Well, I started to play around with some concept art for a project idea. Just really playing about with ideas to see how things develop. Depending on how much time I get will depend on how well the project goes. But nonetheless, here's a sketch of the main character:

The flights are booked. Yep, the holiday for this year is now official and myself, Tim and Robert shall be heading off to New York on the 1st June and returning on the 29th June from San Francisco. We're yet to plan the trip in-between, but at least we've secured our flights.

Aside from that, life has returned to normal. I'm now back at my house after having been away, back to work and of course back to college. So, on the topic of painting, today we had an introduction with oil paints and canvas. Alas, here is my first ever oil painting:

Happy New Year!

A bit late I know. In fact, this post feels like it's a bit late considering it's been over a month since my last. Well, December felt like one of those months where it was very busy, yet so little is achieved. All that present buying just takes up too much time!

So a reflection on 2005. Whoah, I mean 2006! Wow that year went quick. Seriously, putting those Christmas decorations up at work felt so wrong as I didn't feel like there was enough time since last Christmas. Is that a sign of getting old? Probably. But it's also a sign of a never changing scenery. For example, if you're doing the same thing a year later in your work project, where's the closure?

But anyway, a reflection of 2006. I don't recall having a New Year's resolution for 2006, so I can't really say if I achieved what I set out to achieve. So here's a reflection of the small things that happened:

• I started a blog and entered the world of Web 2.0 by sharing my journey in an "online collaboration and sharing among users" (minus the collaboration bit)
• I did the Blue Fusion 2006 video
• My brother's company brought a shop and got a warehouse and I got all those web updates done
• I set up a MySpace and Bebo page; just cause I could
  
• I started a beginner course in the acoustic guitar
• I started a course in drawing and painting
• I worked on two TV ads [1] [2]
• I got my quick and dirty new portfolio site up
  

... and that's about it.

What's new for 2007?

I get the feeling that 2007 will fly by just as 2006 did where nothing major will really happen. Simply because I can predict the projects I'm needed for in the first half of the year. Plus I now realise the harsh truth that my spare time does spread ever so thinly.

Last Christmas I said to myself, "this time next year I want to know what the next step in my future will be". A year later and I clearly don't know. I keep saying that I'll move on from IBM after a couple of years, and for the time being, that's something I still believe (eluding from the fact that I've been there for 2 years already).

I am simply not ready to jump ship and move on; and I don't believe that 2007 will bring that opportunity either. But I do believe 2007 can give the clarity and preparation I need to know where I'm to go next. 2008 feels like a good year.

So what are my New Year's resolutions for 2007? In my mind I know the things that need resolving for this year. But in some way, I would rather this blog be a place of the things I've done, rather than talking about the things I've not done. So I've decided to keep my New Year's resolutions to myself. I shall make a list which shall be archived for a further 12 months. And this time next year I'll be ready to share what I've achieved on that list.

But on the topic of things that I've done, I received my modo training and completed the first project. And here are the results: