[BGmusic: my brother on the guitar, singing The Beatles' In My Life]

This is a pretty straightforward post. For context, see 2011: The Wishlist

1. Climb a mountain. Check! I didn’t get to go on the Pulag trip I mentioned because I got sick on that weekend [it was a good thing too, as the group I was supposed to go with ended up climbing in bad foggy weather], but in April my family climbed Mt. Taclang Damulag with some family friends.

2. More love! So many checks! 2011 was full of surprises. You know who you are.

3. Get published. Sadly, I didn’t even try. I did manage to finish some stories but I’m still relearning the joys of editing my own work. I also need to set aside a regular time for writing and make it into a discipline. Writing can be such a pain. In Dorothy Parker’s words, “I hate writing, I love having written.”

4. Tone muscles. I’m still skinny. Does that count?

5. Write songs. Apart from the nonsensical songs I sing to my family and dog, I have nothing to show for here.

6. Prepare a super-complicated meal. Omurice? This year I taught myself how to make omurice. And that… is not a super-complicated meal. v______v

7. Learn how to knit. Check! [At last! This list was starting to make me feel bad.] Anyway, so I learned the basics of knitting from ebooks and YouTube… and I also found out that I’m really not the sort of person who can do something like knitting for a long period of time. Cause knitting’s kinda boring. It pains me to say that because I think it’s genius in principle – using just two long needles to turn a ball of yarn into cloth – but I found that doing nothing but clacking away with needles for hours got me restless and existential and sad. I think it’s the perfect thing to do in front of a television or something, when your mind isn’t too active, but I don’t watch television. So. Yeah. Knitting’s bad for my mental health. But I’ll finish that scarf one day.

8. Visit a country I’ve never been to! Check! Cambodia was beautiful!

9. Learn a new instrument. …I’m a little better at whistling! Getting bongos next year. Or something. Oh, I actually did get a new instrument this year, but it was a new ukulele and that’s not what I meant when I wrote up this list.

10. Run more. :”>Let’s try again in 2012!!!

Verdict: I got 4/10. And yes, that number looks pathetic, but I am more than satisfied with how 2011 has turned out. It’s been a wild ride, and I’m walking away with a lot more than what can be squeezed into a single blog post, let alone a 10-point list. I can see myself, years from now, looking back on the past year with utmost fondness. You have made me glad, 2011, and you have given me cause to expect big things in 2012. Thank you.