258 films.
I have no numbers on music. I listened to A LOT, especially 80s music.
I read 8 books. I will look at those in an upcoming post.
My resolutions. Try and not be late, which is a bad habit, I need to work on that. Also I want to get better at thinking before I speak. Each morning, jotting down the goals for the day, and writing a small diary entry before bed to keep track of what I did. Easier said than done of course.
Happy New Year to everyone who is reading this post. I hope you have a great 2016!
Ooh, Poetry! I love that movie. Whoever got you that really knows their stuff. Good luck with reading more books. It's something I need to do as well. Looking forward to another great year from you. Happy New Year!!!
ReplyDelete@Wendell: Thanks for the heads up on Poetry dvd, I bought it and had my parents give to me for xmas. On my watchlist because I was impressed by the director's previous Oasis. Happy New Year! :)
DeleteHappy New Year, Chris and good luck with your goals! I look forward to future posts.
ReplyDelete@C: Thanks, and Happy New Year to you too! I look forward to your posts as well
DeleteI usually am never late but I would rather say, better late than never.
ReplyDelete@void99: I need to allow more time so I’m not fighting the clock. Yep, I agree, better late than never.
DeleteHappy new year Chris and good luck with 2016. I keep a diary and I bloody love it! Without it, I'd probably remember NOTHING!
ReplyDelete@Pete: Happy New Year. Hoping the scheduling/diary will turn out useful, I want better structure. So easy to lose control and waste hours on youtube. Reassuring it’s working for you!
DeleteHappy New Year (again) Chris. Good to hear of your plans, I will be there to read about it.
ReplyDeleteBeware of New Year promises. They do not really count :-) just go with what you like to do.
@TSorensen: Thanks for reading. I know, with promises it’s easy to disappoint yourself :) I tried to steer clear of number-based resolutions, my goals are fairly vague. Although I do have 12 blind spot reviews, and the diary thing each day.
DeleteHappy New Year and looking forward to another great movie year
ReplyDelete@Nostra: Happy New Year! Let’s hope it will be a good 12 months for new releases at the cinema.
DeleteI love personal posts like this. I went through a major reading slump this year. I think I was working too much (and since I'm an editor, my work involves reading). However, thanks to Christmas break and getting new glasses, I seem to be getting off the ground again.
ReplyDeleteGreat resolutions. I need to work on being more punctual too. My 12-year-old daughter relies on me to drive her to activities, and she HATES being late.
I like the idea of writing down goals at the beginning of the day and journaling at the end. What a great way to be a bit more focused and live a bit more mindfully.
Happy new year, Chris!
@Stephanie: Glad you liked the post.
DeleteIt's tough to find the energy to sit and concentrate on a book, especially with other activities going on. Hope we both can improve our reading stats in 2016.
I know what you mean, lateness is hurtful so I just feel bad about it. I wasn't late today, I was early! :)
Unexpected things can happen which can throw you off course. Sometimes you want happy accidents. Scheduling for me is about trying to stick to a plan and achieving goals faster. Of course also goes hand in hand with punctuality.
Hope your family is doing better. The only book I finished in 2015 is The Great Gatsby, the translated version which irritated me because I felt like I was missing something from the translation.
ReplyDeleteI never really take my resolutions seriously because from my experience I never really fulfill them. Just promise to myself I'm doing better each day.
Hope you'll have a pleasant year!
@Andina: Happy New Year! Yep, the family is feeling better thanks. Resolutions are tricky and I don’t know if I have the will power to keep it up all year. I guess slow progress is better than no progress. Wishing you a happy 2016, I know it will be a big year for you.
Deleteps If it has interest, I actually reviewed The Great Gatsby (the book)
http://moviesandsongs365.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-great-gatsby-f-scott.html
Happy New Year, Chris! That looks like a strong set of goals. One of mine is to do more reading as well. I set up a challenge on Goodreads to help with that -- aiming for at least one book per month.
ReplyDeleteEric @ The Warning Sign: Happy 2016! Hope your book challenge is successful and most importantly that you enjoy the books. Turning off internet/TV/phone is the best way to get through books faster :)
DeleteHappy belated 2016, Chris! Good luck with your goals. :)
ReplyDelete@Josh: Same to you, good luck with your 2016 goals :)
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