Originally published in Synapse on January 6, 2011.
Yes, it is that time of the year again, and no, I’m not talking about the National “Return Unwanted Christmas Presents” Day. It is that time of the year when gym membership sign-ups are probably at their highest (and gyms reaching its fullest capacity), nicotine gum and patch sales are brisk, and lots of broken promises are initiated. With the new year, some people are reenergized and motivated to change what they feel like is an area in their lives that they can improve upon, and thus make New Year’s resolutions.
Last year, I made such a plunge, and now, let’s look back and see how successful (or in some cases = EPIC fail) I was in maintaining those resolutions.
Spend more time with family and friends
Overall, I’d say I did fairly well in this department. In the past, I called home MAYBE once or twice a month; this past year, I probably called once or twice a week. I have made time for the BFFs, and reconnected with friends that I’ve been meaning to catch up with.
Fit in fitness
I think I held my end of the bargain, considering the circumstances. Rotations (and HP&M classes) did take a toll on my body, but I made it a point to work out at least 2-3 times a week. Otherwise, I would’ve not had the energy to do work I had to do when I got home.
Tame the bulge
This one I’m not so sure how I did. Considering that I’m still carrying a little extra “holiday weight” (no thanks to my mother!), I have gained about 15 pounds as compared to the beginning of last year. The hopeful person in me would like to say that the weight gain is mostly from muscle weight, though the realist in me would partially attribute it to my mom’s devilishly delectable desserts she made for the holidays.
Get out of debt
Well, this one was NEVER going to happen; as I’ve mentioned previously, I just took on a mortgage last year, and unless there is a substantial trust fund that’s set to mature under my name, I don’t see my mortgage being paid off. And staring at me like a barrel of a gun is my ever-increasing student loan debt; though if I get into a residency, I get to postpone the joy of paying back these loans for another year. But as far as unsecured debt, I’m actually doing pretty well; no outstanding credit card debts, no car payments, etc.
Learn something new
So, last year, my friend and I threw around the idea of sharing a Rosetta Stone CD and learning Chinese. Yeah, that DIDN’T happen. She and I were just too darn busy with school and work stuff that we didn’t really have time to fully get something out of the experience. There’s always next year.
Help others
Still making good on this promise. MHC is going strong, and we just celebrated our one-year anniversary this past December (though I did miss the festivities!).
Get organized
Definite improvements in this department. For starters, it’s been a while since I was able to finish things way BEFORE a deadline; I guess I’m one of those late starters. But my residency applications were all finished before New Years’ Eve, which is impressive since most of them are due the second week of January. I’d call that progress. AND I’ve made a serious dent in organizing my house, that it was actually presentable enough to have my first overnight guests, my college best friends Maiti (currently doing her third year of medical school in Cuba) and Michelle (works in LA, in town for a wedding in Berkeley). We’ll see about that housewarming party (it might actually happen BEFORE graduation! Lol).
No new shoes in 2010
I am actually really proud of this one! A resolution that saved me hundreds of dollars! It’s amazing how much money I spend on shoes, and even more amazingly, how strongly I resisted breaking this resolution, in spite of many temptations.
Try to be punctual
Hmmm... let’s see, how should I put it? Work in progress? Hahaha... Though I’d say, I was better this year. Last year, I was supposed to meet up with high school friends for dinner at 5:30 and I didn’t show up until 7:15. This year, meeting up with the same high school friends for Free Museum Tuesday at the Museum of Art in Balboa Park in San Diego (which if I may add, is quite impressive and makes me wish that I went to it more often while I was living there) to see the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit, I was only late by 45 minutes! Hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
So by my count, I have five fulfilled resolutions, one unresolved resolution, and three epic fail resolutions; that’s not too terrible. What’s my new year’s resolution this year? Redo the ones that I wasn’t able to accomplish? While that may be the logical one, I probably didn’t fulfill them for a reason. Turn in my SLTC columns to my managing editor BEFORE 5 pm on Mondays? Hahaha... So, let’s try for something in the middle: A dear friend of mine (who is an avid reader of my column) has suggested that I should write more about being single, given the title of my column. Touché.
So I guess I’ll try doing that, but after I’ve talked about my European/Moroccan adventures! Stay tuned for that one, folks!
