Mike’s New Year List 2010 - 2011

Ok, so this has been pushed back further than I would have liked, mostly due to my website being hacked and my hosting company being terrible (but I’ve managed to switch to Bluehost now).

Top 6 Restaurants At Which I Ate:

1. Los Pilones, Amsterdam

2. Gatto Borracho, Limone

3. Khushi’s, Edinburgh

4. Ristorante Alla Noche, Limone

5. Thai Bird, Amsterdam

6. Gallagher’s Boxty House, Dublin

Top Television Series’ I Watched*:

1. The Killing

2. This is England ‘88

3. Treme

4. Supernatural

5. Doctor Who (Just started to watch this year)

* I have a self-imposed rule not to list tv-shows I have previously selected, unless they do something vastly different or are otherwise unavoidably listable.. See: Boardwalk Empire, Friday Night Lights, Fringe and so on.

There are loads of sit-coms I watch religiously, yet prefer not to list: How I Met Your Mother, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, The Office and so on.

There are also plenty of “guilty pleasures” (reality tv) that I love: Brew Masters, Jersey Shore, Gold Rush: Alaska, Educating Essex etc.

Most Memorable Events in No Particular Order:

Becky and I got a flat in Stockbridge, a dream fulfilled. I take it for granted now, but I love living here.

I’ve been working full-time for a year, making videos of various types. I’m also used to this now, but am happy that I’m fortunate enough to be working with cameras and and being creative, doing everything from planning through to post and delivery.

Was able to go on 3 nice holidays and work on my own projects.

Been on a diet for the second half of the year wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated.

Top Goals from Last Year

1. Hit my financial target. - I think I did, or close to it. Let’s say success.
2. Move into a nice place, in Stockbridge maybe. - 100% achievement.
3. Sort out my digital agency. - Ah, not as much as I would have liked (20G completed Regular)
4. Advance in the television world. - No, got Bogarted out of a couple of credits, but I’ve been putting things on the backburner.
5. Go back to being as skinny as I was a few years ago. - Lost just under THREE STONE. 3 stone was my ultimate goal and I was 3 pounds short when I let it go for the holidays, but pretty excited to get into my old jeans and other great accomplishments. Looking forward to more this year.
6. Produce some really good work. - I’m really happy with a few things so this is yes too. I was privileged enough to work on some very interesting and unexpected projects.

Goals for 2011

1. Weight isn’t so much of an issue this year, but I want to put on muscle and get a body I’m proud of.. Hello, Kettlebell.
2. Start a business (or multiple), in my spare time
3.  Brew my own beer.
4. Go on a holiday to one of ‘dream’ places. 
5. Read 30 books minimum. 

Wayback Machine:

Mike’s New Year List 2010 - 2011

Mike’s New Year List 2009 - 2010

Mike’s New Year List 2008 - 2009

Happy New Year everybody! This year is your year!

Edited to add number 5 to Goals.

Mike’s New Year List 2010 - 2011

SO YEAH it’s that time of year again. I realise I haven’t posted much of anything this month but I have my reasons - I have been working towards certain projects - and hopefully I will be able to resume normal service shortly.

So, for the uninitiated, here is a round-up of all the things I want to make short lists about and are rarely followed through on a year-to-year basis. I’m probably the only one reading it anyway.

Top 6 Restaurants At Which I Ate:

1. Trilogia, Kassiopi

2. First Coast, Edinburgh

3. Jaipur, Inverness

4. L’Escargot Blanc, Edinburgh

5. Le Galipo, Paris

6. Arbutus, London

Top Television Series’ I Watched:

1. Boardwalk Empire

2. Fringe

3. This is England ‘86

4. Friday Night Lights

5. Coppers

Most Memorable Events in No Particular Order:

I bought two cars. In a month. A year ago the combined cost of these would have been over 2 years salary. The second one was because the first one was a dud and the engine popped.

Left my part time job and made a go of it as a freelancer. Despite this going well, I got the Fear and thought I would never get a job. I applied for three to test the water and was offered all of them.

Lived in London for a while, really enjoyed it there and it’s something I will do again, at some point.

Completed Uni successfully, ended up graduating as a cinematographer.

Got lots of freelance contracts, recently have decided to start my own digital agency (got a name and sites..), all in good time.

I really should have more to talk about but I need to get up early to go to Inverness for a pretty exciting Hogmany.

Top Goals from Last Year

1. Make a really decent degree film - Kinda done.
2. Advance in the photography world - done.
3. Hit the gym. Hard - done. Sorta.
4. Write some stuff - done.
5. Have a Ghostbusters Party (both movies + Real GB cartoons) and invite girls listed above - fail. Nightmare.

Goals for 2011

1. Hit my financial target.
2. Move into a nice place, in Stockbridge maybe.
3. Sort out my digital agency.
4. Advance in the television world.
5. Go back to being as skinny as I was a few years ago.
6. Produce some really good work. 

Wayback Machine:

Mike’s New Year List 2009 - 2010

Mike’s New Year List 2008 - 2009

Happy New Year everybody! This year is your year!

Mike’s New Year List 2009 - 2010

It’s that time again: the end-of-year round-up, where I can afford myself the one opportunity to use Poladroid (under the strict understanding that they are in no way meant to be ‘arty’) and make mini-lists that aren’t really important.

Click read more to see these Poladroids and lists of mine.

Read More

Mike’s New Year List 2008 - 2009

Top 3 Movies I Watched The Most To Relax and Laugh and Quote

1. Just Friends
2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
3. Superbad

(that’s right, I’m not listing the best films of the year or even sticking to films released this year)

Top 3 Albums I’ve Been Listening To

1. Kings of Leon - Only By The Night
2. Conor Oberst - S/T
3. She & Him - Volume One

(ok I tried my hardest to make this 2008, I’m still in the past with most of the stuff I listen to and have recently resurrected stuff like Stellastarr*, Weezer and Kerrany/Mission (the Edinburgh club that used to be at Studio 24) music)

Top 3 Places I Ate Food At

1. Seafood Restaurant on Corniche Roland Garros, Saint Raphael, Cote D’Azure
2. The Boat House @ Cameron House
3. Howies at the West End

Top 3 New Passions

1. Photography
2. Playing 5s
3. Driving

Top Goals for 2009

1. Advance in Photography
2. Driver’s Licence
3. Save Money (Reaching 0 Balance would be a start..)
4. The Usual Health Stuff
5. I guess I could blog more..

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The Photos in this post were made to look like Polaroids with the use of Poladroid. I usually take pride in not using post-processing techniques and avoided this too, but everyone kept banging on about it and I finally folded and keep using it for how it processes the photos and leaves little pola-thumbnails on the desktop and make it look all cool.