Wish list

A blessed and joyful New Year to all!

We’re reviving an old STARweek practice of asking people what they resolve to do or want to achieve or wish for this New Year, with the caveat that come November, we will get back to them to see if they have kept to their resolutions, achieved their goals or had their wish fulfilled. When we did this some years ago, we only asked people for their resolutions, and not surprisingly the success rate was not great.

Health and fitness – to exercise more, or simply start to exercise, to eat healthier or eat less – usually top people’s resolutions, and these are the hardest to keep. I’ve had my share of promising to do the six-minute morning workout, the five-minute yoga, the thrice weekly swim…but I’ve never managed to keep it up until February. But hindi ako nagiisa – the comic strip “B.C.” said that the best time to join a crowded gym is February 1st. I guess the best solution for failed resolutions is – just don’t make resolutions!

I’ve had better success with other things (I don’t want to call them resolutions) like always stopping and waiting at red lights, even when there’s no other vehicle around; not honking at the drivers who take forever to get going when the light turns green (I don’t honk at them but they don’t hear the names I call them in the privacy of my car!); drinking more water (and of course more tea)…

I’m wondering if I should resolve to be more engaged technologically, such as actively going on Facebook (or setting up an Instagram account). I haven’t figured out yet the motivation for doing so, since I have absolutely no intention of telling the world what I had for breakfast or where I’m going this weekend or who I’m having lunch with, or foisting on people my two centavos’ worth on everything that happens or what other people say or think…which I guess about negates the purpose of going on Facebook.

It’s a lot easier to monitor other people’s resolutions. My 88-year-old aunt who lives in Vancouver intends to learn to play pool (pocket billiards) next year. I’m pretty sure that by November she would have done so, as she is a very focused and deliberate person. Three members of my immediate family have committed to a healthier lifestyle by getting Fitbits, those nifty wrist bands that measure the number of steps you take in a day and the quality of your sleep and all that, recording all the information in your phone. I need to check up on whether they meet the 10,000 steps a day requirement.

We’re sharing the thoughts of some friends of STARweek on what they want to achieve in 2017, and we’ll let you know how they did by yearend.

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Starting this month, STARweek will come out on the first three Sundays of every month. We look forward to engaging even more with all of our readers through significant, empowering and inspiring articles.