2010 Resolutions

All my life, I’ve always made a few futile resolutions because I was told to by my friends and family. Most of them involved getting better grades or losing that beer belly that I’ve had since high school. This year however, has been the most life-altering year of my 23 years. Therefore, I decided to take my New Year’s resolutions a little more seriously.

I created 12 resolutions… one for each grape that you eat at midnight. I wrote them down so I wouldn’t forget them the next morning and I’m creating a blog post so that I have a permanent copy. They’re not in any order of importance; just the order that I thought of them with each delicious grape…


1.) Take learning Spanish more seriously.

My Spanish has improved 3-fold since I moved here but I know that I do not seize any extra opportunity to improve it. So this year, I’m dedicating more time to study things I have forgotten and get involved in more activities with Native speakers.


2.) Put aside more time for my siblings.

I have 5 much younger siblings as some of you know. They range in age from 15 to 7. They are probably the most important people in my life but I’ve realized that I don’t tell them that enough. So this year, I’m going to dedicate my efforts into staying in contact with them: more Skype chats, emails, letters and now even Facebook for the older ones.



3.) Seize every opportunity to experience something new.

I am a very outgoing person but these last few months I’ve settled into routine and stopped trying new things. I’ve missed out on travelling opportunities for silly reasons or decided to sleep in on the weekend instead of taking part in some new activities. So this year, I will go out of my way to add more adventure to my life.



4.) Befriend someone out of the ordinary.

We all have our personality types that we feel we get along best with. I tend to judge whether or not I will be friends with someone in the first 10 minutes I meet them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m never intentionally unfriendly with someone, but if I don’t think that I will like someone, I don’t put in any effort into getting to know that person. So this year, I will put in that extra effort to get to know people that I generally wouldn’t give the time of day.



5.) Spend more time enjoying nature.

I’m a technology/ materialistic person… I know this and I’m not going to make excuses for myself. I’d much rather be on the couch watching a movie, reading a fashion magazine or even blogging and stalking on Facebook. I go outside only to walk to work or going shopping or walking to the bars. So this year, I’m going to discover nature and find less superficial beauty in life.



6.) Use your money more wisely.

This is something many people (especially Americans) find difficult. I am a sucker for a bargain. You know if you see a big clearance/sale rack that I’m not far away. I’ll buy things even if I don’t need them just because it’s a steal. I realized really how bad it was this month when I didn’t do laundry for almost a month and still had clothes to wear. Add in the money from extra restaurant visits and unnecessary tequila shots I buy every month, we’re talking a weekend trip to Rome. So this year, I will mange my money more wisely and look at the bigger picture when making spontaneous purchases.



7.) Explore things out of your comfort zone.

I guess this is a spinoff of #3 but I’ll expand on it a bit. Madrid, like any major city, brings together different peoples and cultures from all over the world. I’ve bumped into such people in some unique places but never took the time to really see them for what they are. I’m usually just polite and make generic conversation while glancing at my watch to see when I can make my escape. Not that I don’t find these things interesting but more because it’s out of my realm of comfort and knowledge. I guess I still suffer from that whole, go with the crowd and don’t be caught with the ‘weirdoes’ mentality that stems from an early age. So this year, I vow to meet these situations head-on. Really learn what all people have to offer, start debates, be open-minded and just experience a different lifestyle than I am accustomed to.



8.) Lead a healthier lifestyle.

Of course, this had to be inserted into almost every woman’s resolution. This time I’m expanding it to not only my body but also my mental health. I will continue my efforts to make healthier eating decisions; with my resolution to enjoy nature, I will better my physical health. I’ll start drinking less (however, my drinking habits have declined rapidly since my college days). Luckily, I’ve never had the desire to smoke much of anything. So this year, I’m going to stay on the path of leading a healthier life and also work on keeping all of these resolutions to better my mental health as well.

9.) Guard your heart more carefully.

This is a big change from other resolutions. I have to admit that in previous years, I’ve vowed to make a man fall for me and find a lasting relationship. Where has that gotten me? Lowering of my standards, being the other woman and just general gut wrenching punches to my heart. Sadly, my last few failed attempts at love didn’t sting as they would have in the past. I don’t know whether to chalk it up to getting more mature or just getting used to the disappointment. Either way, I have to change something. So this year, I won’t let myself get caught up in the ‘What If’s’, I will maintain my standards when it comes to who I let in and I will make every man work their damnedest to get into my heart!



10.) Capture anything that catches your attention, especially the small details.

Life here has become a blur of days and nights and simple routines. Most of the time I forget where I am and how much mystery there is to be uncovered. So this year, I will pay better attention to the small details of the world around me and appreciate what it can offer and the story behind every brick, ancient carvings and written word of those more wise than I (or is it ‘me’?).



11.) Spend less time in solitude and more experiencing new things with extraordinary people.

I am a homebody is some cases. Not in the sense of being with my family but more just in my personal space. There are some weekends that I don’t leave my room until I have to use the washroom or I’m hungry. Not that I am at all anti-social… I just don’t mind being alone. When someone invites me to do something (within my previously stated comfort zone), I’d be all over it. But if no one makes plans or invites me, I am perfectly content staying in solitude. That adds up to a lot of wasted days that I could have been out exploring life. So this year, I will allow myself minimal time alone and more time spending time with those around me.


12.) Be fantastic at all times and embrace your inner blonde.

This one can be difficult to explain because of all the different experiences that I’ve had that finally led me to this resolution. In a shortened version: when I first arrived to Spain, I like the attention being blonde gave me. Later I started feeling resentment for my treatment as a blonde… it irritated me when people automatically assumed I was easy because I’m a blonde or can’t speak Spanish or do anything because I’m a blonde. For a good 3 months, I considered dyeing my hair brown just to see what different reactions I would receive. So this year, I’m going to find the strength in being blonde. People think that I’m overly sexual—show them that I’m too classy to give a snot-nosed douche-bag like them the time of day. People think that I don’t have the mental capacity to tie my own shoes—show them that not only can I but that I can do it even better than them.


These are the 12 resolutions I’ve created for the year 2010. Hopefully, within this year I can learn more about myself and the world around by just opening my eyes and live life the way I’ve always wanted. Don’t let my fears of failure and lack of knowledge keep me from doing things I’ve always dreamt of doing. Here’s too living life and not taking a single moment for granted!