Ten-Year Self-Improvement Challenge. Update Five.

My initial challenge can be found here. This is how i'm progressing:

I became very lazy for the 4 months between the Edinburgh Fringe and Christmas. I'm back on track now, though.

1) I read 'Saturday' by Ian McEwan and am about three quarters of the way through Anh Do's autobiography. To save some money, I bought a bus pass and actually look forward to reading on every commute.

I didn't start enjoying 'Saturday' until halfway through as I thought it was very slow paced and the lengthy descriptions and asides (usually medical) meant that I didn't relate or feel any emotional connections with the main characters, especially those of Henry Perowne. These became rarer in the second half and the major plot turn left me not wanting to put it down.

I was very reflective once i'd finished reading and it has encouraged to change the things in my life that I don't particularly like or enjoy. Carpe diam, innit.

2) In my last blog update I considered dropping this challenge and taking up a scapbooking one instead. I actually stuck at this task and also completed 3 years worth of scapbooking over the Christmas break. I'm pretty proud of myself.

It's great going to gigs with my friend Aislinn as she's less shy than myself and she encourages me to go with her when she's about to talk to someone we admire.

We told J van Tulleken that we enjoyed 'Off Season' at an Invisible Dot gig, told Joe (the trumpeter from Horne Section) that we had a blast at The Horne Section Christmas Bash and also got to chat with Tom Basden at the December Special Relationship (in which he signed my Joseph K text). Good times.

3) I didn't blog for 4 months and caught up in the New Year. GO ME! It is now very much up to date.

4) At the moment these are random bits of paper with thoughts scattered all through books, my bag and on my bedside table. I use them for the 'a thought' bits at the bottom of my blogs.

5) Not going great guns with this task. I have written to a variety of friends and family but it wasn't with the challenge in mind - it was usually replying to the emails that they sent me. Will try harder.

6) I haven't lost any weight and I haven't put any on.

My New Year's resolution is to be more aware of things around me instead of turning a blind eye. I also hope to stop waisting time online and getting out more.

I deleted my Twitter acount (I was follwing 800+ people and had almost 500 followers) last week and since then I have caught up with the majority of my blogging, watched 2 films, read (almost) 2 novels and have spent at least one day of the weekend out and about.

A thought.

By the end of 2011, I hope to be living in a house with my own room and preferably have a new job that I enjoy.