Another year over, and it couldn’t have come sooner. Talk about a rough 12 months. I kinda just drowned it out by 暴飲暴食　(literally: violent drinking, violent eating, but colloquially, as excessive eating and drinking.)

Bring on 2010, I say.

Rather than make a New Year’s Resolution, much like promises, which despite all good intentions, are broken and never kept, I have decided not to make one this year. Instead, under some advice from a friend, I’m going to choose a word, and one word only, which I hope to capture the essence of the new year. A word - which can be noun, verb, adjective, that will sum up what you hope the new year will bring, or hope you will be etc.

My word for 2010 is ‘Opportunity’ - making them, creating them, taking them. 2010, for me, will be about new opportunities.

Here is how the Free Dictionary defines my word for 2010:
op·por·tu·ni·ty (pr-tn-t, -ty-)
n. pl. op·por·tu·ni·ties
1.
a. A favorable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances.
b. A favorable or suitable occasion or time.
2. A chance for progress or advancement.

Similarly in the Merriam Webster dictionary:
Main Entry: op·por·tu·ni·ty
Pronunciation: \ˌä-pər-ˈtü-nə-tē, -ˈtyü-\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural op·por·tu·ni·ties

1 : a favorable juncture of circumstances
2 : a good chance for advancement or progress

So yes, the new year will be all about opportunities, rather than unresolved resolutions.

So here’s cheers to chasing the cheese in the rat race called life.

I’ll leave you with a song to take you into the new year, ” This is the future ” by Owl City.

Lyrics:
Wake up on your own
And look around you cuz you’re not alone
Release your high hopes and they’ll survive
Cuz this is the future and you are alive

Dive in and swim away
From your loneliness and miserable days

And when you wake up on your own
Look around you cuz you’re not alone
Let your hopes go and they’ll survive
Cuz this is the future and you are alive
…You’re headed home

Just because you can’t forget something, doesn’t mean it’s worth remembering.

More sounds from Greg Laswell:

Fridays, or another day for that matter, much like most things in life (pain.love.friendship.happiness.money) comes and goes.

This one’s for the lonely
The one’s that seek and find
Only to be let down
Time after time

This one’s for the torn down

The experts at the fall
Come on friends get up now
You’re not alone at all

And this part was for her
And this part was for her
This part was for her
Does she remember?

It comes and goes and waves
I…

This one’s for the faithless
The ones that are surprised
They’re only where they are now
Regardless of their fight

This one’s for believing
If only for it’s sake
Come on friends get up now
Love is to be made

And this part was for her
And this part was for her
This part was for her
Does she remember?

It comes and goes in waves
I…
Am only led to wonder why
It comes in goes in waves
I…
Am only led to wonder why
Why I try

This is for the ones who stand
For the ones who try again
For the ones who need a hand
For the ones that think they can

It comes in waves
I…
Am only led to wonder why
It comes and goes in waves
I…
Am only led to wonder why
Why I try

(Sounds of Greg Laswell: Comes and Goes)

Comes and Goes: Greg Laswell