Resolutions are so sanctimonious and dull - they are the things you should be doing and that's never fun. So for 2006, I'm having a life makeover instead. Definitely more fun. And these are the things I'm going to do:

Health and Body:

The word for 2006 is tone. Weight-wise, I want to lose 11.4 kilograms to get to my goal weight of 70 kgs but the largest task ahead is to firm up all the jiggly bits.

I really want to get to my goal weight before the end of March - that's when my friend is getting married and my other friends will be home from the UK.

I want to be able to run 5 km by the end of the year and continue pushing myself at the gym. I'd like to have the stamina to do a RPM hi performance (1.5 hour) class. Once I start working again and probably studying as well, I want to find ways to ensure that I still get in my gym time.

I want to get off my diabetes medication and control it by lifestyle only. I also must have all the diabetes checks - I'm a real slacker about these. Must go to the eye doctor and the podiatrist and try to get an appointment with a dietian as well.

Healthwise, I'd also like to be weller in 2006. In 2005, I had all manner of little worries - colds and flus galore, not to mention back problems. You would think getting healthier would have stopped this but it seems to have made it worse. I think one of the problems has been not cooling down properly at the gym. Also, I used to leave the gym all hot and sweaty and then shower at home. I've been thinking this isn't the best, especially in winter. I'm going to make sure I've cooled down completely before leaving from now on. Lucky I have my new gym with nice showers :)

Get a massage once a month. Sometimes I go to the massage school in the city and get a massage for $30. The place is fantastic and the students all do a fantastic job. Every time I leave, I think why don't I do this more often? So this year I will.

Appearance and Self Image:

I want to work on being more confident on the inside and less slovenly on the outside.

One of my big issues is my teeth. I hate my teeth and am very self conscious about them. In 2006 I will go to the dentist and get them fixed. I want to check out getting private health insurance to make this more affordable.

Work/Career:

For me, work is a two pronged thingie. On one side is the stuff I do to make money - usually IT or admin work and on the other is my writing. In 2006, I want to find a good way to balance these two things. Ideally, I'd like to find a part time job that gets me enough money to live on but leaves time for other things.

I want to finish the final draft of my novel and get it sent out to publishers by mid year.

I want to get at least 6 short stories written and published.

I want to get into my course (which, for those who asked, is the Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing) and get higher distinctions in the subjects I do.

I'd also like to write and publish some freelance articles. I'm a bit less sure about this one because if it comes to time, the novel is top priority and short stories second. This is definitely last.

Finances:

I want to stay out of debt this year and save money.

I want to buy a laptop. I want to spend some money getting my car in tip top condition.

I'd also like to travel a bit this year.

Living Environment:

This is a hard one - I'm not 100% happy with the place I'm living mostly with my housemates but I'm dead lazy about moving and there are definite advantages to living here - it's cheap as chips and I have a huge room. I think I'll take this one as it comes - see how things go here but save some money once I start working so if I want to move, I can.

In the meantime, I want to work on making my living space nicer. I might start by declaring war on the ants.

Friends/Social Life:

This is a doozy. I've not been happy with my social life at the moment and there are things I want to do -

meditation classes - I started doing this last year but I didn't like the spiritual context of the classes. I've since found one that is more to my liking and want to start in the new year.

life drawing classes

volunteer at the dog's shelter

But underlying all this, I want to change the way I relate people. I can be incredibly insular but it's no point going out, doing things and huddling by myself when I do them. I want to work on being more open towards people. I think a lot of the problem is that I changed schools a lot as a kid and got so that I'd sit by myself, reading a book, pretending that I didn't care if I had friends or not. But I have to get over that.

I am rarely "myself" around new people but I should be - sure not everyone will like me but too bad. It's a hard one.

I also want to go back to counselling this year. I had to quit last year when I stopped work but the other day I remembered a place my doctor told me about ages ago. They have a sliding scale of fees which makes it a much more affordable option.

Relationships:

I've realised lately that I have a lot of ambiguity towards the idea of a relationship. On the one hand, I like the idea but on the other I have this fear that if I have a man in my life, I won't have enough time for me. I have a lot of things in my life that require much me time - writing and the gym - and I don't want to sacrifice these things.

I guess the fear is that if I start a relationship, it will consume me and everything else will be abandoned.

So that's it. That's how I want my life to go in 2006.

Happy 2006 everyone.