new year resolutions, a little late

...but better late than never, right?

1. I shall not let other people's emotions affect my own.
Because people cannot make me feel a certain way unless I allow them to. Eleanor Roosevelt put it this way: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." I will not be irritated when someone irritates me; I will not feel angry when someone does something to make me; I will choose to be happy every single day. Yeah right.

2. I shall not worry about 'what people think of me'.
People's lives do not revolve around me. They have their own issues, their own insecurities, their own troubles. No one probably cares if I say something stupid, or fall down in front of the class. I shall not fret even when I realise my mascara is smudged or my face is oily and I was talking to a cute guy without knowing that I look like a racoon who fell into an oil tank. Life is too precious to be wasted on thinking "what do people think of me?" Because, more often than not, they don't even think about you. Really.

3. I shall do my best and leave the rest to Him.
There is only so much I can study and do in a limited amount of time. If I have given my best I shall have no regrets, and I can face Him with dignity, rest assured that I have not let Him down, even if my EOS results suck like a vacuum.

4. I shall stop harping on my body and weight issues.
If I exercise regularly and eat healthily, and my thighs still resemble tree trunks and my belly a balloon, I shall still be happy and not complain incessantly to my poor housemate. And to anyone else who would listen. I will think of myself as beautiful, even if I don't have large Bambi eyes, Elizabeth Taylor's arched nose, and Gisele Bundchen's body.

5. I shall praise more and criticize less.
Because no one likes to be criticized, and who doesn't love people who appreciate them? Of course I will not praise for the sake of praising. I shall learn to see the good in others, and less of their faults. Because for every fault that one has, there are ten more good points in them. So wouldn't it be easier for me to spot those ten rather than the one measly (and perhaps unimportant) fault?

6. I shall stop worrying so much about my 'popularity'.
Because I cannot expect everyone to love me to bits. Because I know I have a 'fierce' face. Because I don't make funny jokes when in company. So I cannot expect to be popular like those who do all of the above. But I will still be happy because I have a bunch of great friends who love me for who I am.

7. I shall make my own decisions.
And not be influenced by others. Because I am my own master. Or mistress.

8. I shall stop complaining about not having a boyfriend.
Or better, I shall stop trying to find a boyfriend. 是你的，就是你的。勉强没幸福。

9. I shall sleep early and rise early.
I have recently started to love mornings more. The fresh cool morning air, the chirp of birds. And the sight of old ladies doing taichi in front of Vista B1 makes me happy. Besides, I'll never have to worry about not waking up in time if I wake early, right?

10. I shall be happy.
Enough said.


Difficult enough, I daresay? But certainly not unattainable. Because there is no 'perfect' world, only an ideal one. And it is up to us to create our own ideal world, and not anyone else. Not our friends, not our boyfriends (or girlfriends), not our parents, not our EOS results. Just ourselves.