Very soon, 2006 would have come to an end. I'm making this post early as I want to start thinking a little clearly and study a little more before school starts.... which would be January the 8th.

However, with cousins from overseas here to accompany us till Chinese New Year has passed and studying and assignments that have yet to be done (and were not touched during Christmastide), I'm very sure the transition from 31 December 2006 to 1 January 2007 would go unnoticed by me, unless I'm at the watchnight service at church at that point in time.

So I'd better do this early, or else I'd completely forget.

Things that occured in 2006 which I'm grateful for:

• I met new friends/ got to know BZP members I respected better through this blog system!

• I got to know of other sites that I have joined as a member and to work on my literary skills

• I am an (unofficial) epic critic. A fulfilling job that has sharpened me (but I hope not to be a cynical critic, but I know I'm one of the frank ones) and made me much more aware of fanfiction writing on the whole.

• In RL, I made friends and broke the ice in my course, and I made my mark somewhere.

• I haven't told you guys yet: I shouldn't have fretted about my electone exam, for now I'm officially a Grade 7 electone player! Woot! The examiner gave me the straight borderline pass for my sight-reading, but he loved the pieces, especially one by Jobim. If you're clueless, this guy wrote 'Girl From Ipanema'. Still clueless? Then you haven't lived till you heard his music. (Him, and Henry Mancini)

• Da bomb: There was a writing competition held in the polytechnic and through personal will and the creative writing club, I submitted 3 works. 2 of them helped me clinch Second Prizes in both available categories, Short Stories and Poems. I don't know how it happened, but it HAPPENED! I'm waiting for $400 worth of cheques to be mailed and that totally psyched me. (And, for the record, no one should be knowing this now, but no one in the polytechnic would really care as there's no big-show presentation but just an online notification. I can spread the word as much as I want.)

Things that occured in 2006 that I'm... not so happy about:

• I still feel unskilled in playing the keyboard and at composition. Right now, I'm having a musician block and a writer's block. In short, I'm stagnant. I aim to achieve more next year, and make a full-out effort to improve my skills and hone them in.

• I made a staggering start to saxophone lessons and I'm still grappling with it. I was tempted to give up, but the possibility of doing a jazz duet with my little sister was too hard to dismiss. I'm sticking to it, and working on it as my second major instrument.

• I still feel weak in my literary skill, even after I got the prize. An ultimate goal in my life is to publish a literary piece of work, and another to achieve in music and literature. I still have far to go. Darn characterisation, development and my Mary-Sue ways!

• I found out that interest in epics die fast if you don't update regularly and well. CWII has a dismal review rate, but I'm now changing that from official work to practice (as all literary pieces ought to be) as I've still got a lot of ground to cover, and it's a great chance to develop and hone that mental pen.

Changes I've planned:

1. Give this blog a revamp. I'm still keeping those buttons (I can't draw well, and I'm not going to run through the sketching mayhem again!), but do something about the name and... more pictures?

2. Get something done about my writing skills, get more practice on the organ, and find a way to get the creative juices going.

3. Get updated on the latest Bionicle storyline. I have no idea about the Barraki and... are those new Toa or have the Toa Inika morphed?

But, on the whole, 2006 seemed like another year for me to grow and mature. This year I had my scrapes and my saves, goals achieved and new goals made. And life goes on and on in the same manner, I feel. I remember how I wished nothing would change, but everything changes all the time.

Maybe, in 2007, I'll find a way to make that wish come true, somehow.

With a glass of sparkling juice raised to you, I wish you a prosperous 2007, and may the year 2006 end well and on a good note for you.