Resolve to resolute...

Okay, so my last blog of 2011 was an absolute stonker of an anti-climax. A very disappointing attempt even by my standards. For that, I truly apologise. But, on the positive side of things, it is a new year and therefore, naturally, there comes the traditional bout of making resolutions and not sticking to them in the slightest. Quite the traditionalist myself, I have come up with a few myself and so, without further ado, here they are.

1. Start Blogging Again

An obvious one, mainly because my lack of blogging has had quite a frightful effect on poor Devon, who for some reason, enjoys reading these awful accounts! Therefore, who am I to withhold that sort of amusement from her? Plus, the fact that there used to be a time where I found blogging fun instead of a chore; it would be nice to get back to that stage again.

2. The year of frugality

My finances are a mess to be frank with you. Overdrafts are evil, tempestuous things that embody the very essence of the devil. Therefore, one needs to stop spending to get back in the black (I think that's the term anyway). Plus, with mind-boggling expenditure such as studying abroad and T in the Park to save up for now, life is going to get very tough. I'm not particularly sure how I'm going to curb my spending habits without the help of a financial aid but I'll figure it out at some point.

3. Get my big arse back to the gym

Yes, a place I once couldn't wait to go to is now a place of trepidation. It's what the staff will say when they recognise me and realise I haven't been in quite a long time. However, no matter how much I would like to get the weight loss regime back on track, exams are the time necessity of the moment and they must come first, even if I do not wish them too.

4. Start reading books again

I have not read a book till I finished Dorian Gray, which I hasten to add, took me six months to read, it was that awful. My brain needs stimulation and it's not getting that, which does sadden me. So even if I aim to read a book a month, then that would be a start.

5. Try harder at university

Self explanatory to be honest. Better attendance, more potent concentration levels and more hours at the library are the remedy to this situation. I did improve last year to be fair to myself. However, it is still not enough.

6. Stop being shallow and horrible

I am in absolutely no position to say half the stuff I say. FACT. Maybe it's an outlet to my frustration? No excuse really. I say nasty things and I pass myself off as a kind person. Pfft, get it sorted mate. I do disgust myself with the stuff I say sometimes. Therefore, a few new leaves need to be turned over. I also need to be nicer to my sister. Half of the time, she deserves it but sometimes I'm so horrible to her for no reason, it shames me! I've become a grumpy old woman at the tender age of 19. Fuck my life is a necessary term.

7. Stop swearing so much

As of now. Three swear words a day, like a diet of the mouth.

8. Be more impulsive

Not sure how this is going to work with a squeeze of expenditure but it has come to my attention that I am far to predictable. Granted, it is Devon who predicts these things and she does know me like the back of her hand but still! It takes the excitement out of our relationship!

9. Gain fluency in German

Oaft. This is a meaty challenge but do-able. I have done a bit of thinking over the last weekend and I feel Germany may be a more realistic option for going abroad. However, the fact that I could be living in the country that Herr Merkel rules slightly terrifies the scheiße out of me!

10. Better networking

I am enforcing a rule of taking no longer than an hour to reply to a text and to make sure I retain good relationships with my friends. No more stupid jealousy which I am akin to suffer (to my shame) or any other activity that is 'meh'. Just the nice parts of me, more often!

So that should all be a doddle, right guys? Ha! Who am I even kidding?

Two, Zero, One, One

Guys, get your pacemakers fitted and your defibrillators at the ready... I am back. Wow, there's a lot of dust here...

Now, heart attacks and dust mites aside, I thought it was both necessary and fitting to write a last blog of the year, which is why I have come back, risen from the dead, chipped away at the writer's block etc. Last year, to mark the new year,  I did highlights. This year, despite my absolute lack of energy and being-arsed-ment, I feel that it would be an injustice to not blog about such a great year! I also especially waited until now because it is New Year's Eve and it is even more special poignant (I love how that word is spelt).

To begin, an extract from last year.

"After this year, it has made me determined to make more of my life, grabbing opportunities and experiences as soon as I see them. I have so much to look forward to next year and I want to put all my energy and soul into next year so I can say 2011 was the best year of my life. "

Being a soppy sack was never cool Amy, never cool...

'Ahem'. So my hope last year was to make 2011 the best year of my life. I think I achieved that! (Celebratory fanfare starts but ends abruptly due to my headache).Oh gosh, I sound so meh! I think I need to embody the japanese 'happy happy' spirit for the rest of this. 'Gulp', Here it goes...


January


Nothing particularly exciting happened in January... EXCEPT FOR WALES! Seeing little Ellyn and her flatmates was, eventful, to say the least. I made three new friends and got exceptionally drunk and got up to exceptionally drunken shenanigans. I also got my 'I survived Bitch Hill' T-Shirt which I am immensely proud of. (That was a lie).

Mius Kayleigh!

February


I went to see My Chemical Romance (and before a lot of people lynch me, FT HATERZ). They were well good. I also met Debby that night, who has become a very good friend of mines (I hate you, you're a very bad person Devon for thinking what you just thought). It also marked the first few times I went to Polo with my dear leader, Mark (which I think should stick). I also loved...and lost. But had fun at the time! By this point, my mind was blown! I also got a blackberry and joined the smartphone generation!

March


March marked my birthday! My nineteenth to be precise and it was an eighties extravaganza. I also managed their extraordinary feat of getting Mark to go to a club that was not Polo. Amazing really. Hanna also visited from Sweden and Fusi's nineteenth at Propaganda, a great night had by all!

April


Went to Edinburgh with Mark, which was a truly banterful and wonderful day, being wee cultural tourists and such japes! Also, had an epic night at Leon's house, which was very drunken, very very drunken and hilariously funny. Possibly one of the best nights of my life.

I've lost the will.

The 'C' Word

Haha, how long has it been since I blogged? An age? Funny I should mention the word 'age'...

Remember Natalie in Fable? Although she will always have a small, tiny niche of my heart, the other 99.9% is comprised of my utter adoration for another fictional, graphical, pixelated and above all, UNREAL character. Alistair of 'Dragon Age Origins'.

He is the love of my gaming life. His wit, charm, looks and humour is what makes me get up in the morning (and turn on the xbox).

I have also realised that this makes me a very sad human being and therefore, needs to get a life. So I have decided to look forward to the big event of the year.

CHRISTMAS!

When it comes to Christmas, I embody the spirit of a five year old. I am always excited for it and I intend to make this Christmas the best Christmas ever! I barely slept last year and I was eighteen so God knows when I will grow out of it. So, here is what I intend to do in the month of December!

1. The first plan is to go out for Christmas dinner with Mark, Devon and Mark in Glasgow and then go to George Square to see all the twinkly lights and go on the merry-go round (as I cannot ice skate for peanuts!). Then, I intend to have a christmassy night in with that lot and another special person where we'll have roast turkey (probably out of M&S), Crackers, Mince Pies (no matter how much lunacy Devon and Mark display over their appeal) and BOOZING! Lots of boozing! Perhaps a round of Christmas Beer Pong would suffice?

2. The Strathclyde Business Ball is obviously majorly exciting! However, if I do not start going back to the gym, the dress I ordered will not fit, which could not be more of a disaster! It has already been agreed that whilst Mark and me get ready in the hotel room, that Michael Buble's christmas album will be playing in the background, as well as an abundance of pre-drinking! If only Celine had a christmas album...

3. Finally the big December event is, of course, Hogmanay! Ashton Lane Street Party anyone?!

The Pearl and Moustache

It seems that life is all doom and gloom at the moment, with tonight bringing the sad news that my guidance teacher at Duncanrig, Mr Tom Guinney has tragically passed away.

This man was properly selfless and had a massive heart. He was always there with a smile on his face, his glasses resting on the end of his nose and he was possibly the one out of a hundred men who could grow such an incredible moustache.

I owe the man a lot. He was the one who sat down with me and went through every aspect of my university application and he gave me a glowing reference, something which I am eternally grateful for. I'm convinced that without his kind words, I would not be doing what I want to do with my life. But he did that everyone and every year he took the time to help people begin the rest of their lives.

There is now a hole in Duncanrig that can never be replaced. That is true. And as everyone who even remotely connected with the Duncanrig community will know that tragedy is never far from us. The loss of Mr Murray, of Max and the two Jack's and all the lives interconnected with these events that have been forever altered, it all adds up to quite a gloomy picture. However, like we have done when these horrible things have happened, we suit up, chin up and walk on because that's life, however cruel and harsh it can be

Rest in peace Mr Guinney, you were another pivotal person in my life who will never be forgotten.

"A hero is a man who does what he can"

Today, one of my heroes died. It's quite a hard thing to comprehend.

The funny thing is, I didn't realise how much of an inspiration this person was to me until he was gone. You may call me overemotional or silly to be personally affected by this man's passing but I'm sensitive. Of course, the person I'm talking about is the incredible Steve Jobs, co-founder of 'Apple' who died at the tragically young age of fifty-six yesterday.

Last year, I did a lot of research on Apple for my marketing essay in first year and I found learning about Apple and Jobs very interesting, possibly contributing to my ongoing interest in the subject this year. However, let's not beat about the bush; Jobs revolutionized the technology that we see today, whether it can be seen or not. He was part of the team that developed the first personal computer, he was pushed out of the very company he had set up in 1986, only to invest wisely in, at the time a little-known and new film studio, Pixar (you may have heard of it). In 1997, as Apple was heading to the administrators, he came back and u-turned the company into one of the most successful technology corporations of all time, if not 'thee' best. And let's not forget the iPod, iTunes, the iPhone which set the bar with Smartphones and the ipad. With such credentials as these, you can see why he is such an inspiration to many people, including myself.

Although he did not achieve all this single-handedly, it was his impressive leadership skills, his drive, passion and commitment to Apple that made it the company it is today. All day I have been watching him present his new products to conferences around the world on Youtube, his public speaking skills were the pinnacle of entertainment and clarity.

All this and much more, is why my heart sank this morning when I was on the bus and found out he had passed away. I have literally thought about nothing else all day. He changed the world, whether you know it or not and made it better, for everyone. He was a unique person, one of a kind and that is why to me, as a person studying business, he is such a hero to me.

Rest in peace Steve Jobs, your legacy will live on through the generations of people you have inspired.

That downward incline...

I missed my first lecture today... and it's the second week. However, I would totally like to take this opportunity to justify why I missed it and I'm sure once I've explained it in all it's colour, clarity and glory, you will understand and possibly agree with me.

1. It was 6am.
2. My muscles are the consistency of rock at the moment, which is agonising.
3. 6am.
4. Lying in bed for another four hours is a temptation no-one should have to deal with.
5. 6AM.
6. I would have had to wait three hours for my next class.
7. MOTHERFUCKING 6AM!
8. You can get the lecture notes online and I probably would have fell asleep anyway.
9. Can I stress that I had to get up at 6am?!

Now, you see the course of action I took was not only appropriate but sensible too! Good ol' me. However, to be truthful, I felt really guilty about it, like I'd come off the wagon, so hopefully I'll man up next week when the time comes again!

Also, I finished Fable 2 tonight and I finally got my wife, the wonderful Natalie back. Words could not describe how happy I was to see her, since she had gone missing (which I now understand was when Lucien's men kidnapped and killed her) and then my kid ran across the market square and asked if I remembered him. It could have brought tears to my virtual eyes because, naturally, of course I remembered him! It was at that moment I knew I had made the right choice to save them from death. I also got a nice wee letter from my sister, who was also ressurected. Though I was a little upset she never came to meet me, so I am slightly miffed. So, because I'm a top dad and all, I gave little Tobias a present, 'Captain Dread's Sword' so that he can show his friends who's boss, which would be me (I am a hero after all). So what's left for me in Albion? Well I am now in the process of cashing in my wealth and investing in property, as I have semi-retired from saving the world at this present moment in time. I have found a nice wee estate in Oakfield which I wish to move my family to, so that little Tobias can run around in the good ol' country air and Natalie and me can rebuild our family again (ten years imprisoned in the Spire did not do our relationship any good) and so that she stops moaning about how crap our house on Bowerstone Market is (I thought it was a central location myself but you know, the wife is always right).

You know you're a fail in life when you can't even do a press up...

Today marked the fifth day of being a gym member and I have been four times, which in all honesty, is pretty good (Well in my biased opinion anyway). My eating habits have changed drastically, as has my tea consumption (always hungry equals turning into a Granny); I am literally a tea leaf at the moment. However I'd rather be a tea leaf than a chocolate bar (Don't know really know where I'm going with this so I'm going to leave that analogy where it belongs: The Dustbin).

However, the slight downside to this 'Get Fit' regime is that I think I'm losing brain cells due to all this exercise (which let's face it, is unfamiliar territory for me). I mean, what sort of person forgets to bring a towel with them when they go into a sauna? And then to add even more insult to injury, has a shower and becomes a walking puddle? I'm beginning to truly worry about myself. The sauna was fun though. Especially because the first one we entered was malfunctioning and Debby and me were chilling in a 100 degree heat asking ourselves if this was what a sauna was like (which was death, for your information). Then we went into the steam room and my God, it does some wonders to your skin! I feel smooth (but not like a baby's bottom, I find that analogy weird and slightly creepy).

I'm just genuinely hoping that my enthusiasm does not wane over time because that would be a really bad thing. I guess I'm getting to that stage in my life where something needs to be done and finding out my BMI was not a massive shock but still enough to get my life (and butt) into gear. Being this way has almost robbed me of my teenage years but it won't spoil my twenties!

So, thinspiration of the day goes to Pixie Lott!