No.208 Of Goals Galore

It's crawling to the end of the year and not far off the time when you are supposed to reflect on the 12 months that's been and I guess, whether you've achieved the goals/objectives you set out to bag at the beginning of the year. I'm forever early wherever I go and whatever I do so why not with the review too?

My goals were b/logged earlier this year as follows :

* Eat better - yes I think I've achieved this. Although my foray into cooking was barely successful and very short lived.

* Read more - yes I've done this. I've read some really great books this year including Jonathan Dimbleby's "Russia", Derren Brown's "Tricks of the Mind" and Chekov's Short Plays. Gary Kasporov's "How Chess Imitates Life" is also a formidable read.

* Watch less T.V - yes I've achieved this but I still watch too much. I would like to give up T.V altogether but then if I had I would have missed classic T.V moments like Susan Boyle's Xfactor audition not to mention some great interviews on Newsnight with Jeremy Paxman sitting with a meat hook ready to have a go at another politician.

* Surround myself by positive people not negative ones and where possible by people who inspire and motivate you - yes I've done this and it's made a huge difference to the year. This year I've met people professional and socially who I've really grown to respect.

* Exercise more - yes I've done this and managed (just) to keep manboobs at bay for another year. It's been much harder though than ever before involving 40 lengths of the Antrim pool 3 times a week. I've earned that flat chest.