The World Did Not End : A Review of My 2012 and My Flight Plan for 2013

I repeat: The world did not end. That glorious apocalypse is still yet to come in that obscured dimension we call the future.

The year 2012 ended, though. :D At the start of last year (2012), I "declared" my goals for 2012 in this blog entitled Goal! Discovering My Pace in 2012, which actually became one of my more widely read blogs (all-time) next to my run with Piolo Pascual and my wife's first time in Baguio.

Here's a copy-paste summary of my goals for 2012:

1. Get married to the girl of my dreams, obviously. :))
2. Read 32 books
3. Run 520 km (total distance, including training and registered races)
4. Complete at least one 10K and one 21K (registered)
5. Learn one new classical piano piece
6. Lose 10 lbs :)) [current weight: 170 freaking lbs]

I completed 5 out of 6. Ironically, although this is primarily a blog on running, I failed in the running aspect of my goal i.e. to run 520 km! My dailymile account shows that I only did 342.79 km! A big factor here is that I had absolutely zero mileage in September. [I woke up only when September had ended.]

Before I go further, I want to point out that of course I had other plans in life aside from those I mentioned above, which was mostly hobby-oriented - except Goal #1 which was "hubby-oriented," if you dig my vibes. Goal #1 alone had several mini-goals in itself!

I'm quite satisfied with my 2012. Although there have been unfortunate events and heartaches that brought tears to our family, I can confidently claim that the Lord truly blessed my 2012. I know that, as always, He will continue to pour blessings on our 2013.

Setting a goal at the start of a certain period helps keep one motivated in completing an activity. Personally, having goals help me enjoy the process of getting to the goal. Even better, I like publicizing my goals, not to brag - really, what was to brag about my being unhealthily overweight - but so that I have a certain accountability to my friends and family, even to guest/distant readers, in accomplishing the task. [And apparently, it gets traffic to my blog. :P]

For 2013, I want to step a little outside my comfort zone and reach new heights. By the end of the year, I should have done the following:

1. Write a novel. I think this one's going to be the toughest, but I'm pretty sure that upon completion, I would really be proud and can honestly claim in my heart that I'm a novelist. :P
2. Run 520 km. Here's a repeat-goal. I had thought that this was easy but for some reason (mostly laziness) proved to be beyond my yearly mileage.
3. Complete 3 registered 21Ks.
4. Reach page 10 of Premiere Ballade. I think it's time to get me a first-rate metronome.
5. Get to 149 lbs by end of November. How am I going to do this? I guess I'll find out.
6. Read 19 fiction and 13 non-fiction (total of 32 books). I'm trying to put a little structure to my reading.

I almost can't wait for 2014, because by then, I would (should) already be recounting how I managed to write a novel or be busy playing Chopin! All the same, I want to savor every day of 2013 that the Lord grants me the gift of life. You know, just live every day to the fullest as if it's the - wait for it - proverbial last day of my life. I pray that you also have a wonderful 2013.

P.S.

What ever happened to my 2012 goals?

Goal #1

I'm happy to announce though that I am happily married since our nice, beach-front wedding last May. Tey and I celebrated our first new year as husband and wife a couple of days and I look forward to sharing many firsts with my as-of-writing-curly-brown-haired wife.

Goal #2
I finished 33 books this year! I usually choose my books and their sequence randomly, unless it's a series of course, which I always start with Book Number 1, silly. I don't have a particular preference in genre. I started my 2012 Book Year with Divergent by Veronica Roth and ended it (number 33) with Don't Sweat the Small Stuff at Work by Richard Carlson, which I recommend for young professionals, although veterans may also find it refreshing.

Here are some of my favorites from 2012 which you might want to read too:

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2. The Honeymoon Never Ends by Nelson T. Dy
3. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
4. Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness
5. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Goal #4
I ran two 21Ks including Run United Philippine Marathon and one 10K at Fila Schools Run.

Goal #5
I planned to finally completely learn Chopin's Ballade Op 23 No. 1 but I only got halfway through (5 out of 10 pages). And to think I had started learning this in 2007! I however completed Flight of the Bumblebee (for Piano) by Rimsky-Korsakov. This sounds pretty classical to me, so I would count this as a success story. :D

Goal #6
I'm currently at 157 lbs which is still far from my ideal weight, but it's 13 lbs lower than last year's! I believe I reached the 140s mark just before wedding and then I gained them all back again. Fortunately it's not back to 170!