Okay, it's about time for the annual weighing in of old and the making of new goals.

( Goals for 2008 )


MY GOALS FOR 2009

This year, I plan on giving my wanderlust a little rest. Instead, I want to get some skill, lifestyle, attitude and material upgrades:

• Take JLPT 3/4. (This has been on my list for years!)


• Write at least three short stories.


• Not be more than 30 minutes late every month.


• Have 23% or lower body fat.


• Write a novel.


• Play bass in front of an audience (family does not count, but recitals or small private functions with friends do).


• Buy a car. Or a house.


• Get a new computer.


• Improve my self-confidence. (I don't know how to measure this. Maybe I'll have to list down the number of times I put myself down per day, and see if it decreases by the end of the year?)


• Volunteer for a cause.


• Make at least one new human friend.


• Upload at least 12 new songs at the Karaoke Box (currently at 68 songs).


• Start a topic-exclusive blog, or add standard weekly content on my LJ.

Ganbarimasu!

Here are my three favorite and three most hated books for 2008. They don't have to be released in 2008; I just have to have read them for the first time this year.

Best Books:

1. Test of the Twins - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
The final book of the Dragonlance Legends, this concludes the story of Raistlin's quest for godhood. What can I say? I love, love, love Raistlin. And I'm glad he ( spoiler... )

2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
This story is told in the point of view of an autistic boy who tries to find the murderer of his neighbor's dog, but instead ends up discovering truths about his life that people have been keeping secret from him. I like how the book brings you into the boy's level of processing data and events, how the storytelling hones in on the little details instead of the drama that's unfolding, since it's what the boy keeps track of.

3. Idoru - William Gibson
An American girl flies to Japan because she wants to check out the rumor that her favorite artist wants to marry a Japanese virtual reality idol. I think I enjoyed this mostly because of all the j-culture references.


Worst Books:

1. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
Honestly, I wanted to tear this book to pieces halfway through reading it. It's the same old rehashed theme of Bella thinking she's not pretty enough for Edward, and Edward thinking Bella deserves so much better than him. What is worst about this one is ( spoiler... ) I could trim off a full half of this book and still retain the storyline. Did Breaking Dawn even go through an editor?

2. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
Same old shit as the previous two books: 'Bella, I could kill you.' 'Edward, I don't know why you like me because I'm too fugly, but I want to be with you anyway.' 'Let's keep talking about our feelings until all readers get bored, because that's what normal people in a relationship do!' I want to bang their heads together, I swear. Why did I keep following the series, you might ask? Because I'm a masochist that way.

3. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
I read this one because, even though I didn't really like Twilight (the first book of the series), I didn't hate it all that much. Sure, there was the Mary Sue character, who everybody and their grandfathers had a crush on. Sure, the writing was angsty and generally plotless for probably the first two-thirds of the book. But people kept saying nice things about the series, so I gave it a chance. By the time I finished plodding through this book, though, I hated both Bella and Edward with a passion.