30 things to do in 2013

Happy New Year!

1. Check if your 10 fingers are intact (that is, if you disobeyed the warnings and exploded firecrackers) and thank heavens if they are.

2. Hear Mass and pray that the next 12 months will be peaceful, if not prosperous.

3. Say “Hello!” to the person who doesn’t like you and he might feel guilty enough to be nicer to you.

4. Treat your family and friends to a hearty meal at Little Asia (try the new items on the menu).

5. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep per night.

6. Take at least eight glasses of water per day (to flush out toxins in your system).

7. Be good to your neighbors.

8. Don’t talk to strangers (especially if they pretend to be “nice-looking”) because they might be con artists.

9. Remind your househelp not to give any information to suspicious phone-callers and not to entertain strangers who knock on your gate.

10. Get rid of excess emotional baggage and travel light through life.

11. Make new friends (but make sure they are trust-worthy).

12. Have your blood sugar checked by diabetologist Dr. Wilson Lim (celfone +639178809172).

13. Stop being a couch potato and try marching in place while watching TV.

14. Give food and not money to the street kids who knock on your car window.

15. Give yourself a break; spend a weekend in Bohol or a night at the Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay City (and have lunch or dinner at the nearby Pamana restaurant owned by Happy Ongpauco).

16. Catch any or all of the 2012 Metro Filmfest entries still showing nationwide until Tuesday, Jan. 8.

17. Stay tuned to the radio programs of Boots Anson-Roa and Willie Nepomuceno (Music & Memories, Sundays, 3 to 5 p.m. on dzMM), Kuya Eddie Ilarde (Kahapon Lamang, early Saturday afternoons on dzBB), 18 Mike Enriquez and Arnold Clavio (dzBB, weekdays until 10 a.m.), and Benjie Felipe and Danton Remoto (weeknights, 9:30-10:30 and 10:30-11:30, respectively on Aksyon TV).

19. Check out new eyewear styles at Vivian Sarabia’s stores.

20. Read a book (best-seller, non-fiction, biography, etc.) at least once a month.

21. Donate old clothes to charity institutions.

22. Collect clippings of your articles in scrapbooks or treasured photos in neat albums.

23. Suffering from sleep disorder? Consult sleep specialist Dr. Roland de la Eva (at +639155622401).

24. Get rid of those knotted nerves and muscles with a ventosa therapy at your favorite spa.

25. Drive carefully. The life you save may be your own. (You read that in a street sign, didn’t you?)

26. Vote wisely in the May elections. Don’t be deceived or misled by “tough-talking” politicians.

27. Help stop cyber-bullying by reporting “culprits” to the authorities.

28. Go green. Follow Sen. Loren Legarda’s advocacy.

29. Text or call a friend you haven’t seen for a long time.

30. For the latest juicy items, tune in (as usual) to Startalk (“The Only Showbiz Authority”) Saturdays, 2:30 to 4 p.m. on GMA.

31. And, of course, continue to read The Philippine STAR from cover to cover and rest assured that “the truth shall prevail.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected].)