I didn’t really have a fresh start for the new year. I woke up in the morning as usual at 10am. I didn’t really plan to wake up earlier and offer prayers to God. But the day was the start of a new year. So it just naturally happened that after taking my shower, I lighted up the lamp in my prayer “room”. And also in my room.

I have a small Krishna shrine in my room. At one corner of the room. I have this because my prayer “room” in the hall is not really a conducive place to sit and worship with a peaceful mind. Well, I don’t really offer regular prayers in my room either, which supposedly I should be doing everyday, 3 times a day (morning, noon, and evening). So this year, my resolution would be the following:

1) Pray everyday, at least once, even if it is just lighting a small lamp in the main shrine in the hall, or in the small shrine in your room.

2) Chant a shloka or do japa of “Om Namah Shivaya” 108 times everyday, once would do.

3) Read and understand the Home Study Course of Bhagavad Gita Vol I everyday for atleast 5 minutes, before going to bed. After Vol I is finished, proceed to Vol II.

Out of the 3 resolutions above, I am successfully doing no. 3, but no. 1 and no. 2, I’ve been doing them irregularly. It is actually just a matter of making it a habit. When you do something everyday, you will automatically adopt it as part of your daily routine. It’s just like how you take a shower everyday without fail. You will never go like, “Oops! I forgot to take my shower today before I left my house!” right? So I hope to achieve the above 3 resolutions this year, in a proper manner!

When I was regularly going to my Hinduism classes, I do all the 3 above everyday you know. But when the semester got so hectic, and exams started nearing, I just couldn’t be consistent. And now it has become very irregular. And the worst part of it all is, I can actually feel the difference in my mental state! Like while I was praying, chanting, meditating and reading everyday, my mental state was calm and composed. Now, after I’ve stopped doing all these, I can see that things around me and even my mental state has changed. I’m feeling slacky more often, lazy more like. I’m not imagining anything, and neither is it something to do with psychology, I can tell this for sure. And I can’t even properly describe the feeling. So by starting to pray, chant and meditate everyday, I’m hoping to freshen up my mental state and start this new year properly.

My other resolutions would be:

4) This time around, be consistent in your studies. This might be your last semester, so put in all your hard work and do well. Increase your chances of improving your grades, try aiming for Honours.

5) Be more health-conscious, avoid junk food, try to exercise more this year and loose weight as much as you can. Walk 5 times a week for 45-60 minutes.

6) Enjoy your final semester in NUS as much as you can. But put your studies first when needed.

7) Put aside some time to catch up with friends overseas.

8) Put aside some time to spend time with yourself.

9) Buy more clothes in the second half of the year, for work (if you’re not doing Honours).

10) Keep this list of resolutions alive!

Haha… That should be all. Maybe there is more, maybe not.