Teen Diary:New Year's Resolutions
By Annabelle Chua
Dear Diary,
2006 has passed. 
Not a bad year, mind you. I’m older and wiser, or so I think anyway. Now that 2007 has come, I’m making a list of resolutions. Oh, I know you find it funny. Last year, I lasted only a week on my resolutions. Well, all right. I lack willpower sometimes. But this time, I thought of a really short list.
Just the basics.
I’m not going to put in ridiculously impossible goals. I actually thought about it, and I’ve decided that I need to do this to be able to straighten out the kinks in my life.
So… here goes:
1. I will carry an umbrella with me wherever I may go.
No, seriously! I mean, what’s the point of buying an umbrella, when I keep on forgetting it at home? Sure, it takes up space in my bag; space that can hold a multitude of other things like my shades, my wallet and my cellphone. Why carry a tacky umbrella? That is so un-cool. But then again, maybe it’s a small price to pay when you see the tradeoff. In exchange for carrying it around, I won’t get sunburned this summer, nor rained at come June. I won’t be spending two weeks at home, sniffling because of colds or lying down because of the flu that I got from the rain. And my school bag and books are definitely going to be a lot more presentable, because I won’t need to air and dry them after they get soaked.
2. I will list down all my expenses everyday and evaluate which ones were really necessary.
You know, Diary, I’m tired of opening my wallet during the last week of the month and realizing that I ran through my allowance way too fast again. It’s getting kind of frustrating already. I admit, I overspend sometimes. (Make that most of the time.) I can’t promise that I’m not going to overspend – I mean, it’s already a habit. But Mom always said that listing your expenses is like writing down everything that you eat when you’re on a diet. You’ll realize it when you’re buying something that’s not of use to you, or if you bought something that wasn’t absolutely necessary. Know what? I think I’ll try that. At least, it’ll make me think twice before spending on something I don’t need. And hopefully, my allowance will last longer in my wallet – where it should be.
3. I will use a planner to organize my stuff this year.
Actually, I thought it was just a craze. The Starbucks planner, made to help those kids in SparkHope. Then Go Nuts Donuts came up with a Go Nuts planner. And then suddenly, planners were back – for a reason: they help a lot. And it’s not just businessmen who are using them, but also students. I took a peek at my sister’s planner the other day, and she told me just how easy it was to organize her affairs, now that she had the planner. It reminded her of meetings, appointments, dinner dates and exam schedules. Because she had everything written down, she never forgot a single thing that she needed to do. This year, I’ll try that. That way I’ll keep all of my affairs in order.
4. I will try to eat more healthy food.
No, I am NOT going for a major, 180-degree turnaround in my diet. That is just too drastic, and if I do that I’m positive that I’ll quit after three days. I’m talking about making better choices. The rates of diabetes, heart disease and cancers are increasing year after year. Despite the advances in medicine, it seems that people’s eating habits are getting in the way. As much as I love to eat some foods, I’m going to start changing my habits. Why? Because I don’t want to end up sick. It’s as simple as that. I’m not going to deprive myself of this stuff, but I’m not going to indulge in it, either. When I go to fast-foods, I’ll take the burger without the mayonnaise. And I’m not eating the skin of the fried chicken anymore – that contains more than double the fat of the chicken meat alone. I’m also cutting down on sweets. I’ll take them all in moderation, but I’m not going to overeat and raise the risks on my health.
5. I will get involved!
Last, but definitely not the least. I’m not planning to be a die-hard activist, Diary, but I just remembered that guy from Gawad Kalinga who gave a talk once. He said that we’re not perfect, but we can pitch in and try to help one another. He said that together, we can make a difference. And I remember reading an article about how people managed to rebuild an entire community that was damaged by the storm because people helped them. It’s true, I’m just a teen. But I think I can help, even if it’s only painting houses, or even just saving my allowance to help a cause (Ha! More reason to do resolution number 2!). And I’m going to start now.
So what do you think? Will I make it this year? I hope so. I didn’t write anything really hard, but I made resolutions on things that I think will really help out a lot. I’ve made my mind up to stick to these things. And you know what? I think I just might succeed. See, I’ve already written them down on my planner.
Love,
A Teenager Like You
