Resolutions

Happy new year! I wish that wherever you were last new year's celebration, you had fun and lots of lovin' with you. And also, I hope that 2011 will prove to be new to all of us, a breath of fresh air in a way. I on my part have this claim, can also call it a prayer, that this will be the best year in my life ever. Along with that is the supporting prayer that that hope will not be failed. And so I understand that I must act in response to that hope.

We welcomed the new year in our older cousin's house, with her family, our relatives. There were a lot of us there. It's a first, in fact, in that place for that matter. At church we have a new year's eve celebration and we'd welcome the new year with praise songs, but we excused ourselves to be with our family this time. Though this isn't the first time we did that either. We attended last year anyway.

I guess the best part of our welcoming the new year was when we were driving around streets in Metro Manila. After our own little party, we headed off to SM Mall of Asia, where something like a concert took place. Many celebrities. But when we came, a lot of people were already leaving. We thought it was all over.

But we've just begun. It started as a little joke from me, to some few people outside. I peeked out the rolled-down windows and greeted them "Happy new year!", catching them off-guard. We were waiting for the green light then, and it was a very long while. Afterwards we took off, turned left, and so many people were at the curbside, walking, standing, or sitting down. And then, half spur-of-the-moment and half pure craziness, I continued what I started, and shouted and greeted them. At first I was alone. And then eventually it became a group effort. Everyone in the car enjoyed it. It was SO FUN. And most funny! There's no telling how great it was to welcome a new year that way!

We made it just for some live bands left playing, no more celebrities. (Though the bands are celebs enough.) We took pictures around the bay area and then watched and sang along to a band playing. So much fun too. After an hour or so, (it was around 2:30 AM already) we left. And the greeting mission started off again. We didn't waste a person, a single chance, nor a street. We shouted "HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!" aloud to people, and it was, again, so much fun! Whether they were walking, talking to each other, lovers holding hands, loners, drunkards, policemen, gasoline station boys, passengers in a jeepney, a toll gate collector, drivers, EVERYONE we could possibly greet, we greeted.

And we were responded to with such a variety of expressions! Most were shocked, some looked suspicious as if someone had been making a fool out of them (partly though), others were all smiley and such good sports, and those were the kind of people we liked most. We also greeted some foreigners, and they seemed so warm-hearted and appreciated the greeting. People are really diverse. Sometimes we'd receive just a surprised expression, sometimes vague (seemingly exceptionally clueless as to what's happening around them), while others would smile, wave, or even shout back, or best, get jumping! So cool. The experience was my best so far for 2011. And that's when not even a day had passed!

• • •

I led worship for the first time this year on our Sunday worship service. We were unprepared because I just arrived here last night (late last night). But nonetheless, we had a praise and worship. And tomorrow (Perhaps it should be 'today' already? The problem of writing a post around 12:00 AM.) I'll be back to school after somewhat a semester of vacation, in a way because I got so used to it that I felt so unused to school already whenever I think of it; but also felt like lasted just an hour, 'cause I still want more. One way or the other, I'd have to push my ever lazy self again tomorrow, with or without a project. That scares me most.

Surely this still has to be my best year! Just into the 3rd day, a lot more ahead! Time is running as always!

Anyway, let me give a smile and greet you again, happy 2011. I've consumed much of your time. I thank you a lot for reading this.

UPDATE
Within seconds after posting this, I realized the title is "Resolutions" and I remembered I was supposed to speak little of my experiences and talk about my new year's resolutions, because it's my resolution this year to have a new year's resolution this time around. And I was supposed to share that. I am most ridiculous.
But I won't change the title for this post, maybe I'll just compose another post entitled "I Shouted 'Happy New Year!' to Metro Manila" containing my new year's resolutions.