December Nonsense and My New Year's Resolution for 2012

It would be a cliché to start by saying "how Time flies and before you know it's the last month of Year 2011". It's not like cliche is a bad thing. It's just a rather dull way to start this note, although I admit, it does convey what I wanted to say.

Maybe I should start by saying:

"When you hear the familiar joyful Christmas songs playing everywhere you go (well, by everywhere I meant malls or grocery shops. That's what it entails normally because, seriously, you don't get Christmas songs playing out of nowhere. Not even as you skipped happily along some unknown street,with that estactic smile on your face like a scene out of a movie. No, THAT unfortunately does not happen. Maybe in your head with your earphones sticking in your ears, your ipod/ mp3 whichever is drowning out all sounds except for one song. Then, maybe you will feel like you're in a movie.), you know that either December is near or you're already IN the middle of December.

Well, I apologise for going off tangents on something so trivial. Alas, don't be confused by the nonsense which I have conveniently italised.)

Moving on... December is a month of JOY simply because it's a month of long holidays for many around the world.(If there's none for you, my heart aches for you coz it's just so tragic!) It's a month of Christmas! And that means presents, vacation, snow, shopping for CNY...whatever makes you happy. It's also a month of assurance for many in a way that if 2011 happens to be a crappy year for them, December implies the Crappy year is almost OVER and it's time to welcome a NEW and hopefully a BETTER one! RawR!

In the process of welcoming the new year, I usually go through the ritual of writing a new list of New Year's Resolution. It's been a ritual ever since I started doing it around 2 years ago. I have concluded that it's been rewarding so far. Like any other people out there, I had failed to accomplish some and succeeded in accomplishing few. Despite the failures, I have been grateful that I have started out this ritual just because it gave me such great satisfaction in life. Knowing that I have wasted a lot of time doing things that are of no importance most of the time, this ritual has compensate for the time I have lost and gave me more reason to enjoy the life I'm living.

In fact, I have learned not take things for granted more than before. Just because I'm in a good place in this point in my life doesn't mean I should stop and relax and hope this goes on forever. The constant planning and struggles to accomplish something have kept me alert or more ALIVE, to be precise. For someone who likes to procrastinate not just once in a while, this ritual is necessary to wake me up and start living life.

So far, my New Year's Resolution has always been about me, myself and I. (like getting my driver's license, learning to bake, get a scholarship, travel t

o at least 5 states in the US) Now I think it's time to move on to a bigger purpose. Thanks to websites like TED and GOOD, I have been inspired countless times to dream bigger and to accomplish things that are thought to be impossible. However, being inspired is EASY. Talking about dreams is EASY. What is not easy is to take that FIRST STEP, to ACT and make things HAPPEN.

I can always say I wanted to start writing a children's book. Sure, I can do it. Give me a couple of years. Let me see what I can do.

Pfft! That will never happen if I don't start doing something.

Now that being said, let's talk about what I've come up with for my new list. So I have decided I need to get more serious for my 2012 New Year's Resolution. And these are what I have listed:

1. Give contributions in any forms, e.g. donation, to an International Non-profit Organization (PETA, WWF etc) or Make a one-time adoption (sponsorship) for i.e. a child's education, animals in a museum or a beach etc...)

2. Read a book for every month of the year and write a review about it (post to blog or note in fb)

3. Save up for parents to come for my commencement in2013. ($800)

4. Try a new activity(E.g. ice-skating etc.)or learn a new skill. (e.g. Excel, programming etc.)

I will end this note with an inspirational quote from this amazing young woman, Natalie Warne, a TED speaker whose words touches the deepest part of my heart. I will live by her words from this day on and hope many others will do the same.

"In a small anonymous monotonous every single day acts, I have to remind myself to be extraodinary. It's the acts that makes us extraodinary. Not the Oprah moments."