In January, H and I were discussing how there was still this sense of a burnt-out buzz in the air even though it was a new year. Somehow, despite all the mindful resting we’ve done over the Christmas holidays, neither of us felt that refreshed motivation one expects to have with the new year.
Of course, we can discuss how time is a social construct and in many cultures, the new year often isn’t celebrated on the 1st of January.
H told me, almost as a revelation, that she usually finds her motivation after Chinese (Lunar) New Year, something I realised was a familiar feeling that resonated with me as well. The New Year doesn’t feel like one until you’ve eaten three weeks’ worth of turnip cake, been dragged to several houses, and heckled by distant relatives who ask incredibly invasive and judgemental questions about your personal life.
Now that comatose period is over, I am finally able to gather my thoughts enough to concretely write down what I would like to achieve this 2023:
Move to Ireland / UK — Basically just leave Hong Kong, reunite with David, and hope things will turn out okay.
Go on a holiday with David, because we’ve never been away to somewhere that isn’t eachother’s hometown! But we have an entire itinerary planned for the summer and I am so excited.
Find a job because I will be unemployed in March and I have never been unemployed and not in school.
Get the ‘Have A Rice Day’ cookbook done and published
Create a mixed media series of works as a personal farewell project
Make another mural
Create a cycle of tableau paintings or complete at least 3 items from my list of projects (the list is constantly 30 items long)
Write a story that is longer than 500 words.
Read a full length novel this year
Learn and succeed at making one traditional cantonese dish
Get my weight down to 60kg healthily, and establish a routine for productivity that doesn’t rely on sugar or caffeine.
What’s on your list of resolutions?