As the clock ticks towards 2026, many Filipinos are drafting ambitious lists of goals and promises to themselves. A popular column offers a witty, week-long roadmap for navigating the perennial challenge of New Year's resolutions, blending aspiration with a heavy dose of reality.
The First Three Days: Foundation and Fun
The proposed journey begins on January 1, 2026, with a classic cleanup. The first task is to list bad habits to discard, initiating a personal "cleanup drive" along life's cluttered highways. By the second day, the advice is to channel that energy into learning a new hobby, creatively sweeping away old patterns.
On day three, the focus turns culinary. The suggestion is to learn how to cook French hens or any similar fowl, using a cookbook or a YouTube tutorial. This playful nod to a classic song sets a tone of engaging, hands-on improvement.
The Middle Stretch: Fitness, Phones, and Finances
The fourth day's resolution is a universal one: exercise more. The column humorously advises against counting the calories burned by going to the mall for dressed chicken, advocating instead for running around your own yard—a move that also provides entertainment for nosy neighbors.
Day five tackles the modern addiction: screen time. It acknowledges the near-impossible vow to reduce phone use, noting how devices have become constant "bedmates." The piece then pivots to ask what can realistically be reduced instead, like coffee or grouchiness.
The sixth day confronts a critical goal for many: saving money and swimming out of debt. It paints a vivid picture of this challenge, comparing it to "flying to the moon" and describing the nightmare of watching "debts rise like floodwaters." A pragmatic Filipino solution is offered: wait for the 13th-month pay at year's end to make a significant saving and payment push.
The Reality Check and Release
On the seventh day, a friend delivers liberating news: January 17 is Ditch New Year's Resolution Day. If the pressure of the list has already become overwhelming, this offers a sanctioned release from the obligation to be a "better person" in 2026.
The column concludes with a philosophical and comforting note. It reminds readers that the year has just begun and encourages them to take a deep breath. The final, humorous reflection states: "I think if worry could make people taller, younger and prettier, by now I would be 18 and the next Miss Universe Philippines." This underscores the piece's core message: pursue improvement, but without the burden of excessive stress.
This lighthearted guide, originally penned by Suarez-Orendain, provides a uniquely Filipino perspective on the annual ritual of resolution-making, balancing hope with humorous self-awareness.
