Lucy: It's funny. It's new year, but I don't feel anything new.
Linus: What do you mean?
Lucy: Everything is the same. I don't feel any new changes. I think this is not a new year. I think this is a USED year!!
~Peanuts~
First of all, happy new year 2006 everybody!
Since entering college, it has become a habit for me to have a diary. I was quite determined to put an end to my foolish forgetfulness by jotting down everything that I feel important in a diary. When I was in college, I had a small wallet size diary which was always with me. I would jot down things like what I need to prepare for tutorials, class replacements, appointments with friends, assignments' details, datelines, examination timetables etc... I'm also somewhat interested in wise and powerful quotes, poems and such. If I happen to stumble upon such things while reading the newspaper or magazines or listening to some music I will also jot these down in my diary.
When the new year was approaching I bought myself a new diary. Nothing expensive, but it serves it's purpose. Last night, I had a serious bout of temporary insomia. I just don't feel tired. I really didn't feel like going to bed. So I decided to do something fancy with my new diary. I remembered writing in my diary what I deemed to be inspirational. I got it from the devotional Our Daily Bread:
~When somebody writes your last column, how much "blank space" will it include? When you come to life's end, will there be important things left undone? Will that white space bear silent testimony to goals you never reached, good habits you never formed, help you never gave, kind things you thought about doing but never did? Will a sizeable empty space say that you intended to develop a deeper relationship with God, but that close intimacy remained an unfulfilled ideal? Or will others be able to say of you that you finished the race and kept the faith?~
I've been through 19 new years and there will be more to come. (hopefully... you'll never know what's going to happen) This year I realized that I have many dreams, thoughts, goals, good habits, etc that I would like to have but I don't. For example: My best friend in secondary school, Prisca, has an awesome talent in music. She plays 4 instruments which are the piano, the guitar, the bass guitar and the drums. I've always admired her, especially when she starts strumming and plucking the guitar. Everybody will surround her and start asking her to play their favourites (she's a walking karaoke box). For years I've longed to be able to play like that. Back then I could only play C, G, A and E. Not enough to play a proper song. Late last year, I thought to myself: If I try hard enough, do my homework, start 'google-ing' chords for some songs and start practising everyday, I may be able to play the guitar. I may never be a pro or an artiste but at least I'll be able to strum my favourite songs and some of the popular ones. Furthermore, I still have one more month before I start uni. It's now or never, because when uni life starts, I won't be able to get my hands on a guitar, let alone practice everyday. There are a great deal more things that I want to do, but just thinking of it ain't going to get me anywhere. And then years will past by, and the opportunities for such things will fly out the window as well. In addition, things like "kind things you thought but never did and help you never gave" will only bring about a lifetime of regret. Often times, we find ourselves facing one particular chance to perform an act of kindness to other people, but we frequently let that chance slipped away because of pride, greed, indifference and such. Perhaps some of us have always dreamed about having joy and happiness, but somehow we've let the weight of this world and bad circumstances bury us into grief and depression. If we've been that way in the past and not planning to make some changes about it, we're not in a new year, we're in a 'used' year. What's the point of having new years when nothing new is transforming in our lives?
So this is my new year's resolution:"TURN DREAMS, THOUGHTS AND GOALS INTO ACTIONS." I won't be able to complete all that I wish to do, but I do hope to have a headstart.
As for my diary, I did the best I could in decorating it. I never was an artistic person. I've inserted the poem "A STUDENT PSALM" behind the front cover. For the front cover itself, I've attached the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. It acts as a reminder, reminding me that sometimes the roads taken by the majority are not the only paths in life. We shouldn't be afraid to take some risks.
May you have an eventful year!!
