Well here we go. Another year over, a new year in its place. It’s Au Revoir 2010 (I always did appreciate the catchy sound of twenty-ten though so twenty-eleven has already failed) Bonjour 2011. People always say that as you get older the years go faster and faster until eventually you’re a pensioner. When your only daily task is to play lawn bowls then I’ll bet that life gets a lot slower. It makes sense. The more years you have behind you then the smaller each year becomes respectively. Even though it’s rational it still scares me a little bit. I remember this time 365 days ago. I’m not going to say that it seems like yesterday because that’s a cliché instead I’ll say that it seems like three months ago. Recent enough so it’s as if no time has really past but distant enough so your memory is just a little bit fuzzy like when you’ve been hit with a pillow in the face. I guess I can talk about how fast time goes for a rather long time but the actual point of this post is to reflect upon 2010 (or is it to welcome 2011? I realised that in reality New Year’s Eve Parties are dual purpose but surely there must be some dominant purpose...)
2010. It was my last year of school. It means that on ZM when they play high school hits and they say class of 2010 then they’re talking about my year. I think that the key thing that really summarised 2010 was hectic. Going into 2010 I decided to focus on my school work and cut back on the extra curriculars. Funny 16 and 3/4‘s Camilla... I was torn between being chilled out and seizing every opportunity a la Carpe Diem.
That meant that:
I ended up sailing around great barriers island on a boat for 10 days. I discovered that miraculously I don’t get particularly sea sick, plaiting your hair doesn’t actually keep it much neater when you haven’t been washing it in fact it just means that it becomes very knot like, when there’s food you eat and most importantly not everyone is the same as you.
I spent 5 days learning about science at Otago. I learnt that there are two categories of nerd... the awkward ones and the not so awkward ones. I think I fall into the ‘not so awkward’ category. Confidence isn’t about what you’ve done it’s about how you feel. I remember distinctly how proud a slightly arrogant fellow felt about getting endorsed with Merit meanwhile I was sitting there thinking... but I endorsed with Excellence. I felt the same way recently when I rather proudly declared I got x number of Excellence credits only to be greeted with a response of... “Oh that’s well done,” in an entirely neutral tone followed by “I got a million E credits.” Well he didn’t actually get a million it was just a lot.
I embodied international relations via GYLC. That experience was about me. I even have a letter on my notice board which I wrote and I read from time to time because it gives me warm fuzzies. I learnt that I can do anything (within reason obviously I can’t fly without a parachute... but then I’m not really flying). It’s so lame sounding. But let me just exaggerate the point that GYLC gave me the confidence to believe that I can be a leader. Lame I know... Resolution number 1 use fewer clichés..
I ‘died’ in front of a sold out audience. Granted I must admit that it was a rather small audience. Nevertheless I performed well (for the first 2 nights at least) and I was in my first (and probably only) dramatic production. As soon as I discovered that singing wasn’t necessary for ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ it felt like everything was falling into place. It was meant to be.
I pierced my ears, I answered my phone in class, I spoke to strangers in the hopes of making a new friend, I failed, I succeeded, I said what I wanted to say, I learnt that sometimes silence is better than words. That’s quite a big one actually. I remember in ‘Learning Leadership’ how we read this chapter which explained that the old saying ‘Silence is Golden’ is incorrect. Instead the witty writer decided that ‘Silence is yellow’. It’s weak not to speak up and instead live in silence. I have to admit that’s true. But on the other hand we all need that moment to let it all sink in. Just to have a little bit of quiet reflection. I don’t need to fill in every single box on the survey of life. Those little pieces of mystery; blankness are useful.
I’ve grown up this year. I know that’s getting a bit repetitive considering how many times I’ve said it. But.... I HAVE. At this very moment I’m raking my brain for that one specific factor which changed within me to make me mature. Self discipline? Compassion? Positivity? Okay I’m getting dangerously close to just regurgitating the Marsden virtues of the week now. More terrifyingly I’m scared that I’m going to say something like “Happiness Classes changed my life..” That sounds entirely suck up-ish. I changed my own life by taking active steps to make it better. As I said earlier the significant change is ‘shutting up’. I’ve been told that so many times. Finally I did it. Please don’t think that I’m a mute. I’m not. It’s about knowing when someone wants you to talk rather than when you want to talk (since for me that’s 24/7). I shut up and started to actually listen to what other people have to say. It’s pretty awesome stuff too. I like to think that I embraced each day. This year I took the time to see everything.
New Year’s Resolutions Time! Prepare to laugh. Each year on New Year’s Eve (or around that time) then I write myself a letter. I put it in my draw and promptly forget about it until the next year. In this letter then I include my resolutions and little pieces of epicness for the future me. To be honest it’s pretty awesome and I definitely think you should try it!
2010 Resolutions
Learn to pick a lock Yesterday I looked up a video on youtube to try and do it before midnight but it’s harder than it looks. For one you have to have a lock wrench... honestly if you’ve been locked out of your house then would you really have a lock wrench! I’ll just leave the spy stuff to the professionals... and I’ll leave my house unlocked/make it easy to break into... Whoops I probably shouldn’t have said that...
Do the 3000m at athletics Did it, well.
Make only recipes that I've never made for the whole of January Ridiculous! I mean honestly did 2009 me really think that 2010 me would have enough time
Restricted License Yup! Although I got it in Masterton... Still counts
Read more than 5 books in a year I think so... Courtesy of the Marsden Book Club! Another new thing for this year.
Get a Job Babysitting! Children actually like me.
Take more photos Hard to judge... but check out my 2011 resolutions
Have a successful Science week
Get into a mint hall of residence Massey so hard... I don’t really know if it’s mint until I get there to be honest because I have no idea as to who I’ll be bunking with.
Get better at spelling so I no longer need a spell checker for my writing to be readable! There were a few times when on my blog the Camilla-words were the only ones which were picked up by the spell checker.
Learn a new word every day... Yeah... not so much
Be Bold, be adventurous have the world as my oyster I have definitely been bold considering that I am no longer afraid of sales assistants.
Finish decorating my room I now proudly display a map, a winnie the pooh calendar and pretty pictures in my bedroom.
2011 Resolutions
Run a half marathon. I’ve already signed up for it. It really mustn’t be too bad considering Hamish ran a full marathon with no training.
Work hard at staying in touch with everyone.
Try tango dancing
Join a variety of Uni clubs
Survive first year of University
Keep room tidy
Project 365. 365 Photos. 1 Photo each day for a year! You guys are going to love my regular snaps!
Eat healthier food! Fudge is not a suitable alternative for bread, fruit, vegetables and meat.
Teach Speech & Drama
Get Full Drivers License
Sew a dress! So I can actually use the sewing machine... Useful!
Day 1: I finally burnt down Phoebes house... Her parents never used to trust me because they were sure of it...
This is Day 1 as well but I just thought that it was cool!
I guess that’s a taste of my year. I hope it’s awesome/epic/incredible/any other synonym which starts being used in 2011 like... fetch but not because that has already been used.
3 Good Things
*Swimming in Oriental bay... even though I’m not very ladylike.
*Getting picked up by my brother because I didn’t understand the bus timetable. I think it was also partially due to my painful chaffing action... NOT PLEASANT! Note to Self buy new shorts!
*’Clueless’ I love that movie even though she-who-must-not-be-named dissed it... WHILE IT WAS STILL RUNNING! I was shocked although I’ve decided that it’s in my top 5.
After Dinner Mint: Sometimes it’s important to not give a stuff what other people think about you. That’s what Priyanka taught me. Thank you!
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