Resolutions

In true cliched fashion, every year seems to go by quicker than the last. But quick or not, 2009 has been an amazing year for me. I've tried new and exciting things, met loads of wonderful people and helped my fellow man - thanks in no small part to my New Year's Resolutions.

But all the self-improvement stuff aside, its results we care about. So here's a quick outline of how I did, in a marginally different order to how I wrote and achieved them.

Organise the kitchen cupboards [blog entry]

This was a fairly straightforward one, but typically for the procrastinator in me, I didn't seem to get round to it very quickly. But in July I discovered an ingenious way of forcing my hand on this one. I moved flat.

Take the PADI Advanced Open Water course [blog entry]

One of the first resolutions I ticked off this year. Wasting no time I booked onto a course in March...when the water was about as cold as it was going to get. Still, somehow I managed to pass, despite getting totally lost in a mud puddle hear Heathrow.

Sadly, the lead instructor on the course, Kevin Beurle, passed away over the summer. I'd met him a year previously during another course, and during the short time I knew him, I was proud to call him a friend.

Run a 10k for charity [blog entry]

A particularly fun resolution to complete, and even better because I managed to convince a friend to give it a go as well! Tanya and I ran the British 10k London Run, supporting our favourite charities. I was supporting Epilepsy Research, and Tanya was supporting Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

Thanks to everyone that sponsored me, and helped me raise a total of over £200 to help fight epilepsy.

Get booed off stage at an open mic comedy night [blog entry]

The first resolution I completed, and probably the one that's affected me most over the year. Since giving stand up a go in March, I've done a total of 38 gigs, and have been helping run an open mic night every Wednesday. I've met a whole host of comedians, and am constantly surprised by how friendly and welcoming the community is.

So I'm definitely going to keep going with this one. Maybe one of these days I'll get some laughs too!

Three resolutions down in two weeks! I'd say it shows how dedicated and determined I am, but its probably more to do with it being December and I'm suddenly very aware of my time running out.

For my "learn an instrument" resolution, I spent a couple of weeks learning to play the ukulele. I had a little trouble with some of the chord changes, but I don't think you can tell:

So that's 8 down, 2 to go! Be sure to check back in the New Year for my final round-up.

With the end of the year fast approaching, I'm really going to have to put my foot down on ticking off my remaining resolutions. So tonight I went off for my second bloodletting, and managed to give the full, regulation pint this time!

After my last donation experience, I'd managed to let more than half a year pass by without trying again. So this was something of a last shot to tick off the remaining half of this resolution - half meaning actually eking a usable amount of blood out - so suffice to say I was hoping the tube wouldn't kink up again.

Luckily, things went a lot better this time: the vino flowed far more smoothly and I was only beneedled for 5 minutes. Then I headed home with a warm glow of altruism, and an empty right arm.

So I can finally tick off resolution number 8! Guess I'd better start learning an instrument.

Its been a while since my last resolution update, but I've finally got my act together and ticked off another one: "Visit at least two countries, and write a review of the local breakfast foods".

After being given a "use it or lose it" ultimatum on my remaining holiday allowance for the year, I decided to take a week and do some sightseeing. I booked a few days in Paris and a few in Berlin, so I could visit all the tourist spots I'd heard about but never got around to visiting, as well as sample the morning offerings in the hotels.

So, first stop: France for petit déjeuner.

The hotel buffet consisted mainly of pastries and other baked goods, which was enticing, but I couldn't find the balance between taking too little to set me up for the day, and taking so much that I looked like a glutton. The variety was nice though, even if everything was extremely sweet, leaving me expecting a severe sugar crash around about 11am.

As a deviation from the baked treats, I also picked up a pot of what I assumed was some kind of fruit slices or similar. It turned out to be an apple puree that was halfway between a pork accompaniment and baby food. I wasn't entirely sure what to do with it, so spread a little on some bread. If anyone can explain what it actually was (and how it was intended to be eaten), I'm keen to find out.

The coffee was ok, but I was confused by the lack of cream, whitener or even a small jug one could decant cereal milk into. Not wanting to appear drastically uncouth by pouring directly from the large jugs at the buffet, I resigned myself to black coffee. Which actually helped offset the sweetness of the food.

So final verdict, enjoyable - if mildly confusing - but not something I'd have every day.

A couple of days later, I headed to Germany for Frühstück.

Now the buffet at the hotel in Berlin were far more savoury, with a selection of cold meats, sausage, eggs, and an interesting potato dish. I believe pastries and such were also available, but I'd had my fill of those in Paris.

Selecting what I now realise was the closest I could approximate an English breakfast, my biggest surprise probably came in the scrambled eggs. I'm not normally a fan of this particular form of egg preparation, but these had a heck of a lot more flavour than I expected. Whether this was due to the eggs themselves or some extra ingredient I'm not sure (mustard has been suggested as an explaination), but they were very tasty nontheless.

The potatoes were also very enjoyable, served with bacon lardons and grated onion: possibly something I'll have to try making myself at some point.

Meat wise, I selected a few slices of ham and some sliced sausage (two varieties were served together). The cold meats on offer seemed a bit like a deli counter (including salami and other sandwichy meats), but was surprisingly tasty first thing in the day.

I did cheat a little and had the "English Breakfast" tea, but heck, my resolution specified foods, so there was nothing wrong with alternative beverages.

I'd probably vote for the German breakfast over the French, mainly as it was a tad closer to what I'd call a "proper" full breakfast, and because I didn't actually feel hungry again until late in the evening, which meant I didn't have to stop my sightseeing tour for lunch, etc.

Another resolution down. Only a few left now, but also only a few weeks left of the year! Better get a move on.

And speaking of sightseeing, I took a heck of a lot of pictures and video during my trip, which I'll be putting online bit by bit over the next few days. So stay tuned!

Its nearly September, and I've still got 4.5 resolutions to go. So I'm getting serious about my Wikipedia challenge. Below is my call to arms for help from the internet:

Feel like helping out? Here's the url I suggest we use:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Elliott_(comedian)

And those key facts again:

Name: Tom Elliott
Date of Birth: 13/07/84

I'm going to tick off another resolution, one that's been bothering me for a while. I finally got around to organising the kitchen cupboards. Quite frankly, they were overflowing and nothing had its own place, it was getting difficult to match pans to their lids, or to stack the glassware so it wasn't in danger of shattering when you reached in for the cocktail shaker.

The manner in which I solved this problem was slightly unorthodox, however.

I moved.

You can't get much more organised than empty.

And even better, my new flatmate Ali was kind to unpack in the new flat's kitchen and found homes for everything without danger of breakage. Result!

5.5 down, 4.5 to go.

My, my, what a week its been! Hugely busy at work, moved flat and most importantly, I ticked off another resolution! Last Sunday I took part in the British 10K London Run, along with my friend Tanya.

We both ran on behalf of our charities of choice, myself for Epilepsy Research UK, and Tanya for the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. A huge thank you to everyone that sponsored us, it is greatly appreciated by both us and the causes we chose.

And what a fun day it was! Nearly 30,000 people ran the race, and countless others were lining the streets, cheering on friends, colleagues, or anybody else that happened to go past.

We met up on Sunday morning at Embankment, at the ungodly hour of 8am. Luckily this gave us plenty of time to drop off our bags, take some "before" shots at Trafalgar Square. Couldn't quite figure out if we were excited or terrified...quite possibly both.

The good folks at Epilepsy Research provided me with name letters, which proved to be a massive confidence booster. Nothing like having complete strangers cheering your name totally out of the blue!

The Mall started to fill up pretty quick as everyone arrived, and we were soon queueing for everything: bag drop off, toilets, the start. The event certainly lived up to the theme of Britishness! And in true stiff-upper-lipped style, we were treated to a rousing series of patriotic tunes blaring from the loudspeakers...before being deflated by the announcement that the first lot to start had already finished while we were waiting.

While waiting, we had plenty of time to get to know our fellow runners. I must admit I was shocked by how serious so many of them took the whole thing: carefully balancing hydration, taking slow-release energy gels and attaching GPS timers to their expensive, comfortable trainers. Then a guy in a chicken suit walked past and I suddenly felt better about my "have breakfast and leave the flat" preparation (at least I'd been going to the gym lately).

I was quite surprised by the number of people who'd taken the "bananas for energy" approach to heart, and turned up with huge bunches of the things. Doing a quick mental calculation, I figured there were 26,000 people running, several thousand banana skins...and thus the potential for a series of unfortunate, yet hilarious accidents en-route.

But then we got to the start, and we were all away! And I'm very pleased to say I finished within my target time of 1 hour, completing the course in abut 58 minutes! I also learned a valuable lesson: after pacing oneself for 9.9 kilometers, do not, under any circumstances, start sprinting for all you're worth when you see the finish. Doubling up with a wave of nausea is not the nicest way to start your cool-down.

Tanya, too, was hugely pleased with her time, finishing in around 1hr 5 mins, a good 10 mins faster than she was aiming for!

The "after shot", still buzzing a bit

After the race, I went to meet up with some of the other people who'd run for Epilepsy Research, and a lovely bunch of folks they were too:

So there we go! A fantastic day out, and possibly something to repeat next year. Not only that, but I was able to help out a cause I really care about. Speaking of which, there's still time to sponsor me, and with the handy JustGiving site, it couldn't be easier!

Your donations will go towards funding research into the causes, treatment and prevention of Epilepsy, a debilitating condition which affects 1 in 200 adults and children.

[Sponsor Tom at JustGiving]

Tanya's page will also be accepting donations for the near future, and all the money she raises will go towards reuniting lost dogs and cats with their owners, and providing them with the best of care until suitable homes can be found.

That's 4.5 resolutions down, and 5.5 to go. I'd better hurry!

Well, tick off another resolution, sort of. Number 8 on my list of tasks for the New Year was to give blood. This was the one that I was most expecting to fail at, for a variety of reasons: namely that I have a big problem with needles, and get rather squeamish at the sight of blood - which, incidentally are the exact same reasons for my not having achieved my childhood ambition of becoming a surgeon.

Luckily, my friend Charlie is an avid donor and wasn't going to let me bottle this one (bottling referring to 'wussing out' rather than the storage of blood, which they put in bags). As she was due for a donation this week, she suggested we pop along to the clinic near Oxford Circus, and was extremely helpful in reassuring me both that it was painless, and that my trip to Egypt last year wouldn't bar me from donating (thus leading everyone to suspect I had engaged in the sort of sordid activities we all know might make your blood icky). Although when we arrived yesterday evening, I was still a little nervous:

As it turned out the process was indeed painless, in every sense of the word. After a little form filling, a short wait and an iron test, I soon found myself stood beside a bed while it was being swapped around because I was an awkward lefty and asked to donate from my right arm.

I would have liked to get some pictures during the process for posterity, but everything was so efficient I didn't have time to ask, and I wouldn't want to take photos without asking, because there may be security concerns...god forbid the fundamentalist vampires got an idea of the layout of the place!

I must admit I was slightly concerned when the bloodletting operative (their exact title escaping me) had trouble finding my vein, and had to check my other arm for reference, but before long I was attached to a slowly filling bag o' blood. I say slowly, because there was apparently a kink in the aptly-named "bleed line", which made the whole process take far longer than anticipated. One poor member of staff was press-ganged into holding the tube straight in the hopes of speeding it up, but to no avail.

After about 15 minutes, which I was informed is the cut-off time, there was only about 2/3 of a pint in the bag, so unfortunately, my donation could not be used. End result? I went through all the motions, and had to leave slightly light-headed but without the smug sense of self-satisfaction that I was expecting. On the plus side, I still got a free biscuit.

So I'm not sure if I can really tick this resolution off. Granted, I did give some blood, but not entirely enough blood. And while the problems were (I'm assured) not my fault, I can't in good faith call this a successfully completed task, even if I did get the same plaster as everyone else:

But I'm not going to let this discourage me. I'll be allowed to try again in 12 weeks, and given we're less than halfway through the year, I can have a good two more attempts at this. Plus I now know I can do it, having sat there with a perforated vein for at least twice as long as most everyone else that day.

I shall help my fellow man! Oh, yes.

Ticked off a third resolution at the weekend, and took the PADI Advanced Open Water course with my local diving club, Big Squid. Had a great, but knackering time (three dives a day for two days takes it out of you it seems).

And before anyone says it, here are some pics to show it did happen

Was dang cold, so dry suits were mandatory.

Richard and Stephen discovered that "dry" often meant "damp"

And that using talc on seals gives you a fetching grey halo. David (foreground) was kind enough to give me a lift on Sunday.

But we did all the dives, and after a bit of form-filling, we were sorted.

So now I'm 30% of the way through my aims for the year, and its only March. Might go look at those kitchen cupboards now...

I'm really rattling off these resolutions! Last week, I finally finished my first foray into iPhone development: Togolon!

Given incessant ranting on the blogosphere, I was expecting this process was going to take anything up to a month to complete, but to my surprise, Togolon was approved in a mere 5 days. This left me in a bit of a flap, as I haven't finished the website yet, but still, a nice surprise.

Togolon is an accelerometer-based puzzle game, the aim of which is to "toggle" all the red tiles green before the time runs out. Simple concept, but has been driving my beta testers (read: friends in the pub) mad :-)

Its been a great way to learn the API, too. Nothing like having a project to help you pick up a new skill. Must say I've been consistently impressed with how complete and easy-to-use the tools are.

Downloadable from iTunes Today!