And so with a burst of fireworks, twenty fourteen is welcomed in with open arms. Each year, we receive a chance to wipe the slate clean and start anew in our own internal endeavours and aspirations. To get the ball rolling, here are a couple of mine.

University/Grades: do well overall, achieve a D wam.
· procrastinate less, exercise self control
· start early, do not leave til last minute and cram
· prioritise my time, schedule/timetable

Fitness: be the fittest/strongest version of myself that I can possibly be.
· cardio, more regular weekly jogs, work my way back up to 10/15km endurance
· strength, current 2013 prs: 7x75lbs bench, 4x145lbs dead lift, 10x115lbs squat, increase
· bodyweight exercise: pull ups, push ups, muscle ups

Bouldering: always improve, don't lose my passion.
· enter a competition, place if possible
· current 2013 stats: done three 11's, regularly achieve double digits by end of 2014
· more outdoor bouldering, complete sloper dan (v5)

Work: experience
· casual job, for financial income
· architectural work experience, continue to perfect portfolio
· apply as much as possible, be brave, learn from mistakes

Social: make more friends, be a better friend.
· be proactive, outgoing, don't be shy
· maintain friendships with those I care about, make the effort to meet up
· enjoy life fully

Drawing: practice makes perfect, why squander a useful skill?
· practice, practice, practice.
· fill up both random and architectural sketchbooks by end of year
· continue to work on and improve my etsy, make sales

one. I had two best friends in primary school and the three of us were inseparable and I cared for them very much but when high school came around, we went to three completely different schools and now no longer keep in contact. 
two. Me and my brother used to play Age of Empires with a set of lego blocks. The landscape used to take up an entire room as we harvested wood, ore, gold and built armies. Yes, we ignored the actual computer version and played with lego instead. Good times, I’m smiling just recalling it.
three. I used to have recurring nightmares and wake up in the middle of the night and relocate to my parent’s bed. One vivid one was my family becoming brain dead vegetables and a crazy mad scientist chasing me around the table to do the same to me.
four. I made a bet with my friend in year seven that I wouldn’t pierce my ears in high school for five dollars (that was a lot of money back then). I held out until the last term of school but relented as I wanted earrings for year twelve formal. I never did end up paying her and I still have the slip of paper we both solemnly signed in our bubble signatures.
five. Since I was in primary school up to making the final decisions for what university courses, I had my eyes set on being a veterinarian and architecture was just a random second choice. I was devastated at first that I didn’t make the cut but I feel now like it was the right choice. 
six. I used to have this ragged teddy bear called Browny that I took with me everywhere. But during a tour bus trip around Europe, I left him in one of the hotels. I cried a lot the day after and begged to go back.
seven. According to my brother, Linkin Park’s One Step Closer used to be one of my favourite songs and when it came on mtv I used to scream the “shut up when I’m talking to you” part of it.

I feel like we're spiralling out of control, and there's not a single thing I can do about it. I'm sleep deprived, distracted and anxious. But most of all, I'm scared. Scared of what comes next. When... how did we reach this stage? Please god, keep us strong and keep us together.

A little shop front open to the street, with a hidden cosy outdoor dining area to the back. Here and there are scraps of wooden table tops accompanied by antique benches, rusting with an auburn coat; only looking more beautiful with the added years. Sprigs of mint and fresh flowers in baby glass jars decorate the otherwise empty tables. And in the background below the murmur of easy conversation, a soft melody floats, barely intervening but filling in the white noise of the nearby street. The freshly battered fish and chips arrives and momentarily conversation pauses as cutlery are raised. But in the sunny warmth of a winters day, talk easily picks up, reminiscing and joking about drunken nights. In these spontaneous outings, the easy relaxing companionships are enjoyed.