- I was stone cold sober at the bells for the first time in five years
- I remember the bells for the first time in three years
- I got to appreciate how ridiculously drunk people dance
- I was not hungover on Ne'ers day
- I get to take the moral high ground. Je suis holier than thou.
Looking back on my aims and objective (2008) I find that:
- Go to Brighton/Ukraine = FAIL.
- Get a car = FAIL
- Get a tattoo = DONE. I got a tattoo, yeah I got ink done (except I asked for a 13 and they drew a 31)
- Learn to juggle = FAIL. Although I haven't REALLY been trying all that much. Maybe 2009 is my year.
- Go to see the Flaming Lips = FAIL. This is not my fault as they have decided to (for another year) not tour in Scotland.
- Go to all 12 hours of cheeeeeeeeeeeeeesy pop = DONE. Oh my, to see the daylight at 8am after 12 hour christmas cheesy pop was one of the sweetest (most tired) sights I have ever seen.
- Become less antisocial and talk to more strangers (obviously not taking sweets from them/getting into cars - I ain't no fool) = UNCLEAR. This was really a bit of a half assed aim/objective.
- Be an extra in a Bollywood film = FAIL. But oh my god did I come close- On my first day in Bombay (Mumbai, whatever) I stepped out of a taxi on Colaba Causeway to be greeted with 'Do you want to be in a Bollywood film'... Inside my head I was screaming "OH MY GOD YES", but played it cool and replied "OH MY GOD YES". It was going to be a drama set in the days of the British Raj and I would have been dressed up like a 1930s gentleman... The guy offered to send a car to pick me up from my hotel the next morning, but as I had just arrived I had literally no idea where my hotel was so instead I had to meet him at McDonalds at 8am the next morning. So off I trotted home and duly set my alarm for 6:30am and went to bed... It must have been the jet lag, but I woke up the next day at 9:30am - probably one of my top 3 worst moments of my life. Ever.
- Learn to speak basic Hindi - QUALIFIED SUCCESS. I know how to say 'hello', 'thank you', 'water', 'open your eyes' and 'do you want us to take the tube out your throat'.
- Become fit - IN THE PROCESS OF BECOMING DONE. I've enter a marathon. Creeping Jesus, I'll become fit or die trying. It could go either way.
- Go to the cinema on my own - DONE. I went to see Kung-Fu Panda in Bombay on my own. FYI Indian children in the cinema are just as annoying as British children.
- Learn to unicycle (potentially combining this with 4) - FAIL. Again, not much chance to practice.
Now this leads me quite nicely onto 2009's aims and objectives:
- Complete the Edinburgh Marathon
- Get another piercing/tattoo
- Go on holiday outside of Europe during the summer
- Get a proper haircut (ie not just head shaved)
- Don't attend my graduation
- Start to write a Broadway musical about my life
- Hand make some of my clothes
- Don't fall over during/on nights out
- Don't vomit due to alcohol
As ever, Carrie and I have yet to come up with our song representing our hopes, dreams and aspitations for 2009... but this will come in due course.
