A happy new year!! Let’s make 2015 a wonderful year!!

By the way, what are your resolutions of 2015?
Having a new year is one of the best moments to realize how rapid time flies, so I think it’s important to step back for a while before we start running, and make a short-term goal, resolutions of the new year.

Before writing mine, I literary stepped back (re-read my blog entries of 2014), which made me realize that my resolutions for 2015 are almost the same as last year. That means either I didn’t established manageable ones within a year or they were too vague to see the result. With that in mind, I will try to be as specific as possible for myself 1 year from now.

(1). Meeting
Going out to meet people, at least once per month, and learn as much as possible from them (we learn a lot more from others than ourselves). Not only do I need to meet new people, I also want to meet my old friends (In this regard, the year 2014 wasn’t so fruitful). To do so, I have to consciously get out of my comfort zone and keep moving (traveling is a great way to meet people).

(2). Language
Japanese: use proper Japanese in speaking and writing by exposing myself to the formal setting
English: gain spontaneity and expand vocabulary through simultaneous interpretation training
Spanish: improve reading speed while maintaining the comprehension level
French: to be able to have basic conversation and understand 60% of what daily news says

(3). Health
Keep myself healthy by eating well (lots of veg and fruits), thinking well (everyday meditation) and moving well (either running or swimming 3 times/week).

(4). Code
From copy and paste through internet search, I want to understand why and how the codes are organized
to make my own template (I need to learn how to fish instead of getting fish from somewhere)

(5). Create opportunities to improve creativity
This sounds so vague (for the nature of creativity), but somehow related to other four mentioned above: you use your creativity by meeting people, using right tools (language, code, etc.), and staying healthy. I believe that we all humans beings have creativity, but what’s crucial is whether or not you develop and use it with right moments. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much opportunity to try out last year, which can be an excuse because I didn’t create the chance. Therefore, I will keep my eyes wide open to absorb as many inspirations as possible, try to learn (steal or modify) great ideas and make something creative.

As one step for that, I would like to develop design skills to express what I want to address in a simple, beautiful and interesting way. For example, I want to be able to make a chart below in a few hours or less, which addresses a pretty complicated graphic―connection between education and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean (source from Inter-American Development Bank)

There are many things I want to create so I should get started with small things.

Besides, the shape of these charts somehow reminded me of the fireworks (photo below) that I saw at the beginning of this year in Chile (First time in my life to spend a new year in summer time!!)
I hope 2015 will an excellent year for all of you.