Edit: A whole bunch of photographs uploaded to my Flickr. Including those from Xmas and my 18th Birthday, which was an absolutely BLAST. I had so much helium (from the balloons xD) and drink that I lost my voice and damaged my throat. I may have caught a cold :((
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As with alot of other people out there, I always believe that one year takes "ages" to go through. But when the end comes, I change my mind - it feels as if it was just yesterday when I was ushering myself into the new year of 2006. When I look at my new year's school diary upon returning to school, I skim through the pages - January to December. My diary is full of pages and pages that will soon be filled with plans, birthdays, events, doodles, notes and most importantly homework. It's funny how the things that we can see, days printed on paper in a book, a diary, can make us believe that everything will take "forever" to move through. When really, it happens so quick.

This year's been a huge achievement for me, overall. I've done things I would never have been able to pull through without completely changing myself and my beliefs. The change isn't bad. I mean, it was a very good change. It was a change I felt was necessary, in order to bring my life back to a stable state. I worked harder. I consistently pushed myself to achieve better everytime. Eventhough I didn't achieve the results I aimed for, I felt that if I kept trying I'll get there somehow. I had so many things to juggle at times - school work, sport training, gym, sport competitions, band rehearsals, performances, homework, extension classes, study - and still, manage to put aside ample time for leisure. Money and finances had always been a big issue for me. I tended to spend money without thinking of the ultimate long-term consequences, like the money I save will be the money I have for my future. I began to save money in the last term of the year, and it was a success. I saved so much money that I felt so good about myself. I realised that I didn't need to spend all that money quickly.

I'm proud of myself for my achievements this year.
#1. I learned to play the timpani, and I think I got pretty good at it too.
#2. I lost weight and got fit from consistent exercise every week.
#3. I learned to play soccer, and found out that I'm a good goalkeeper.
#4. I made new good friends.
#5. I learned the classical guitar repertoire.
#6. I saved half of my pocket money in Term 4.
#7. I got good ranks for Maths, Japanese and English.
#8. I nominated myself for Prefect 2007, eventhough I didn't get it.

There are many more, I'm sure. I won't list them all down. More than half of them I can't even remember.

So really, all in all, 2006's been one heck of journey. Many ups and downs, yet I managed to pull through it with a smile on my face. It's now time to move forward, into the new year - new opportunities, new people, new experiences and new ideas. The Year 2007 will bring lots of new challenges. Also, as it is my final year at school, hard and consistent work and study must be put in place. A balanced and healthy lifestyle is necessary for this to work, and this time, I've really got to concentrate.

All the best wishes for the year ahead of us. May we pick ourselves up when we fall, and trudge on like true soldiers. May we challenge ourselves with new and different experiences. May we introduce new ideas into our lives, allowing us to learn about them and maybe even adopt them for our own beliefs. May we grab onto new opportunities. May we seize the day!

Right, I really feel as if I'm writing a groundbreaking speech here.
I really ONLY wanted to say good luck ;)
Cheers!