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For many of us, the start of a new year marks a chance to start afresh and set new goals.
From overcoming phobias to saying no to Uber, here’s a list of the more unique resolutions from 8 UrbanWire readers.
Overcome Lepidopterophobia
At 15 years old, Chua Shao Min developed lepidopterophobia, or a fear of the butterfly when she was forced to walk through the butterfly exhibit at the zoo.
“I cried when a butterfly got close to me and ran out as fast as I could.”
Now, even a picture of a butterfly is enough to bring the 18-year-old polytechnic student to tears.
“Now that I think about it, it’s quite irrational.”
She has made a date with her boyfriend to visit the butterfly exhibit at the zoo once more. “Hopefully I won’t cry this time!”
Uber Less
In 2016, Anika Nale spent $2167.80 on Uber rides. That’s 45 per cent of her pocket money.
“One month, I charged about $300 to my mom’s emergency credit card. When she found out, she flipped and confiscated the card.” The 19-year-old polytechnic student recounted.
While each ride might seem really cheap, the bills add up, so Anika will limit herself to no more than 4 Uber rides per month.
Come Out to his Parents
Jake Lee used to date girls – up till secondary 3.
“I didn’t feel much when I was dating girls. We were just going through the motions,” the 19-year-old said. He also got more intimate with his best friend – a man. But he’s been hiding his sexuality from his family for fear of being kicked out of the family.
“When I was about 8 years old, my dad noticed that two men were holding hands next to us. He told me that it was unnatural and wrong. I’ve never been able to get that memory out of my head.”
Jake has been toying with the idea of coming out to his family for the past year but hasn’t plucked up the courage to do so.
“I’m getting tired of hiding,” he said. “I’ve been bringing up LGBT issues to my parents lately, so hopefully I can slowly ease them into it as the year goes by.”
Eat All She Wants
Crystal Leong has been counting calories for over a year in a bid to stay healthy.
The 21-year-old has also cancelled countless lunch and dinner dates with her friends over the past year.
As she’s eating more healthily, she’s brought a great deal of stress upon herself.
“I don’t want to restrict myself anymore. I don’t want to lose my friends either.”
Quit Buying Books
Emily Ong bought 16 books online last year. She read none of them.
“I’m always drawn to the aesthetics of the books. If the cover page is nice, it’s going into my cart.”
She plans to unsubscribe from promotional emails. “That way I won’t know what’s on sale and be reminded of the books in my shopping cart.”
A Photo a Day
Olivia Lim, 22, loves her Golden Retriever, Clifford.
“My dog is going to be 12 years old in 2017. That means he’s about 70 in human years!”
She has been studying abroad for the past 2 years and wants to spend more time with Clifford now that she’s back home.
“I’m really scared of losing him.” She will be taking a snapshot of Clifford everyday.
Drink Less
Natalie Sim woke up on a Sunday morning with a half-eaten slice of bread next to her, without the faintest idea of how she got home.
The 19-year-old tried to recall the details of her previous night out with her friends, but couldn’t.
This happened on 2 other occasions. Each time, she drank herself to oblivion.
“It’s quite dangerous for me,” said Natalie, who’s now determined to party less and drink less. She has resolved to control her drinking by stopping once she has reached her limit.
“I want to be able to remember all the fun I had the previous night.”
Spend Time with Sick Grandmother
Nur Amira’s beloved grandmother was diagnosed with stage 2 stomach cancer in 2016.
“I remember coming home one day and my dad was crying in the living room,” said the 20-year-old. I felt really scared because my dad never cries.”
Amira reminisced about the times her grandmother took care of her when she was young. “We used to play cards together all the time. We would laugh non-stop because we’d both try to cheat.”
As Amira’s schoolwork gets busier, her bonding time with grandma gets scarcer. “I visited her a few times a year, mostly on special occasions like Hari Raya and birthdays.”
Amira has made it a point to visit her grandmother every weekend this year. “I miss playing cards with her. It might not seem like anything much, but I’d like to cherish whatever time I have left with her.”
What is your new year’s resolution for 2017? Share with us in the comments section below!