The December and this Post is about to look back on the year 2010 and forward to 2011, together with many other people around the world who participate in the #Reverb10 Project.

Prompt: Soul food. What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?

• The Weakly-Monday-Paella in Spain
• Many new receipts my Parents start to cook (very often I feel like eating at a 5 star restaurant (especially Sundays)

What is about this: currently I am living the luxury of living at home with my parents. Sometimes it is hard, most of the time there are advantages. Meals are for sure one of the biggest advantages, especially if you have parents who are really good at cocking! Many meals are with tender lamb meat or beef. I really enjoy those, the taste and feel in my mouth!

The December and this Post is about to look back on the year 2010 and forward to 2011, together with many other people around the world who participate in the #Reverb10 Project.

Prompt: Photo – a present to yourself. Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.

This one is pretty easy — but on the other side it is very hard! I started a 365 Photography project January 1st 2010! Since than I have taken one self-portrait every single day. So there are plenty of portraits of me. The hard one is to find the once that really represent me. In one way I tend to say all of them represent me. On the other: there are some that represent a mood but not who I want to be.

I decided on three photos to be shared here. Originally I planed on releasing this series next year but for this #Reverb10 project I will do an exception.

2010 so far has been a great step in my photography. I have take over 30 thousand — 30.000 — photos and got many great shots out of it. I finished my first 365 ever (started September 2009, take one photo per day with my iPhone). And I got my self a new Camera — the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. I am set for 2011. There are many things I want to do with my photography and to take it to the next level but I am pretty got placed by now. The future looks awesome.

This photo represents my sensitive side. Sometimes this year I got very sad and unhappy. Those times I tend to overcome by doing more projects, photo editing or browsing for stuff to buy — also known as procrastination! But sometimes those times make me do crazy things, get out drive some kilometers and take photos. This was one of those photos. And I was on top of the iceberg again — ready to rock! The sunset was awesome and the photo turned out just perfect in my opinion.

The last photo in this series shows me under water. This is meant to represent the times I feel like I can not breath because I am all locked in by the school system. Right, I could leave any second. I am free to do that. But it makes no sense! As of right now there are only 159 days left to my graduation! Still I often feel that I am not free to do what I want. I have so many great plans to get going but those have to wait till I am finished. I will use the time till than to prepare so that I am ready to rock in July!

Overall 2010 was exiting. It was a great time of improvement and achieving many goals. The next goals are to be set into place for 2011! And I feel like 2011 will be even greater.

The December and this Post is about to look back on the year 2010 and forward to 2011, together with many other people around the world who participate in the #Reverb10 Project.

Prompt: Everything’s OK. What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead?

Movies provide a defuse picture of life. Most of the time they look picture perfect. But what we all know is that it is barely so picture perfect as seen in movies. But they make me dream. I start imagining things and that is a great thing.

The next are people on the internet. They share their ideas of life and their ways they achieved their goals. That is something that strengthens my security about the future.

Than there are people I see and think: they have achieved this goal with this education. I have a ‘higher’ education! Why would I not be able to achieve the same thing(?) or even more?

So movies make me dream. Other people with their stories inspire me. And people about whom I think they are stupid but have achieved something great inspire me even more. They are prove that if you have a strong will you can do anything!

I have years which in review could have been better if I would have done things differently. But I did not! I have done them the way I have. There is nothing to change. And it turned out great the way it is. I am a special person with a special background and just that makes me unique!

My future will be at least as great as my past. Simply because you can not do anything wrong. You just can do something different!

The December and this Post is about to look back on the year 2010 and forward to 2011, together with many other people around the world who participate in the #Reverb10 Project.

Prompt: New name. Let’s meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why?

It is a very interesting question. I am often thinking about names but the funny thing is I never come up with some I really like to use as my own. Often I think well the name ‘Christoph Spiegl’ is a little weird especially for foreigners to speak and spell.

Especially interesting I find short names like ‘Tyler’ or ‘Chris’. But ‘Chris’ is too well known and used way to often. And ‘Tyler’ I don’t know, there are many movie characters named that way so it is kinda not ‘free’ too.

Till today: I have only one name. I am thinking about names and maybe someday in the future I will get my self a second identity? Who knows? Maybe I already have.

The December and this Post is about to look back on the year 2010 and forward to 2011, together with many other people around the world who participate in the #Reverb10 Project.

Prompt: Travel. How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year?

First of about the Travels of 2010. This year was full of some adventures and travels. Journeys and experiences. The first was my trip to Spain for 3 weeks. I was there to learn the language better, take great photos and to have a great time. Both was OK. The photo taking and the having a great time worked out pretty well. But I have massive problems with the language. Somehow I do not get it. If you want to have a look at the photos, I uploaded some at my Facebook Fan Page (CHRISSP.com – Photography).

The second trip was in August. This time it was a trip from my home in an old car —the car is a MG-B convertible old-timer— to Munich followed by a crossing through the alps headed to Italy and Finally I wanted to arrive in the Swiss to do some hikes with my dad. This trip was about being alone for some time, enjoying different landscapes and taking a lot of photos. The drive from my home over the alps and to Italy, everything worked great. But than the engine blue up. I stopped working in the middle of driving on a speed street. I called the breakdown service and it took them 4 hours to get to my place! I had near to no water left and had to wait all the time. In addition to that: I could not even listen to some music since I was scared that my iPhone battery could drain to fast and that would have been fatal since I had no other way to reach anybody. In the end it went all pretty smooth. I got to the Swiss the same evening and met my dad.

The next day we went on a hike as well as the day after the that. We walked a whole lot of altitude and it was a blast. It was great weather to walk and the scenery was awesome. The mountains near Interlaken are a great place to walk. If you are interested in my photos from that trip they are also at my Facebook Fan Page.

So this is about the year 2010 travels. There are some small trip in between but they are not worth mentioning here.

For 2011 I have big plans. One is to get back to Spain for a special trip. The others are more like: I want to travel a lot and visit different countries, do different things and see the world. But that is reserved for a future post or project.

The December and this Post is about to look back on the year 2010 and forward to 2011, together with many other people around the world who participate in the #Reverb10 Project.

Prompt: Future self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?)

That is not too easy. What would I tell my self? Probably that I should do it just the way I did it. In my opinion: the past can not be changed. I can learn from the past but not change it. So all that happened to me was with a purpose for my future. Everything, the good and the bad. But sure there are things I could have done better. Now lets focus on the letter from my future self 5 years form now:

Future Self in 5 Years tells me

Do what you love. Focus on what you want and do not let anybody disturb you or make you change your attitude! Everything will turn out well. But still finish your last year of school with good marks and do not be to lassie. The future can be created after you have your degree!

All the best, your Future self in 5 years.

Note to my self 10 Years Ago

Hey Christoph,

I am your future self. Please keep doing what you do. Study stuff not related to school. Improve on what you already do and build momentum. In the end it will pay back! But on the other side: spent a little more time on school and study for it. It will also pay back someday! That is basically it. Maybe get a little more out and social! That would be a good thing.

Best Wishes, your Future Self!

The December and this Post is about to look back on the year 2010 and forward to 2011, together with many other people around the world who participate in the #Reverb10 Project.

Prompt: Beyond avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)

There are many things I should do. Or better should not do. Something I was always concerned about was to do more sports. Just weeks ago I finally started with a friend to train once per week in a sports hall — Check!

Than there are ideas I had years back but have not touched again. Those are on my todo list for years and about to get started. All that is about to happen in 2011. I plan on so much for 2011! It must be boring to read this but: I am not going to write about my plans yet!

One more thing I would like to mention: Often I am frightened by something really easy. Like to call someone and ask a simple question. I have the fear that I disturb or something turns out bad. Most cases the people are just friendly and doing their job. The messages they have for me are not too bad and I just made all the bad things up.

So what I would like to do: Do simple / short tasks right away. Do not pile those!

The December and this Post is about to look back on the year 2010 and forward to 2011, together with many other people around the world who participate in the #Reverb10 Project.

Prompt: Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011?

It is hard to answer that since I am barely sick. But I can define something else into it. Healing my obsessions and the procrastination.

It is hard to get rid of obsessions and to stop things you already have done for several years. On the other hand it is hard to start new better things. You are fast to quit new things and also fast on taking on old obsessions again.

One of my obsessions was the RSS-Reader. Until I managed to sit down and minimize it to one time a week on Friday. Since: I am not checking RSS on the work-days. The same thing would be great to be transferred to other things like email, facebook, twitter, flickr and many other day by day tasks I do. But it is hard. I always have a feeling of missing something. So it is a kinda drop-by-drip evolution. Over time I manage to implement different ideas to get this healing process better.

One big jump will be June 2011. That is the month my phone contract will be ending and that essentially means: no more internet on the go! And maybe even: no more phone on the go (depends on my mood in June).

So healing is not just your health. It also can be your day to day life to improve or heal!

The December and this Post is about to look back on the year 2010 and forward to 2011, together with many other people around the world who participate in the #Reverb10 Project.

Prompt: Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it?

Just as I mentioned in the last post about the idea of just doing things. To try what you think is the right way. That is what my 2011 is about. It is about to try something I think is possible but not conventional. I wanted to start it already in 2010 but school is in my way. I just can take mini steps to the goal and that is what I am doing currently. I prepare for the big time in 2011.

In other matters: most things that make us unsure weather to do them or not are simple to solve. Just do it. Just try it. Most times we are frightened by some made up scenarios, which do not happen.

There is a story:

Some random man needs a hammer. He could ask the neighbor but remembers that the neighbor looks unfriendly if met at the street. The man thinks: “He will not give the hammer to me anyway.”

In the end the man goes to the neighbor, rings the door bell, the neighbor opens and the man shouts at him: “You idiot, I do not even want your hammer!”.

I think this story shows very good that most of the time you just need to ask for what you want. You need to try!

The December and this Post is about to look back on the year 2010 and forward to 2011, together with many other people around the world who participate in the #Reverb10 Project.

Prompt: Lesson learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?

Trust yourself. And do not let everybody else live your life.

If you have a dream: go for it. If you have a different way to do something: do it your way. Sometimes it is worth listening to somebody else but somethings in life you just have to test and find out yourself, some things are unconventional but better than the conventional!

That is what I will be taking with me into the next year.