My New Years (Travel) Resolutions

Everyone has 'em, everyone breaks 'em. Here are my projects for the upcoming year.

1. Go to Berlin: For all I know, this European adventure will end in September (when I finish my degree). So I intend to make the most out of it. I have had my sights set on the German capital since I was supposed to spend last summer in Frankfurt. Sometimes when I’m bored I plan my trip in my head: Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, and maybe the Holocaust Memorial.

2. Go to Central Europe. For a history buff like me capitals like Vienna, Prague and Budapest are calling my name. I want to see it all. And I want to go before they develop, are yuppy-fied and get the Euro—I’m too late for Slovakia which gets the Euro January 1, 2009—but it's not to late for Prague, Budapest and Krakow.

3. Take better pictures. It’s been one of goals since I first saw the Life Magazine image of Kim Phuc after the napalming of Vietnam.

Photos are such a captivating medium that I’ve never really been able to grasp. Terms like composition, framing, shutters and aperture just confuse me. I’d like a personal tutor (Joni!) but as that might be a bit hard to find abroad, I’ll settle for learning a term a year. And Picasa and Photoshop Internet tutorials.



4. Work out consistently. This has been on my list for the last three years now and each year I get closer and closer but I never mnage to make it the "life change" it needs to be. Though I came the closest in third year. I started off well enough in the beginning of last semester. Then my system broke down around week 4. Only to collapse around Week 7. So I’d like to last longer than that.