I'm really hopeful about this year. It's going to be a fresh year. I'm making positive changes in my life.

I can't believe I survived last year's dramas. I just bottled it up and tried to soldier on. Maybe not such a healthy thing to do mentally, but it's better than sitting at home and wallowing in my sorrows. There's no point dwelling on the past, but rather move on to bigger and better things.

I have great goals for this year. I am going to:

• Save money
  No more unnecessary spending and living from payday to payday.
• Pay my bills on time
  This is where a lot of my problems came from. It was the reason my car nearly got repossessed and the reason why my driver's licence got suspended in the first place. I don't really have that many bills to pay - just rent and utilities, car repayment (i.e. paying back my dad for paying off my car), credit card bill... I think that's it... Maybe I need a financial planner...
• Catch up with friends more often
  For the last couple of years, most of my free time has been spent with my boyfriend. Everytime my friends wanted to catch up for coffee or dinner, he would find a reason to keep me away from them. Eventually, I stopped seeing my old friends. I formed great friendships with colleagues and they've been my support system. I couldn't have coped with last year's issues if it weren't for them. But I also miss the friends I had back in high school and at university.
• Travel
  I have always wanted to travel. Five years ago, I had planned to go to England to work as a teacher, using it as a base for travel around Europe. I had it almost set up and then I got a permanent position at a school here in Sydney that I couldn't refuse. So I stayed. I don't regret it one bit. It was an awesome learning experience. For this year, I'm planning on travelling around parts of Australia first and save for a Contiki European Tour in October 2009. That gives me plenty of time to save.
• Keep my car well-maintained and serviced
  Let's face it. That car is a little too battered considering its age (It's only 4 years old). I haven't serviced it regularly enough and it needs new tyres. My car and I have gone through a lot together.  It deserves to be treated a lot better.
• End my relationship
• Yes, that's right. I want to break up with him. After 6 years, it's come to this. I'm just over it. I'll have to go through this in more detail in a later blog. I've come to realise that, whilst I don't blame him directly for my problems, he hasn't done very much to improve the situation. I just know for sure, that I'm not happy in this relationship anymore. Marriage will only make it worse. It's clear to me that staying together is not the best thing for both of us. I'm sick of looking at him and resenting that we've gotten nowhere.

I know this is a lot of really big goals. One thing is for sure. That last goal will be the hardest one to do and I need a lot of strength to fulfill. But I know that, in my heart, it's what I have to do to be able to move on with my life. It's the key to achieving those other goals.