Resolutions 2009

It's time to put in some resolutions for the next year again.

Quote:

We live in interesting times!

This is what I think of 2009.

New wardrobe

My wear is dated. I recalled what a colleague told me a couple of years back. She said I wasn't local. I was surprised, cos I speak with the local accent. I asked her how she knew. She said from my wear.

It's time to do a better job of blending into the local population. :-)

Take initiative

I got feedback from my new manager that I am passive. I am.

Beneath my passive nature, I'm very good at carrying out instructions — if I am given the mandate. This is something that's not obvious about me. I don't need very specific instructions. A general task will do. I will fill in the blanks myself.

My manager has given me one such task. Let's see if I can really do it.

Beyond this, I also hope to do more non-work related stuff, like organizing brainstorming sessions, boardgame introductory sessions and even conduct simple courses for my colleagues — I have in mind a HTML/CSS/JS/PHP/SQL course!

Taking the initiative can also mean speaking to strangers when the situation warrants it.

Be more forthcoming

One big problem with me is that I'm not very forthcoming, especially in person. I don't like to reveal "sensitive" information in person, although I can blog about it.

It doesn't make sense. I should be able to talk about what I'm willing to blog.

Project a better image

I don't care what others think of me, so I don't care if someone think of me in a negative way due to some actions that I take (or not take).

Also, I should project a more up-to-date image. My father, of all people, gave me a suggestion a few years back. Perhaps I should try it.

Supplementary skills

It's high time to start taking the lessons that I've put off for so long.

List to-buy items

I must keep a list of to-buy items in my wallet for easy reference. This applies particularly to comics. I always forget which volumes I'm missing.

It'll also act as an approved list. If a book or item is on the list, I will buy it. No questions asked. No more doubt whether I have checked for the best deal or not.

Be engaged

I must say I have been very lax at work. I will be more engaged in my work next year.

I have always been very lax about the schedule and keeping in contact with people. I will correct these two aspects.

Also, I will streamline all the regular meetings that I attend. I will ask attendees to provide the agenda, track the action items, write the minutes and keep the meetings within an hour.

Clean start for my PC

I am not happy with my SOTA-2 (State-Of-The-Art 2, nickname for my TC1100 notebook).

My 10GB app partition is filled up, making it impossible to install even patches. Apps are not easy to clean up. I will reinstall my PC again and introduce one simple rule to avoid the same fate: I will install only essential apps; experimental and short-lived ones go into the VM. I will also make sure that temporary data, especially cache, go into a non-app drive. This is to avoid fragmenting the app drive.

I will upgrade to 1GB RAM (at my own expense). Hopefully, this will make the tablet snappier.

I may also buy another external HD to backup my data. I'm thinking of buying a network storage device for ease of use.

Also, I intend to run in non-admin mode most of the time. This should make my PC safer from being hacked.

Better filing

My real world filing system is a mess too. I'm going to buy some files and categorize the letters, so at least it'll be easier to find them in the future.

More images in my blog

Perhaps it's time to start putting images in my blog.

Print more photos

I'm going to start printing A-size photos and paste them all over my home. Despite working on inkjet printers for years, I seldom print photos.

Keep my car clean

My car is perpetually dusty due to lack of use. Well, I should at least wipe the dust off every 1 to 2 days.