>New Year Resolutions

>Now this is one funny thing that I have not understood for many years now. Why do people have new year resolutions? 99% of them are done with it by January end itself, and the remaining 1% wean away gradually I am sure. So why have it?

As one of my friend has it on her Gtalk status – “people who don’t keep their new years resolutions are weak people, and those who actually make new year resolutions are fools!”

What’s the difference b/w a New Year resolution and this blog?

A. You at least follow the latter! (picked this one from the MTVINDIA twitter stream)

I remember the last new years party in campus last year. Srini who was trying hard to quit smoking, comes over to me and Abhinav, and asks for a cigarette.

He had just got refused by Chitta.

Bharat: “I thought you made a New Year’s resolution to quit smoking”

Srini: “I’m in the process of quitting”, he replies with a grin on his face.“

Srini: “Right now, I am in the middle of phase one.”

Abhinav: “Phase one?”

Srini: “Yeah.. I’ve quit buying!!”

Needless to say, the cigarette remained lit for the entire year, and yes he did buy many a times. On his was to car dealers, in Mumbai local trains, he had to.

Talking more about resolutions, I wondered how a resolution list of people would look across the years.

Lazy reader

2006: I will read at least 20 books a year
2007: I will read all of Chetan Bhagat’s books
2008: I will read some articles in the newspaper this year.
2009: I will read at least one article this year.
2010: I will try to glance at RK laxman’s cartoon everyday this year!!

An Overweight guy

2006: I will reduce to 80Kg.
2009: I will try to develop a realistic attitude about my weight.
2008: I will work out 5 days a week.
2009: I will work out 3 days a week.
2010: I will try to drive past a gym at least once a week!

An extravagant woman

2006: I will not spend my money frivolously.
2007: I will pay off my credit card bills without fines
2008: I will be totally out of debt by the year end
2009: I will try to pay off the debt interest by the year end
2010: I will try to be out of the country before getting thrown into jail!

A poor husband

2007: I will try to be a better husband to pooja
2008: I will not leave pooja
2009: I will try for reconciliation with pooja
2010: I will try to be a better husband to Shilpa!

Again, a poor husband (come on, he deserves it!!

2007: I will stop looking at other women.
2008: I will not get involved with Shilpa.
2009: I will not let Shillpa affect my marriage
2010: I will stop looking at other women!! (there it starts again!)

An Alcoholic

2007: I will not take a drink before 8PM
2008: I will not touch the bottle before 4PM
2009: I will not become a “problem drinker”.
2010: I will not miss my appointments with the liver doctor!!

A nerd

2005: When I hear a funny joke I will not reply, “LOL… LOL!”
2006: I will stop sending e-mail, gmail, webmail and be on the phone at the same time with the same person.
2007: I will stop sending e-mail to my roommate.
2008: will spend less than five hour a day on the Internet.
2009: I will not subscribe to an unlimited internet connection!
2010: I will not miss my appointments with the ophthalmologist.

Well, these were the resolutions of different kind of people. Coming to my own list:-

1. Give up smoking (again).
2. Learn a new skill, take up a new hobby. (really!)
3. Get organized. (yeah sure, and well buying an organizer does not fulfil this resolution)
4. Become more security conscious. (whose security?)
5. Be more regular on this page (this one i am serious)
6. Give up drinking, at least for the first week of January! (ahem! Well.. lets see!)
7. Stop procrastinating. Will start this from 11th jan, come on it’s a weekend, and last week I was busy.

Happy new year once again.

Quotes
New Year’s Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. -Mark Twain

Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account – Oscar Wilde