After 2 days of helping out my brother Gello with his school projects and being “stucked” with each other (as he puts it), my almost 13-year-old brother asked me why people bother to make resolutions every year. For a while I was caught off guard because I don’t always follow tradition and making a list of New Year’s resolution is not part of my system – never has been. I just casually told him that people make a list of resolutions simply because they want to change – in whatever way. His brows curved in unison, smiled at me and then he asked, “Can you tell me what are your resolutions?” I went blank for a while and told him that I resolve to make a list of resolutions this year.
My golly! This is so not me but then I figured, what the heck, maybe it is high time for me to change my perspective about some tradition.
Here’s my to do list for 2009.
- Read at least a book per month.
- Add some more recipes in my current list. Cook more!
- Exercise more. Ride my stationary bike every other day for at least 30 minutes.
- Spend more time with my siblings.
- Listen more.
- Trust more, worry less.
- Pray more.
- Shop for items made in the Philippines.
- Bake just because.
- Visit Palawan or Cambodia or Virac.
- Learn new stunts with my skateboard.
- Get in touch with old friends.
- Try to sleep for less than 10 hours.
- Get a new sim and phone. Boo to my effing stalkers
- Write more.
- Buy a new pair of sneakers and/or rubber shoes for running.
- Take more units in school.
- Choose my battle.
- Let God be God.
- Visit National Museum and Avilon Zoo.
- Volunteer again for storytelling sessions.
- Sketch, draw and paint again.
- Meet not so new “characters” from the Good Book again.
- Clean up my files.
- Review my history.
- Learn to let go when I have to let go.
- Dive!
- Relive an old favorite sport, Kayaking!
- Conquer my fears – talk to a clown, have my picture taken with a mascot and hug a dog and/or a cat.
- Wrap my books with plastic cover.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Drink more water and stop being maselan.
- Try sushi or anything raw at least once.
- Have a date with my folks.
- Treat Mom out.
- Be kind and loving even to the really undeserving.
- Complain less or stop complaining at all.
- Take voting very, very seriously.
- Try hard not to get carried away after reading columns in the Editorial page.
- Read the works of F. Sionel Jose, Nick Joaquin, Willa Cather, Leon Ma. Guerrero, Ambeth Ocampo and Butch Dalisay.
- Conquer Quiapo.
- Watch UAAP Men’s basketball live and cheer for Ateneo Blue Eagles. OBF!
- Say “thank you” often and mean it every time someone compliments me.
- Say “sorry” in an instant and mean it when I hurt someone.
- Take time to read personal email messages (or forwards!).
- Be diligent in replying to people who sent me text messages.
- Get a pretty extra tan.
- Give away old clothes and other stuff in my room that I don’t use anymore. These things can be useful to someone else.
- Visit my old students in school.
- Smile and laugh even more.
So there. Break a leg for me, yes?
