Review of My 2011
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So, how was my 2011?
I actually set some proper goals earlier this year:
Go to Ibiza.
Go to Frankfurt or Berlin.
Go to a new country that I had not previously visited.
Go to Cocoon In The Park.
Go to Hull 4 times (as opposed to 2 in 2010).
Go to Northampton at least once (my sister lives there…and best friend from uni days).
Go clubbing 12 times (twice as much as 2010). Proper clubbing. Mango does not count.
Go to another festival.
Do a DJ mix – one way or the other.
Do a few pieces of art.
Get a better job or achieve redundancy.
Nothing too ambitious, but I wanted to concentrate on improving enjoyment levels of 2011 from 2010, so I set achievable goals for things that I love doing.
Success Number 1 – Ibiza. I had a fantastic time, one or two bits could have been improved but perfection isn’t easy and I was just absolutely ridiculously happy, just amazingly so, at least until the hangovers started to catch up near the end. I so love that place – 2012 will be visit number 10, fingers crossed.
Success Number 2 – Berlin. Another excellent trip despite missing the flight on the way there and not being able to get into any club, except a gay club.
Failure Number 1 – New country visit. The only real opportunity that presented itself was to go with a couple of good friends to Exit in Serbia, which would have been great except for the fact it clashed with Cocoon In The Park.
Success Number 3 – Cocoon In The Park. It nearly didn’t happen. I bought my ticket when first released – given that there was about 15-20 of us the previous year, I took it for granted that at least 1 person would join me. No. So I decided not to go. But then I persuaded myself to go on an adventure by myself – and it was the best day of 2011. No question. Even better than any day in Ibiza. And yes, I will be there in 2012.
Success Number 4 – Go to Hull 4 times. I felt a bit guilty for only going twice in 2010, every year that passes in my life I appreciate my family even more and I know they do too, so I went in February for my Dad’s 60th birthday, April for Easter, October for the sake of it and Christmas.
Success Number 5 – Go to Northampton. I went for my sister’s birthday and had plenty of drunken fun. Will be in the diary for 2012.
Success Number 6 – Go clubbing 12 times – I probably went to fabric 12 times! And very few other places. Fabric is so good, it is just like home to me. Seen my favourite DJs and some discovered some really good new ones, and also seen a few good friends play around Reading – I reckon I went clubbing at least twice as much as 2010 and if there is one activity guaranteed to make me happy – it is clubbing. And I seem to have discovered a perfect clubbing friend too who is as up for it as I am!
Go to another festival. I went to SW4. Not sure if that was a success given the terribly disappointing sound levels. I did still have fun though, and this time there were plenty of dancing partners. It was a good day but fell well short of expectations.
Success Number 7 – Do a DJ mix. Yes, I finally lived up to my long-standing threat and bought CDJs and a mixer. Sorry world but you now have yet another DJ. I wonder where I will take it during 2012?
Success Number 8 – Do some art. I did a couple more pieces.
Success Number 9 – Get a better job or achieve redundancy. I’m not sure that most people would target redundancy but I was so miserable between 9am and 5pm thanks to a shitty job with hardly any work and an impossible witch to work for. And yet happy 5 minutes after work – though I am much happier overall. Yes I know 2012 will be difficult if I do not find a job, but not having to go through the misery that was my last role at Verizon means I believe that I can cope with any coming difficulty.
So 9.5 out of 11 – 86% success.
Granted my targets were not that difficult but I hardly did any of those things back in 2010 and quite frankly I think I wasted 2010 compared to 2011.
I rated last year 6 out of 10 – this year I am going to rate 8 out of 10.
Things could be better. I could have achieved more. I could have had more fun. I could have not put on so much weight. But I really do not have any complaints, and well, considering how much fun I had and just comparing it to the difficulties that so many other people have had in their lives across the world, and a few I know, seems selfish and pedantic.
The biggest thing I think I learnt is to be a bit more independent and self-reliant. Previous years I had relied on finding someone to come with me to do the things that I wanted to do, but I had to do Cocoon In The Park on my own. And I loved it. There were moments that I was like, “I wish I had a friend with me to share it”, but I didn’t, and got on and had a great time. I will not hesitate to do something by myself in 2012 that I really want to do.
I might mention a couple of world events too which shaped 2011 – most inspiring was the Arab Spring, to see people in countries that have long had evil dictatorships, rise up and challenge some of the most despotic, murderous regimes in the world. What angered me most though was the riots in England during the summer, absolutely disgusting, and why they were allowed to get away with so much on the first night? I have my theories but I dare not write them on my blog. Even in lovely, free, democratic England!
Anyway, the world is definitely my oyster in 2012, I am going to have a think about what goals to set for the next year, and try my hardest to beat my successful 2011.
I hope you had an enjoyable 2011 too 🙂
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