Checkpoint Past the Halfway Marker

For some reason, I got all reminiscent and decided to write in my journal and read some old entries before heading off to Liechtenstein. As each year goes by, ever since my childhood, I've made a handful of "New Years Resolutions" that I almost never end up fulfilling. I actually did follow through with one resolution I made, which was in 2009 (obtain level C2 in French). Now it's already the end of June and I took a look back at my journal entry of January 1, 2010. For the new year, my resolutions were as follows: 

1. Finish more things on my list
2. Do more good deeds
3. Become fluent in German (B2, preferably C1)
4. Spend more time with family
5. Spend more time with friends
6. Read more books
7. Enjoy life more
8. Get in better shape to do 99 push-ups in a row
9. Make a new stranger smile every day

How am I progressing so far? Pretty pathetically, I think. I could do better, for sure. I finished a lackluster 6 new things on my list of things to do before I die in the last 6 months and only visited 4 (but that is soon to change) new countries. I don't think I did many good deeds this year... I worked, I studied, I learned languages... I really did not have much free time. The only charitable, selfless acts I've done was giving food to people who had signs that read "J'ai faim" on the streets. Becoming fluent in German... well, I'll know when I take an exam in December, I suppose. Spending time with family and friends? I tried calling more often and I will go home in August and I'll make sure to spend a lot of time with them! I did read more this year, though, though pretty insignificant in terms of number (only around 23 books so far). Have I enjoyed life more than I did last year? Hm... hard to say since the year is not yet over, but I do love life... la vita è bella!!! The push-ups are coming along, but I can't seem to break 51... and I have been very successful with #9. We'll see if I manage to fulfill any of the above resolutions by December 31, 2010. 

Sorry this is such a nonsense entry, I just wanted to post an update before leaving. I'll make sure to eat Swiss cheese while hitchhiking through Switzerland this time!!!

Today's Random Picture:

Soccer, Summer, Suprises

So I have to say there were more than a couple surprises at the 2010 World Cup games in South Africa. My speculations proved mostly wrong in terms choosing the teams for the Round of 16.

Group A: Uruguay France (Winner), Mexico Uruguay (Runner-up)

Group B: Argentina (Winner), Republic of Korea (Runner-up) 

Group C: United States of America England (Winner), England United States of America (Runner-up) 

Group D:  Germany (Winner), Ghana Serbia (Runner-up) 

Group E: Netherlands (Winner), Japan Denmark (Runner-up)

Group F: Paraguay Italy (Winner), Slovakia Paraguay (Runner-up) 

Group G: Brazil (Winner), Portugal  (Runner-up) 

Group H: Spain (Winner), Chile (Runner-up) 

So my speculations only went through for Group B, G, and H... and I was correct for a handful of other teams or with an inverse of finishing order (U.S. finishing ahead of England in Group C). This makes for quite a different set for the Round of 16, which in turn changes speculations for the quarter-, semi-, and final games: 

Round of 16 Predictions:

URUGUAY - KOREA REPUBLIC
USA - GHANA
NETHERLANDS - SLOVAKIA
BRAZIL - CHILE
ARGENTINA - MEXICO
GERMANY - ENGLAND
PARAGUAY - JAPAN
SPAIN - PORTUGAL

Quarterfinals:
URUGUAY - USA
NETHERLANDS - BRAZIL
ARGENTINA - GERMANY
PARAGUAY - SPAIN 

Semifinals: 

USA  - BRAZIL
GERMANY - SPAIN

Finals:

Third Place Game: USA - GERMANY

World Cup Game: BRAZIL - SPAIN

It's now the start of summer vacation for me. No more school, no more work, no more exams... I'm just planning on hitchhiking to the micro states next week before heading to Scandinavia for my birthday. I'm a little sad that I might have to celebrate the 4th of July all alone in a foreign country where people don't speak my language. 

Today's Random Picture:  
Hypothetical situation, kids fighting off kid zombies?

FIFA 2010 World Cup Games

Four years later, the World Cup is taking place for the first time on the African continent, with a series of month-long soccer games in South Africa. I thought I'd have a go at predicting the outcomes, just for fun. 

So the group arrangements this year are: 

Group A: France (Winner), Uruguay (Runner-up)

Group B: Argentina (Winner), Republic of Korea (Runner-up) 

Group C:  England (Winner), United States of America (Runner-up) 

Group D:  Germany (Winner), Serbia (Runner-up) 

Group E: Netherlands (Winner), Denmark (Runner-up)

Group F: Italy (Winner), Paraguay (Runner-up) 

Group G: Brazil (Winner), Portugal  (Runner-up) 

Group H: Spain (Winner), Chile (Runner-up) 

Round of 16 Predictions:

FRANCE - KOREA REPUBLIC
ENGLAND - SERBIA
NETHERLANDS - PARAGUAY
BRAZIL - CHILE
ARGENTINA - URUGUAY
GERMANY - UNITED STATES
ITALY - DENMARK
SPAIN - PORTUGAL 

Quarterfinals:
FRANCE - ENGLAND
NETHERLANDS - BRAZIL
ARGENTINA - GERMANY
ITALY - SPAIN 

Semifinals: 

ENGLAND  - BRAZIL
GERMANY - SPAIN

Finals:

Third Place Game: ENGLAND - GERMANY

World Cup Game: BRAZIL - SPAIN 

I could be wrong, of course, since one thing that goes wrong in a game can change the outcomes dramatically, so these are just rough estimations. I'll definitely be watching the games with lots of anticipation and enthusiasm =). 

Today's Random  Picture: 

66th Anniversary of 6.6.1944

Today's Random Cartoon: