皆さん、こんにちは！
Wow. New Year's Eve felt just like yesterday, but it's almost Valentine's Day now. 時間が経つのはとても速いですね。。。 2019, please slow down a bit, will you? ヽ(。_°)ノ
Anyway, I'm doing something different. This time, I decided to write down my goals for the year. You know, I think one of the reasons why 2018 felt 'meh' for me is that I was pretty much unsure of what I wanted to achieve that year. 例えば -- 2016: My goal was to study 日本語 and take the JLPT. And I did! 2017: I was able to get my passport the year before and I had some sort of a deal with le 彼氏, saying something like 'If I get my passport this time (I had to return because they said my documents were insufficient, duh...) we're gonna go to Japan'. And I did get my passport! So we made it our goal to save up and plan for the trip to catch late autumn in Tokyo. Another goal was to take the JLPT N3 even if I had to do self-study since the course is too expensive for me. And I did!
This year, I thought of writing down my goals and attached it to my planner. I feel that seeing my list often helps me focus and get motivated to work on them. So let's get down to the list, shall we?
1. Revive my blog with at least 2 posts per month. Welp, semi-failed on that one haha. This was supposed to be my second post for January but I was so busy at work this week. Add to that the house chores I must do once I get home, it's almost like doing a double-shift everyday haha... Not that I'm complaining though. It's just that I felt so incredibly tired and sleepy, I'd call it a day earlier than usual the whole week. It might sound like an excuse but hey, I'm making up for it.
2. Keep up with my 日本語 journal until the end of the year. My 日本語 skills are feeling a tad rusty nowadays due to lack of practice, so I decided to follow a tip I read from That Japan Girl, brought out this めっちゃ可愛い猫ノート and started writing in 日本語 .
3. Finish 1 light novel. Another thing I decided to do to help improve my language skills. I picked up 君の名は。Another Side: Earthbound from Kinokuniya during our Tokyo trip, and かくりよの宿飯 is a souvenir from my friend LJさん. I can't read them fast enough yet because there are so many unfamiliar 漢字 and 単語, but that's the point -- it forces you to look up those stuff in order to be able to comprehend the story. It's proving to be a difficult task for my level right now, which is why I decided to just finish at least one.
PS. I've already watched the かくりよの宿飯 anime and it has become one of my favorites, so I'll definitely get all the novels!
4. Finish at least 2 English novels. Last year, I was able to finish reading Norwegian Wood. I absolutely enjoyed it, and I realized reading books is actually therapeutic (I prefer physical books though). It relieved my stress, got my brain working (I imagine the scenes as if they're a movie in my head), and makes me forget about social media for a while. So this year, I plan on picking up 2 books to read. Any recommendations?
5. Complete the 52-week money challenge. I don't have the most desirable budgeting habits, to tell the truth. And since last year's Christmas holidays, I've been struggling quite a bit due to online shopping for gifts given to friends, and yes, to myself. The temptation is too hard to resist haha-huhu! (I'm looking at you, Lazada and Shopee). But this time, I'm resolved to complete that 52-week money challenge and to save up because we're planning to go to Japan again next year. 神様、手伝ってください〜 。（＞ω＜。）
6. Get an insurance. Because I'm not getting any younger and I don't know what the future holds, so might as well prepare now. Should've done this earlier though.
7. Invest in stocks. Because I can't just rely on my full-time job if I want to grow financially. Should've done this earlier too.
8. Get fit until I can wear size 28 pants again. I gained a lot of weight and body fat by the fourth quarter of last year, and some of my short pants don't fit me anymore. It's so annoying and I feel very disappointed with myself for letting that happen. 本当に落ち込みました。But I'm trying to bounce back by going on after-6 again, eating lots of veggies whenever I can, and exercising every other day. ⸂⸂⸜(രᴗര๑)⸝⸃⸃
9. Take the JLPT N2. I've already got some materials and just waiting now for my 日本語総まとめ books. Got in touch again with my former classmates as well so we can do some group study. 一生懸命がんばります！
And that's it! I'm very hopeful for this year and I'm gonna do my best to tick off this list. ☆⌒(*＾-°)v
What about you? What are your goals for this year?
またね〜
