Make ’em, break ’em...make ’em anyway

We should all take a cue from President Arroyo. She may not have been successful so far in keeping her annual new year’s resolution to curb her temper, but she still makes the resolution anyway. In a recent interview with reporters during her holiday hiatus in Baguio, she admitted that she again would like to work on her temper. Last year she trained her ire on, among others, the media, going so far as to impose some kind of silent treatment, not granting interviews for a time.

My colleague Felix gave me this blank look when I asked for his new year’s resolution; he does not see the point in making resolutions since we all break them anyway–sooner rather than later. Another colleague–who will remain unnamed–says that every year she promises "hindi na ako magmumura" but admits that she breaks the resolution the minute she gets on the road. But, in the spirit of best efforts, she is again promising to watch her vocabulary.

When I was in grade school we’d always get these assignments to write an essay on "My New Year’s Resolution" to be submitted on the first day of class after the holiday break. I remember one year we were asked to list down ten resolutions! But of course, no one ever checked up on whether we kept any of the resolutions, so we basically just wrote down the usual meaningless go-good/be-good things.

Common resolutions are to go on a diet and start exercising, a direct result, surely, of the holiday binge practically everyone endulges in. I’ve been saying all year that I was on a diet but nobody believed me. I did start exercising though; I climb up a minimum of seven floors–sometimes ten floors–in my building every day.

My friend Tina was suitably impressed the other day when I harrassed her for some photographs I needed and told her I was getting my schedules and assignments organized by the month. I did sense a touch of skepticism though–and I guess I can’t really blame her since my organizers and planners can attest to previous attempts at organization that did not quite make it to December. She is a great believer in spontaneity, and she has resolved not to make any plans as far as possible–a goal which is probably a lot more attainable. At least neither one of us promised to go on a diet.