My 2012 List

The Mission:
Complete 52 preset tasks. I was going to do 101. But 1. I want to accomplish this stuff in one year, not 1001 days; and 2. I couldn't think of anymore things I really wanted to do, and I didn't see the point of making a note of stuff if I didn't really want to do it.

The Criteria:
Complete the list below preferably before next year, New Year 2013. Think of it like New Year's Resolutions; only not quite the same because this list; if I can achieve it's contents; will be a sign that 2012 has been both a good and successful year. Some of the things will push me, others I'd probably do anyway. Either way, I want to achieve it all next year.

I will update the page as often as I complete a task - complete with a story or some pictures if applicable.

Start date - 17th December 2011
Final update date - 02 January 2013


The List:

The Tasks:
1)  Move to Crosby/Waterloo with Jake.
It's something we've talked about for a long time. Living in town was amazing and certainly had major advantages in terms of going out, going shopping, going to work. It was convenient, but still far away. Everyone we know is in Crosby/Waterloo. Little things like going out for one or two, it's never an option because forking out for transport down their for one or two is never worth it. I think we'll both be happier, plus in terms of places to settle; its got everything we need. It's home.


It's done, we're all moved in. A lovely place in the centre of Waterloo; close to shops, restaurants, all our favourite locals. It still needs a bit of work but it's definitely starting to look like home. 

2) Find a permanent job.
I love where I work. Bar one or two mishaps earlier in the year I've enjoyed my time there. The team are lovely; and not to sound cocky but; I'm good at my job. But my contract isn't a permanent one; and in order to get a mortgage; that's what I need.

3) Go camping.
I haven't been camping since I was about ten and I really want to go again. Possibly an idea for my birthday this year this one.

4) Send a postcard to PostSecret.
I love PostSecret, I log on weekly to read everyone's confessions, some make me laugh, some make me a little sad. But some of them I find myself smiling and thinking 'me too'. I'd like to send one in, something I get upset about, in case there's anyone out there who has the same problem, and at least then they get the comfort they're not alone.

 Secret sent - 03/09/2012. Impressive with my creativity, it looked good. If only I could show it off!!! But yeah, it was weird. You get this odd liberating feeling. Like a weight off your shoulders. My secret is non-obvious, even to those closest to me wouldn't guess it. But I don't know - on the off chance the person it relates to ever logs on to postsecret, they might read it. They'll have no guarantee it's about them; but a little bit of them will wonder; and it will make them feel better - I hope.

5) Go somewhere I've never been before (bit broad but preferably abroad)
Goes without saying, I want to see as much of the world as possible. Some where new is an adventure. I've said preferably abroad cus a holiday would be nice too, but it doesn't have to be.

I've just returned from a week in Alanya, Turkey. It was a lovely place, we found a little restaurant on the mountains overlooking the town, what a view eh?

6) Have a fancy dress night out
I love fancy dress, it's as simple as that.

Granted this was Halloween but still. Dressed up as Poison Ivy. Was a little bit in love with my costume.

7) Have a themed fancy dress night out.
Same as above I just love seeing groups all dressed the same.



8) Go out for dinner to somewhere new.
Me and Jake have tried our fair share of restaurants but it's always nice to try somewhere different.

Buffalo Jacks - home to the 'Ultimate New York Sandwich - steak, pastrami, bacon, blue cheese, pickles; perfection. In fairness we probably tried a lot more places than this one. We eat out quite a bit. But this one was particularly fit.

9) Take my DSLR out somewhere and spend a day taking photos.
My DSLR was a graduation present from my dad. I've used it a little, odd pictures here and there. But I really want a proper chance to play with it. Take it to Formby or somewhere and get snap happy.

10) Dye my hair a colour I've never been before.
Quite a tricky one since I've been A LOT of colours but I daresay I can find something. Someone recommended Krazy Colours to me and I discovered they sell them in PULP so :)

The week before I went on holiday in an attempt to go ginger I went bright orange/red. I did actually quite like the colour but it meant all my showers were pink so I knew it wouldn't last on the holiday and went back brown. Still, was fun for a week.


11) Try a clothes swap with friends.
A girl at work does clothes swaps and was telling me about it. If you've got a dress or something you've wore a few times and grown bored of, meet up with friends and swap clothes. It's a bit of a new lease of life for clothes but if you ever want to wear it again you can just borrow it back.

For makeup/hair shoots you often have to provide your own clothes - so alot of my shoots I'm wearing stuff I bought that looks good in shoots! All good and well but then it sometimes means lots of repeats. So I swapped some of my "shoot bought stuff" with another model I've worked with a few times, and got one of her shoot regulars. We cross paths a lot so we can always swap back!

12) Drink a litre of water everyday for a month.
When we were in Thailand I drank a lot of water. You had to in that heat to keep hydrated. I felt amazing in Thailand. Admittedly it could have been the sun, or all the massages. It could have been the escaping. But I figure, if I try drinking water here, without the sun, the spas; and feel amazing - I'll know waters good for me after all.

13) Go to the cinema.
Not much explanation needed here.
Sherlock Holmes - Game of Shadows - 4th January 2012
The Avengers - 10th April 2012
Batman, The Dark Knight Rises - 20th July 2012
Breaking Dawn Part 2 
Silent Hill Revelations - 31st October 2012
The Hobbit - 28th December 2012

14) Have/attend a tea party.
I really want to either have or go to a proper tea party; with little china cups and cakes galore. I don't care if it's poncy; its cute and I want it.

15) Go swimming in the sea.
Swimming is one of the few, if not the only exercise I actually enjoy; and doing it in the sea is just nice. It's getting back to nature a bit. Plus if I'm doing this it will probably mean I'm somewhere hot.

The holiday to Alayna provided plenty of occasions for swimming - here we all are chilling in the Mediterranean Ocean, I'd forgotten how much I had missed the sea.

16) Learn to play at least three songs on the piano/keyboard
When I was a kid I learnt to play Suketi De Na on the keyboard purely by messing around with the notes and working it out. I love Final Fantasy music, it makes me want to learn piano properly. I'm never going to be a musician; I lack the time. Jake spends so much time practising his guitar, I just don't have that time. But three songs seems reasonable.

17) Go to expensive shops with girl-friends and try on unaffordable evening gowns.
This idea came about when me and Charlotte were watching one of those bridal shows and you see the woman get FREE champagne and chocolates and goody bags while they try on beautiful dresses. That sounds like my perfect day. Admittedly maybe we won't do it with bridal dresses as it will scare the chaps off, but evening gowns will be fun.


18) Get up to 1000 750 trophies on Playstation 3.
Bit of a nerdy goal but oh well. I'm half way there now; and there's a lot of good games coming out next year so. EDIT: I want get 1000. I struggle to find time to play games at the moment. I'll aim for 750.

- I made it to just over 650. This one was a case of time, I don't have nearly as much time to play games anymore as I used to when I was at school/uni.

19) Decorate a room.
This will probably come with #1 but yeah, I really want to decorate somewhere. I love going to home shops, places like Laura Ashley and picking out colour schemes and furniture. Granted its more likely it will come from Ikea than Laura Ashley unless I win the lottery anytime soon but still.

After moving out when I was 17 my mum and dad finally decided it was time to make my room into 'the guest bedroom'. I didn't get I completely finished this year but got a good start on it.

20) Organise my wardrobe.
My wardrobe is brimming full, as are my drawers; and still half my clothes have to pilled on the chair because there isn't room to store them. I hate to admit it but I obviously have too many. So; a proper sort out. I want our new place to not be cluttered. To have everything we need without having too much.

I did actually do this at the start of the year but it needs to be done again so get 1/2 a point for this one!

21) Make at least £50 selling things on eBay.
An extra bit of pocket money always helps; and I have plenty to sell, from clothes (see above) to stuff I have and yeah, I'm fond of, but I don't need it and it takes up space.

I made £38.63 on ebay. But then I made £20 on Music Magpie, so I figure it counts!

22) Get in touch with someone you used to be close to but who’s become a stranger.
Unfortunately leaving uni, and getting a full time job means I have less time to see people. I can't just arrange days out or nights out anymore because work gets in the way. As such you see less of people and sometimes you do drift apart. Some people this doesn't bother me so much with but other's I hate it. I want them back. So I'm determine to make more of an effort to make time for the one's I miss.

Maybe not as much as I would have liked but I did see more of my uni friends this year. Christina came down in the summer for a brief but lovely catch up; and in 2013 I plan to go up to her. I got to see a lot of Sam this year too. Again, with the best friends it never seems enough, but we had quite a few nights out this year so I'm happy. When everyone's across the country - miles apart, working full time jobs - keeping in touch is hard. But they're people worth making the effort for, 100%.

 

23) Remove the people who upset me completely. Stop letting them get to you. Block them and remove all evidence they ever existed.
I have an unfortunate habit of dwelling over things; and I do let the little things get to me, or annoy me. I want that to change and I think eradicating all evidence some people ever existed will help. Out of sight, out of mind.

I was able to do this finally when I got 'anonymous' abuse on a website. The culprit made it very obvious who they were, and it's someone I've had problems with in the past. At the time the abuse came however I had just gotten very bad news. I was reeling with that, and so minor petty things faded away. It became easy to forget about dickheads and the horrible people out there because there are more important things in life.

24) Start emailing my family more.
I only have my mum, dad and brother in the UK family wise. Most of my family live in Dublin, one uncle in Spain, one aunty in Australia. I do keep in touch but it's only an odd email once every few months. I want it to be more regular.

Done. Not much explanation needed.

25)  Eat something I've never eaten before.
I have a rule about eating stuff. It annoys me when people say they don't like food without ever having tried it because 'it's gross'. Calamari is a good example of people going; "Eww squid, no." I turn to these people and ask they if they've ever given someone oral sex. If you put the body part someone pee's out of in your mouth ... then you can try some freakin' squid. I'll try anything at least once.

Scorpion. It tasted like vodka. Most probably because it had been soaked in vodka. Other than that just crunchy!

26) Drink something I've never drank before.
Usually with alcohol. I've found lately my stomach seems to be rejecting cider and I either spend the night hugging the toilet or feel horrible the morning after. White wine I can drink but it gets me very drunk quickly. So I'm on the hunt for my new 'poison'.

I discovered a wonderful new cocktail- Caipirinha. We even tampered the recipe a bit and added Amaretto to make it even nicer.

27) Update my actually blog more often with actual life happenings and not random, mind waffle.
My last few blogs have been me prattling on about shit really. It was started as a diary to keep readers up to date on my life. Not to keep them up to date on the thoughts that grace my mind. I'll probably still continue to write waffle because it's actually very therapeutic but there will be 'real' updates too.

I did make lee-way with this one, though admittedly it was more random waffle followed by little updates - but still!

28) Start exercising.
I've no desire to loose weight. I'm skinny and I know it. I'm actually a little skinnier than I'd prefer but I'm not going to moan about that because I know there are people who would feel lucky to be my size. But my skinniness comes naturally and I still eat like shit and don't exercise. I might look fine on the outside but inside my body is screaming. I can't run up the stairs without needed a breather. It's not good. So if I start a little regime it will do me some good; plus it will help me tone up a bit too - always good.

I've started running recently. I'm terrible at it, but it's going to help. http://runkeeper.com/user/536419564/profile

29) Put £100 a month away for 'the future' - if it's a difficult financial month, £50.
Did you know a wedding breakfast cost £75 a head. If you have 100 guests; thats £7500. On food. For them to eat. Weddings are so expensive. They reckon the average child costs around £6000 per year. Knowing my habit for spoiling, probably more. And mortgages. Yeah we've got the initial deposit down. But after that you have to think of things like; tax, stamp duty, refurbishments, decorating, home insurance, interest rates. Life is expensive. I often panic about how much the world costs. But I can at least try and save a little bit. It's not much, but it's always good to have some money to fall back on.

Savings are going nicely. Though may end up going on travelling rather than houses, we shall see.

30) Get something from GroupOn.
I signed up for Group On a few years ago and I always get emails and go 'Oooh that's good' but never actually do anything about it. So one day, when something comes up, I'm going to treat myself.


What's Cooking vouchers - two burgers and two beers for £12. Went for a lovely evening to the Albert Dock for burgers, beers; and ribs - naturally. 

31) Sort out the music on my laptop/mp3
I've been saying this for ages; this time I'm really going to do it. My i-Pod has so much crap on it sometimes I'm embarrassed to listen to it, never mind let other people. Then there's all the amazing songs I don't have I need to get. So I will spend some time sorting it out, and once I do, I might actually listen to the thing more instead of using up all the battery playing angry birds.


32) Do more photoshoots that are different - different locations, different looks; wigs, clothes. Be creative!
My portfolio kind of bores me a bit now. Not much of it stands out, but the shoot I did last week; we did two different looks. And I look like a different person in each of them. I like that. I like the idea of looking completely different from me. It's fun.


Because of health reasons I didn't get to do as many shoots as in past years. But 2012 featured some firsts including underwater, full body paint and UV!

 

More here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sally-Davies-Model/209937932363383

or here: http://sallydaviesmodel.tumblr.com/

33) Watch 100 films I've never seen before (112/100)
Simple one.



34) Sing karaoke on my own. 
I hate karaoke because I'm a shy person. Singing in public is my idea of hell. Especially when I know I can't sing, especially when my boyfriend really really can sing. But I go to these kareoke bars and watch the people who get up; and more often than not - neither can they. They sit there screetching, and they don't give a  fuck. Neither do the audience. But if I can push myself to do it, maybe it will be an adrenaline rush - do something that scares you; all that.

I technically didn't do this entirely alone but I sang a verse and chorus to Enjoy The Silence, while drunk of course. Very, very drunk.


35) Drive somewhere far away, spontaneously
I've only started driving again fairly recently and as a result I only drive to places I know. To work, to home. It's rarely anywhere else. It will be fun I think to just get up and go.


36) Say yes to something I'd normally say no to.
A bit of a 'Yesman' one here. Granted I will have a choice. If I'm saying no to sex with a pervy old man I'm not going to say yes because I'd normally say no. But when I find something reasonable I'll go for it.

I did this several times, with varying results. Often in modelling - it meant I was painted completely black, running around a field naked. It definitely added some interesting events to the year.

37) Cook for two or more people.
I like the thought of having people round for dinner. I only actually did in once in the flat when Jake's cousin visited but it was nice to take some time and put proper effort into making a nice meal.

This Christmas successfully cooked a meal for eight people. Well, Jake helped in the kitchen a lot. But still, it counts; and clear plates all round. So either I can cook well, or just have polite friends.

38) Give blood.   I can't do this, FAIL. :'(
I've had a lot of blood tests in my time for various reasons and I usually feel faint following them so I've always avoided giving blood. But I'm O- which is rare so I'd like to go, give blood and if I faint, fuck it. If it saves someone's life it will be worth it, and I'll probably get a lollipop.

39) Make a pizza from scratch.
Just for funzies.

Burgers too!


40) Get a new tattoo/piercing. 
Another pretty self-explanatory one.


41) Start a photo journal, where I post simply a photograph I have taken and a title to go with it. No other specifications.
Another excuse to play around with my camera.

42) Make a photo scrapbook.
Last week I stayed at my parents and we spent a night looking through photo albums. Whether it was laughing at dodgy hairstyles or awwing at wedding and baby photos, it was nice. These days everything is electronic. When I have kids, what am I going to do? Show them my Facebook? So I want to make a scrapbook of the best pictures so that they never get lost.


43) Go to the beach.
Again just a want. A BBQ on the beach would be nice but I'll settle for just going.

Aside from going on holiday, I recently went down to Crosby/Waterloo beach when we had a rare heatwave spell. It's odd how you forget how beautiful places that are right on your doorstep can be.

44) Grow a plant.
I have an orchid I look after and it's nice when it blooms; but it would be nicer if I'd have grown it from scratch. There's a certain sent of achievement that comes with creating life.

45) Experiment and try out five different makeup looks.
Just for fun again more than anything!

My favourite probably is the classic glam look. It was a MUA who taught me about how recreating your eyebrows is one of the most effective ways to revamp your look. Unfortunately I have pretty shit eyebrows normally - so here I gave myself some new ones. Not quite scousebrow but a teeny bit more defined.

46) Host an Ann Summers party
I've been to a few but never been the host - who reaps all the benefits it seems. It's a good excuse for a girls night in, crack the wine open and have a giggle over sex things.


Friday 2nd March I got the girls round for an AnnSummers party in the new place. It was such a fun night, and okay I overspent somewhat but still, it's good to splash out on yourself every now and then. 

47) Make a cake.
Another 'fun' one.

I'm getting quite good at Vader Cake now. 

48) Participate in a fundraising event.
It's nice to get involved in big events and usually its quite fun, plus you do feel good if you can raise a fair bit for charity.

I did a photoshoot as part of Movember this year. It was a fun shoot and met some lovely other models in the process.

49) Purchase something from Ikea and assemble it myself.
When we move out we'll be needing furniture and it's an excuse for a trip to Ikea. SKUMKANTREL <3 But yeah, I want to actually build something myself without any help or input, it makes it a bit more... mine.


We went to Ikea on the weekend. What a fucking nightmare that place is to get too. In the snow. But I'm proud of myself for managing to get there and we bought ourselves a lovely TV cabinet (as well as lots of other bits). But it was assembled with ease - woop

50) Keep on top of chores. Never let my place get so untidy I'd be embarassed to have visitors.
My mum always says this; "You should never be embarrassed to have visitors." I used to scoff but then when I moved out and people came round unannounced I'd make them wait at the door and bundle everything into one room or cupboard. Plus when I did have a party my entire day would be spent cleaning like a nutter. I'm not saying my place will be spotless 100% cus frankly there are things I'd rather do in life than tidy and I don't always have time but at least if I keep on top of it the things that need doing won't be an enormous list, just a few bits.

Mostly have managed to do this. The flat was at it's least tidy when I was unwell after my operation, and I physically couldn't get up and clean, but other than that I think I've managed this one reasonably well. Minus the sawdust everywhere - but that shit's like glitter.


So in 2012 ... I managed 35 out of 50 .... or 70% of my goals. Not a terrible effort. In fairness some things became impossible because of my health such as giving blood. Others finances got in the way (pesky finances). Others was more a case of not finding the time - which okay, that's a crappy excuse. But still I'm quite happy. Now, time to start 2013.