I'm having trouble sleeping these days. I'm unsure if it's the ability to stay up late due to being on holiday, the Rocky marathon that Bravo have been running the past few days, or some niggling thoughts in the back of my mind that's doing it.

The holidays are great times. I've managed to totally forget about work and work people since Christmas Eve, which is a triumph of sorts in and of itself. No doubt the six months that are to come will soon make me cherish this time off even more, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Not by doing much, mind - I've managed to address some of the points raised in the last entry, by swapping the laptop for the Wii (Pro Ev 2010 is pretty good) and by tidying my pit of a room (I do love such a large scale project as this one). But sometimes you just need to take advantage of these holidays to do things like that, I guess.

Having some spare time on my hands has provided me with additional time to assess other things I'd like that were left off for Christmas. As it stands, the list is as follows:

Socks - both for work and for leisure, as for some reason mine seem to always go missing. I'm blaming the sock thief from South Park - those bloody gnomes.
A "Make Your Own Bonsai Tree" kit. I simply want a bonsai tree to cultivate in my own image, but I guess that growing one from scratch may actually be kinda fun also.
New Super Mario Bros Wii. I've always been a bit of a sucker for most classic things Mario (not quite got into the Mario at the Olympics, Mario Golf, Wario-based products etc, but a big freak for the Super Mario Bros series and Super Mario Kart, of course), so I think this is a must-have to ensure my Wii playing continues long after this holiday is over.
New tennis trainers/sportswear. From last summer, I'd gotten back into tennis. My tennis shoes are, however, on their last legs (har har!). Christmas 2008 had brought me a matching Adidas t-shirt and short combo that looked eerily reminiscent of the Novak Djokovic range. I reckon I'll need to procure some of that clobber for this year - Novak's a cool dude, and his gear is pretty slick.
Subscription to ESPN - I think this is now falling off the list, as I was planning on mainly using it during my holiday to watch the various North American sports it has to offer as well as the other football games they have. I reckon I can probably live without it now.
New suit/shoes for work - not my own choice, you understand, but it'll have to be what I spend the money my grandmother gave me for Christmas on or else my life won't be worth living. It's the same every Christmas or birthday - despite the fact she lives off a state pension, she attempts to be so frugal in order to give me money for these occasions. I guess it's one of the few joys left in life at that age.

Not an exhaustive list, by any means, but I guess it's something to actually do with my money. I don't think I've truly made the most of not being involved with anyone for the past however many years - such excess money that could've been spent on them should've been spent on things that could have made my life better. No point crying over spilled milk now, I s'pose.

Tonight brings a curry, some beers and some watching of football with an old school friend. It's been a funny old year after all - while I hadn't fallen out with him at any point, we'd both grown gradually apart following our high school graduation of 2002, just due to attending different universities, studying for different degrees, and entering different lines of work. Yet 2009 has brought us full circle, providing me with a great many laughs in line with my juvenile sense of humour whenever he's around. I guess that while the year hasn't brought me a loved one, it has reacquainted me with some friendship, which is something I shouldn't take for granted.

Any road, I've bored you enough for one year (or a lifetime!). I wish you all a happy new year for when it comes - stay safe, and keep happy.