What has Emily been pondering lately?

As it is already over a week into 2009, I'm quite behind on the reflection/looking forward/goal-making requirements of this time of year. I can use the excuse I was away for a week and enjoyed the chill out time of no computers, no stress and no need to think beyond the next second, so I will. Instead, having lived a little in the new year, I'm going to convince myself I have better knowledge of what I'd like to get cracking on in the exciting but awkward-to-say 2009.

Having a week away gave me a bit of perspective. I'm very good at being busy, exhausted and overexcited/overworked/overplanned/over everything. Being away from home, with some of the faves, sleeping in, being forced to finish things I started, cooking a little, being responsible in a quiet sort of way, reminded me that I need to slow down. Focus on the things I'm good at, and are important to me. Try a few new things. Remind myself regularly that I don't have to do everything, otherwise I burn out, I'm sad, I'm grumpy and I make everything complicated. No one likes a grumpy Emily!

While we were away we watched Phantom of the Opera, and it was AMAZING. So I've decided I need to become more cultured in the area of musicals! I'm going to write a big list of as many as I can think of, and watch them all by the end of the year. It will happen.

As the world has been somewhat obsessed with the whole weight issue thing lately, it's been something that's been on my mind. I love food, and I intend to love it and eat it continuously. However, I really want to run the four k City to Surf this year. In order to do that, a bit of toning up and slimming down is required, due to crap knees and lack of running ability/fitness in most areas. Please keep in mind I don't judge you or your weight/lack thereof etc., and I am in no way becoming anorexic. I would simply like to enjoy the fitness I see in people like my brother, but without the obsessiveness and the big muscles. Somehow I don't think I could pull off the muscly look.

I know I sound hopelessly cliched, and very much like the white person stereotype in the ALL TIME GREATEST BOOK Stuff White People Like, but I want to travel a lot this year. I had fabulous plans to go away in the middle of the year, but had a think on issues like money, time, practicality and not wanting to burn myself out as uni is unfortunately still cranking on, and have changed times to the end of the year, overlapping with 2010. (That year is way easier to say, in my opinion). So I'm going to focus on saving money, being organized, being practical and being adventurous in the places of the world that need to be explored. And I'm not even limiting that to overseas - there are so many places in WA I've never really appreciated before.

My family continually jokes about my pathetic ability to be tidy. I have no desire to be neat. But, this year, I intend to actually keep my room tidy. Half of my stress was the result of a messy workspace, and messy approach to things. I want to become a neater, more organized and thus more focussed person this year.

I adore dance, as I think a lot of people know. And I now have an absolute obsession to learn the Michael Jackson Thriller dance. It is going to happen.

I have plenty of other little goals, and a few other goals that I won't write here. It's nice to have some perspective though! Life is just so exciting, I love how great each new day is.

Oh man, I'm one big cliche.

And just as a side note, I'd like to comment on the use of 'Facebook' as a verb, i.e. 'I was just facebooking God' or 'You facebooked me just as I called you!' I never did it until recently, when my friends encouraged this terrible habit. What say you, friends? Should we use 'facebook' as a verb? Is it better than 'raging' as my dad likes to say?