Finally, we reach the end of the 'noughties', and what do I have to show for it? I was going to exit the decade in the same old fashion, being the same old me, with the same old outlook and same old appearance; boring, boring, boring. Instead, I took up my dad's clippers, while the family were out for the day, and shaved my hair off. New Year, new me.

Next up, after passing the nadir that was midnight, I came against the wondrous realisation that I had no resolutions; I had genuinely not sat down and thought of a single thing I could do to enforce the new me, and stop me spiralling back into boredom. I suppose that was a bad start; consider it like tripping over the welcome mat on your way out the door - it was going so well, up to that point.

Inevitably, I sat down, and I thought and pondered, and I reached the verdict that I would stick by resolutions that weren't impossible (like spending less, and cutting back on alcohol). In the end, I came up with this list:

1. Make the most of your days - as of January 4th, no more sleeping in til ungodly hours and staying up until the crack of dawn. Be adult, be sensible. Up at 7, work to your potential, bed at 10.30 (unless something riveting is on the telly, in which case, bed straight after it).
2. Actually learn to play bass. Stop messing around with "Oh, I can read tabs", and doing shoddy covers, and actually learn to play the instrument you set out to learn!
3. Be healthy. For pity's sake, put aside some time to exercise; change your diet a bit; make an effort for once!
4. Actually read more! Look outside your subject - read philosophy, history, literature, newspapers, whatever! Just read, for crying out loud!
5. Learn basic Portuguese. You've sat down with it on your laptop for a while, so, get to it. It can't be that hard, can it?
   
   

And that was it. Nothing about saving money, nothing about alcohol, nothing of any value beyond self-improvement, mentally, physically, and who knows, maybe spiritually.

It's easily achievable, if one puts in the effort. And the first effort will be to buy an alarm clock that is actually going to wake me up so I can make the most of my days! From there, things should flow a little more easily. Let's get off to a good start in this decade, eh? No more messing about; time for a change of pace.