2009 & the future

2009 is almost over and it is time to make New Year's Resolutions for 2010. However, it is also time to reflecting over the year that has passed. What have I done in 2009 and did I do all the things I planned to? The answers are nothing big and no. I think that I have been too lazy, which is something I must change, if I don't want to end up giving the same answers 10 years later. This year we are not only entering 2010, but also a new decade. It seems therefore obvious to ask the following questions: what are my goals for 2010 and for the next 10 years? 2009: This year was all about my baby who just turned 1 a few weeks ago. To have him in my life is a combination of joy and hard work. It is no secret that taking care of a baby can be a challenge and I have sometime felt a lost of freedom. However, I can't imagine to go back to the time before his birth... My family came to Osaka in the summer holidays to visit and meet their grandchild/nephew for the first time... The relationship with my parents-in-law has often been difficult. I have felt a distance ever since my baby was born. Constant complaints about my skills as a mother and (house)wife. Seriously who needs that? Not me! But it is not easy to tell them to mind their own business. Two reasons: 1. I don't want a bad relationship between us 2. My Japanese skills are not good enough to say things in a more polite way... That's why I want to become better to Japanese. In this context I decided to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) as a way to force myself to study the language harder. I took the test here in december, which has been and is a busy month with birthdays, christmas and preparations for New Year. In Japan you clean the whole house as a way to welcome the new year and cook special food for the holidays...I know what I am doing the next couple of days...but what about 2010? 2010: - Pass JLPT level 3 (and maybe level 2 too...) (- Fieldwork again or a baby...) - Be more productive and active like: 1. use the new sawing machine to make clothes for my baby 2. make the baby photo album 3. make jewelry 4. to paint again and learn about photography 5. to spend more time on my blog and write... 2010-2020: I wish that 10 years later... - I have 2 more children - I have finished my Master in Anthropology - I have written a book or two - I have my own business - I have passed JLPT level 1 - I have taken a English test with a high score - I have improved my Chinese (- I have been back to school and have studied art or design) - I have been to New York, Toronto, Vanoucer, Hawaii (again), more countries in Asia... I don't know if any of these things really would come true. However, New Year Resolutions/goals can serve as a way to give me an idea of how my own life is going to be...and so far I am exciting to enter the future...