I love making resolutions. Until last year, I used to forget about them through the year. However, in 2010, I'm took them seriously. Probably, the biggest crisis in my life helped me think of having goals to work towards. (Yay, Happiness Project, I can think like you!) However, every other person I talk to about resolutions pooh-poohs them. "Ha! I don't keep resolutions. Who does?", "I'm not someone who believes in resolutions." "I take things as they come and do them as they come. I can't be restricted with resolutions." Of course, we are rather different, so bear with me. I love keeping resolutions. I'm rather result-oriented and too big a list-lover not to keep resolutions. And yes, I do want to do a lot of things and it helps put my desires, dreams and ambitions in perspective. So, if you're not 'into resolutions,' good for you.
Here are mine from 2010. I'm going to do a review of all that I've achieved in 2010 and will have a list for 2011 too.
2010's resolutions:
1. Eat more consciously - I did try to eat consciously. While I couldn't eat locally and seasonally owing to my grad student status, I tried eating healthily. In fact, this year has 'consciously' been a mix of both 'extremely healthy' and 'extremely unhealthy.'
2. Grow plants - Ha! No.
3. Exercise 5 days a week - Best of 'em all. I did do this for about 2 months this year and loved it. This year, I spent the beginning of the year in India and then came back, packed things to move to Syracuse, went back to India for visa issues, came back, moved to Syracuse and then started gymming and then it snowed. And life stopped. I'm hoping 2011 is going to see the complete achievement of this resolution
4. Join the local library and read at least 2 books per month- Nada!
5. Swimming - Who swims in India on a vacation? Who swims on a flight? Who swims when it is
-10C? Who swims when you have HTML and accounting to study? Who swims when there is food nearby all the time?
6. Maintain a diary/journal - No. And I don't want to, either. Blah.
7. Revamp food blog and be regular on it - Sigh. Pushed to 2011
8. Cake decorating classes - Figured this won't go with my constant resolution to lose weight.
9. Learn HTML - YES. YES. And learned it and swallowed it and got an 'A.' :D
10. Volunteer - No :|
11. Photography - No
12. Get completely healthy by the end of 2010 - Certainly tried and worked for a little while too. Got a long way to go.
13. Berkeley's creative writing program- Priorities and dreams have changed, so shelved.
14. Make a conscious effort to watch sports - No reason to do so this year :P
15. Get license done - Done and expired :P
16. Learn a new language - Does 'networking' count? No? No, then.
17. Learn Tamil - Umm, ya. No.
18. If no admit, rewrite GRE - *imagine me fist-pumping and yelling* I got all the admits :D with aid, mostly. And I'm doing rather well ( Yes, I'm immodest. Thanks for noticing), so YES!
Resolutions for 2011 :D
1. Gym everyday - I did try gymming everyday in 2010 and it worked partly and I enjoyed it a lot. I want to continue that in 2011 and be better at it. The only issue is about wearing 20 layers, going to the gym, removing 18 layers and running and putting 20 layers on again and going back home. But it shall be done.
2. Run - I love running, I realized. I love running with the wind in my hair. I ran a lot this year and I was happy when I ran. I'm going to restart running, if not outside, at least on the treadmill to keep me going until summer returns.
3. Don't eat out unless it is team event or something - This was my resolution as a grad student in order to save money and not fall in the piling on pounds category. However, I failed thanks to academic stress and ate out and ate bad food owing to finances sometimes in 2010. I aim to correct that. I was very good during the Summer semester, I'm planning to redo this, this year, at least when I'm in the US.
4. No sugar or processed foods. No white rice - Again, this was my motto in summer and it worked beautifully. I cooked food everyday and ate good, healthy food. I lost it during the end of the Fall semester. I want to get back onto the wagon. So, no sugar at home or outside.
5. Cook everyday - Goes with 3 and 4, I guess
6. Lose weight - yes, this is on everyone's list. And on mine too. And I want to be able to remove this after this year. Let's see. I'm part of a Facebook group with friends to be more accountable. So, here we go again!
7. Meditation - While this is not going to be religious per se, I want to sit down, be calm and close my eyes and not think of ANYTHING for a couple of minutes everyday. I was talking to my favorite professor and he said to me that I wasn't quiet in my head. And how true, that statement is. Plus AB noticing my forever panic-stricken face on Skype wants me to try this out. So, I'm going to try hard to not think of anything and be quiet for a couple of mins everyday. Yes, you may laugh, but I will have the last laugh at the end of 2011 :)
8. God - My relationship with God is very strange. I've never been religious. I thought my family was religious, but after meeting AB's family, I take that statement back. Considering I'm going back to India, I'm not going to escape from religion and God. At this point in time, I'm looking at God and prayer to bring some discipline back in life. It is still not about any one God or asking for favours. I want to try this out and not be brash about my relationship with God. I want to be more disciplined and think things through and I think this little exercise of praying everyday should help. What I pray for is anyone's guess.
9. Food blog- I realize I love the food blog more than I thought I did. I've come to love cooking and baking and cooking with AB more than anything else today. So, 2011 is going to see the food blog being resurrected and hopefully, it shall be all healthy and will make a difference to our lives.
10. Read at least one book every 2 weeks - This may not be possible in the next 6 months since I'm in the US and the chances of me buying a book and reading it is zilch. However, this is a long term goal for me. I was an avid reader and now that seems to have vanished. Not even blogs anymore, sadly. I want to get back to reading. Blogs, magazines, books. I want to have this library full of books. I'm going to get back with a vengeance.
11. Driving in India - The aim is to get back ASAP. I give myself 2 months time (after I return in July/August) to go driving to meet my in-laws in Chennai in the car.
12. Have a balcony garden - Not giving up on this one. I want to be able to grow some herbs, some veggies for my everyday meals.
13. Medical check-up- I turn 28 this year. I'm no fool to think I'm going to be able to hop, skip and jump every minute going forward. I promise to be more careful about my health and go for an annual medical checkup- pap smear and breast examinations included from 2011 onwards. I also want to make sure I tag my mother-in-law and mom along. We all need to and I believe in it strongly.
14. Use public transport as much as possible - AB already uses only public transport in Bangalore. I want to be able to do that as well. That said, he doesn't have a car yet, so he is using public transport. I want to see if we can use public transport in spite of having a car. Bangalore Metro, work for me!
15. Get my address changed on my passport - We know what a task this is in India. This is my first test to keep my cool and accept India for what it is and not bribe and still get the job done. I've done this in the past and I love my country way too much to give up on something like this. And hey, I love challenges like this :D In fact, am looking forward to exchanging some words with the Passport Office.
16. Make some progress towards getting back to Theater- I don't know how and when. I want to start watching and start working in Theater. Ideally, working in English Theater, but I will take what comes my way for now.
17. Janaagraha/Lok Satta - My dream job is to be a politician. I'm going to try to be more active locally. I've worked for Janaagraha in the past as a random volunteer. I want to do this more seriously this time and possibly even consider Lok Satta ( not sure about this, yet)
18. Swimming and scuba diving - My cousin is a certified scuba diver. His pictures make me want to try scuba diving. I'm hoping it will happen this year.
19. Travel at least once a month to Chennai and once in 2 months to elsewhere - I want to travel within India. A long term dream is to have a culinary journey across the country. But for now, I have 2 aims. One, visit my in-laws every month. I'm moving back to India to be with family and I want to be there for my in laws. Two, travel to other places that are not Chennai ;) at least once in 2 months - with or without AB
20. Try to attend most functions in both the houses - I know this is very 'maami' like. But the truth is I've seen my parents do this. They've tried to be there for everyone. And the warmth I've experienced being my parents' daughter is wonderful. I want to do that for my kid(s) and plus, I want to be there among my people. I also don't know AB's family that well and I aim to rectify starting this year.
21. Save at least Rs 5000 per month personally - I don't know what job I will have and don't know what salary I will get. But at this point in time, I want to save at least this amount every month as a nest egg. For future travels or for when AB decides to beat me up and then I can leave him with this money no? :D
22. Learn to wear a sari and 'madisaar.' - Sadly, I don't know how to tie a sari well. I can just about drape it around me to be decent :P Madisaar is another story. I don't know where it begins and where it ends. I want to learn to tie both these types of saris confidently.
23. Take up yoga seriously - I've done Yoga in the past and have loved it. For all my roly-polyness, I'm extremely flexible. I want to give it a try again.
24. In India, I want to eat out, but I want to limit it to eating out once in a month, initially and then maybe, once in 2 months.
25. Watch good cinema - I no longer watch cinema, let alone good cinema. I'm hoping I can catch up this year.
26. Panic and worry less - Yes. I need this more than anything else. From being a totally reckless person, I've become a control freak and I hate that.
27. Have a girls' weekend out at least once every 6 months- This is a joint resolution with my girl friends :) You know who you are. We should make this happen.
28. Do less social networking. Maximum 3 hours a day- unless my job demands it ;)
29. Have a grand Golu - I'm turning out to be such a 'maami.' But I love Golu and the idea of keeping Golu. I want AB and me to have a grand golu with the sundal-sharing. But I promise not to pressurize young girls to sing :|
30. Send home-made goodies for Diwali to a couple of friends.
31. Keep a budget and accounts for every month.
32. Drink at least 10 glasses of water a day - I hardly drink water. And this is an attempt to drink more water
That is a list! :D These things are very do-able and are hardly lofty goals. Some of these ideas are already in motion and hopefully, I will report at the end of 2011 with more success than I had in 2010.
