Action Plan

(This was something I started to write a few minutes after the New Year rolled in. I didn't publish it because I felt it was too personal. But I changed my mind and decided to publish anyway. So here goes...)

It's 12:43 on my watch, just barely an hour into the New Year.

I've decided not to linger by the dinner table because I didn't want to be tempted to partake of the bottle of red wine that's been opened. I've decided to take a little more extra care of my liver this year, and my lungs, and my... well, my health in general. Although I didn't undergo surgery this year (Thank you, dear God) the results of my annual physical and medical examinations practically screamed " BORDERLINE!!!" in many of the tests except, and this comes as a major surprise to me, cholesterol levels. My uric acid is slightly above normal, my sugar count is borderline, etc. My sgpt and sgot levels have been within tolerable levels - just slightly above high level - but at least it's now down from what it was a couple of months ago which was four times the maximum level.

Our media noche repast was simpler this year. I thought it was a good idea to eschew the usual buffet of traditional food that ended up as leftovers for days to come for a selection of food that everybody really wanted. We had noodles for long life, spare ribs and barbecue for prosperity (pork!), and shrimps because that's what the kids wanted. We had the usual buko salad for dessert.

Anyway. As I sit here contemplating what's been and what lies ahead, I can't help but feel blessed in many ways. 2008 was a good year for me career-wise. Not only did I get promoted to Senior Vice President, I got two really lucrative offers from other banks which I had to turn down because I wanted to see through the implementation of an integration plan that I helped developed for a merger. I think that kind of experience is priceless particularly since the merger situation I'm founding myself in today is more challenging than usual. Unfortunately, I can't talk about it yet.

My lovelife was in the ICU most parts of the year. For some strange reason, I just didn't find myself up to the challenge of being responsible for someone else's happiness. I know. No one else can be responsible for another person's happiness but himself or herself. But I've always been a magnet for people whose idea of a relationship is one of co-dependency. However, I have decided to make changes this year. One of my favorite kids at school, Cheska, intends to make this her project for 2009. Good luck to her. Hahaha.

I've never been big on New Year's resolutions. But here are some action plans that I intend to pursue this 2009, mainly because it's really about time:

1. Take better care of my health. This means finally quitting smoking (I've practically cut the habit but I still take a puff every now and then), going for consultation and follow-ups, taking more supplements, etc.

2. Reduce weight. My target for the year is to go down to 160 lbs. I swear.

3. Read at least four books a month and reduce my backlog. I think this is a reasonable goal since it means an average of one book per week. I was able to finish 9 books during the Christmas break but there's still a couple of days to go before January 5 when work and school opens again.

4. Spend more time with friends and loved ones. I can't believe I didnt get to see a number of my close friends the whole year of 2008. Sigh.

5. Reduce stressors. I will try to be more accepting of things I cannot do anything about and stop wasting energy on anxiety.

6. Fall in love. Hahaha.