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Every January the 1st, like thousands of people around the globe, your writer here always makes New Year’s Resolutions. Seeing that I failed to fulfil most of my resolutions from last year, I have decided not to make any this year. At the end of the day, making a resolution shouldn’t be the driver in my life. I do things because I want to do them. Full stop.
Nevertheless, I realise that I must lose weight. Having people asking me all the time if I was pregnant back in Spain really didn’t help my selfsteem. I do know that this is the fattest I’ve ever been in my life, however, I adore food and losing weight is going to be really hard for me. I enjoy food and having a resolution that stops me from enjoying my only vice in life is simply utterly unfair.
Maybe I shoud start smoking and binge drinking, so I could give those up and feel better about the amounts of food that I eat. That is the problem about not having any real vices… you never find anything serious to give up! Because, what else is there that I should change about myself? According to lots of websites, these are the most common New Year’s Resolutions around the world:
1) Lose weight. Ok. Got that covered.
2) Exercise. Hopefully playing Wii games will be enough.
3) Quit smoking and drinking. I’ve never smoked and I barely drink that much. Nothing here to worry about.
4) Get out of debt. If we don’t count the mortgage, I have no debts.
5) Spend more time with family and friends. We see this side of the family often enough, but yes, we need to socialise more. I just love my home and my home-comforts…
Okay, I’ll be serious. There are things that need to change in my life. But they aren’t that type of things that one would include in a New Year’s Resolutions list. They are more “mental” things, like, I’d like to learn a new language, or even, teach Jon Spanish; I’d like to be better at my job; I’d like to be a better person overall, find my inside peace; I’d like to be a better writer… etc.
So, yeah, this year I won’t impose any of those resolutions on myself, and maybe, out of spite, the stars will conspire against me and make my life just the way it should be.
This is a memory exercise that I´m not sure I´ll be able to fulfill as much as I want to. My memory is not what it used to be like. I´ve got lots of memories of these past ten years, but I really doubt I´ll be able to put them in chronological order… I´ll try anyway:
2000 – Saw Smashing Pumpkins three times live. Went to Portsmouth for the first time to visit Puri. Fell in love with the place. Had the most horrible coach journey from Granada to Barcelona to see Pearl Jam live. Met Eva and the girls. Life in Granada was just great.
The Smashing Pumpkins
2001 – Going out with Jorge. Saw lots of fantastic concerts (Depeche Mode, HIM, Guano Apes, Deftones, Linkin Park, Incubus…). Went to my first Festimad too. Travelled a lot around Spain. Tired of living in halls of residence, I went to live on my own in a studio-flat. Life in Granada still just great. Had blue hair.
Great Festimad
2002 – Second Festimad and many other great concerts (Tool, Incubus, Placebo..) .Had pink hair. Got my Erasmus grant and went to Portsmouth towards the end of the year. Met Darren. My brother got married. My nephew Pablo was born. Had purple hair.
One of many colours
2003 – Life in Portsmouth fantastic. Saw many great concerts in the UK (Muse, Finch, Pitchshifter, Hundred Reasons, Cave in..). Travelled the south of the UK. Back to Spain in the summer. Lots of work in the ice cream parlour. Missing the UK all the time.
Park Building – My faculty
2004 – Not such a great year. Still some subjects left to finish my degree but not allowed to live in Granada. Had to prepare for my exams from Motril. Lots of coach journeys to Granada. Long distance relationship with Darren. Grandma died. Muse in Granada. A Perfect Circle in Madrid.
Means of transport to Granada!
2005 – Busy year. Finished my degree. Did the CAP. Did a Teaching Spanish as a foreign language course. Managed to have two jobs at the same time: teaching Spanish to French teenagers in Almuñecar and working in the ice cream parlour at the same time. Very knackering. REM in Granada. Went to live to the UK. First Taking Back Sunday concert. Mighty Boosh live. Relationship with Darren not that amazing any more.
Working in the ice cream parlour
2006 – Got job at Andromeda. Moved to Highfield Close. Broke up with Darren. Met Jon. Started going out with Jon. Fantastic summer. Give it a name 06. Moved in with Jon. Passed driving test. Steve and Karen got married. Bought house!
Bought a house!
2007 – Life pretty much fantastic. Settling down great in Byfleet. Met Paul and Olga. Did lots of work in the house and garden. House warming party/bbq. Give it a name 07. Cruise around Greece. Visited Norwich and other places around the UK. Got promoted at Andromeda.
Give it a name 2007
2008 – Evelyn Rose is born. Got my first car: A blue Micra. Great Little holiday in the Lake District. Jon proposed on our 2 year anniversary. Give it a name 08. Visited Motril with Jon´s parents in August and everybody almost died of sun stroke and heat. Wedding preparations. Canary Islands holiday. Crufts. Joined Spaniards.es
Engagement Rings
2009 – More wedding preparations. Joined WSIVC. Swan Lake in the Royal Opera House. Puri´s wedding. Our wedding! Honeymoon in Hawaii! Dived for the first time. South Wales. Derren Brown. Taking Back Sunday. Met great Spaniards.
Highlight of the decade
Hopefully, this exercise will be much easier in 10 years time, as this blog will help me remember what I’ve been up to! Now I welcome the “tennies” or “teenies” or whatever name they want to give to this new decade. I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to be fantastic.
