New Year’s Eve … The day before the beginning of the coming year. Hopes, laughter, joy, good food, some vomiting, promises given (some kept, but most ignored or forgotten), stars and fireworks, headaches and migraine – perhaps even missing a few limbs, lifelong memories (some lost in inexplicable blackouts due to “bad food”), spending time with friends and relatives or waking up tomorrow next to a total stranger, beautiful snowy landscape or blistering cold slush inside your newly bought high-heeled shoes which you just had to wear to the party and had to walk home in, since someone “borrowed” your jacket, wallet and mobile phone, traditions, the Countess and the Servant (probably the best “procedure of every year”), a midnight movie one can fall asleep to, waking up at 3:47 by people screaming outside your window about utter nonsense – not even listening to themselves, let alone to the recipient of their BS who of course has the ultimate response, which doesn’t make sense to either of them, the reason for their argument forgotten by morning and ignored for the rest of the year, or staying awake the whole night “running around with your friends”, having arguments with them in the street about things you’re not entirely sure you remember to be your own opinions or why you’re even talking about it, but you at least know that the other person is wrong!

In the end one wakes up (sometime before the 2:nd January) and realises that it’s a holiday, no work, no school. Even if it happens to be the first day of the rest of your life, you really don’t have to do anything just today (you may have to clean up the mess you made around or on you or communicate to your family where you are, but basically it’s a non-eventful day). Else, you could start this new year in a way that sets the mark of a fresh beginning, making sure it will constantly improve and make you proud of yourself next New Year’s Eve, when you stop to think back on what you accomplished in 2010.

It’s your choice. You always have a choice in everything you do. You decide. Actually, you could start today.

Happy New Year everyone. Be the best you can be!
/Kim

There’s a great joke about Einstein of when he was a teacher, referring to that quote.
His “secretary” was horrified when she was asked to print out last year’s physics test to this year’s exam. When she confronted him, saying “You can’t give a test with the same questions as last year!”, Einstein looked at her and smiled. “Not to worry”, he said, “I’ve changed the answers!”