In the spirit of the season Sunday Stabroek asked a few persons not just whether they had made any New Year resolutions for this year, but the silliest one they ever made and whether they had ever kept a resolution in the past.
Dave Martins, Musician
‘I’ve never made New Year resolutions, so I have no candidates for the “silliest resolution” or “the resolution I never kept.”
‘From time to time during the year, I resolve to tackle some project or other and I usually stay with that instead of a New Year’s thing. Right now, for example, I plan to write a piece of vocal music for choir, about 20 minutes long, dealing with Kaieteur – a sort of tone poem – that I plan to present at the National Cultural Centre and make a DVD of it. In a way, I guess, that’s my New Year’s resolution for 2010.’
Paul Fung-A-Fat,
Barrister
‘I never had a silly resolution… What we can say is, let’s start with my new resolution.
My New Year resolution is to work longer. I only work two hours a day. I want to work longer and do more pro bono work for the poor and the depressed because I find [that] Legal Aid is not touching the outlying areas. Besides Georgetown, they’re not appearing for the person.
‘And my other New Year resolution is that I’d like to spend more time with my family so I’ll be flying to States, Brazil, all about the world, Canada, Suriname and so.
‘Any that I have kept? I have kept something… for the last 23 years of marriage, 1986, I’ve never slept with another woman. Well it’s not really a resolution it’s part of my marriage vows… This thing has never come out here.’
Godfrey Chin
‘A resolution that I didn’t keep? I didn’t keep my marriage vows. It’s a promise I broke to myself: my marriage vows. We take a vow to love and obey. I loved but I didn’t obey. I don’t mind saying so.
‘… Coming out of high school I promised myself to make three contributions to the national level. The first two were to take hockey and squash to the national level. The other was to take festival and Mash celebrations and make them bigger. I was there when steel band started and I always wanted to make it big.
‘This year I want to take my 2000 pictures reflecting the history of Guyana in the twentieth century to the national level commencing from Mash 2010, and eventually I’ll take it to the regions and show like the Amerindians their history. My promise is to have my 2000 picture exhibition not as a one-day exhibition, but more than one so that I can educate the nation so that they can understand their history.’
Habib Khan, Comedian
‘The silliest resolution I ever made is stick with my wife because our life was being run by her mother… that’s about 60 years ago.
‘A resolution that I kept? Yea, I stopped smoking and drinking for about two years now. Most people would tell you that for the New Year they won’t do this and they won’t do that, but then you find them doing worse or multiply the same event. It’s a situation of mind over matter and believing in God. English is so corruptive, one English word could be spelt differently and mean something else. Ah… this word resolution sound like revolution… Well I’ve stopped drinking and smoking and I’m somewhat younger than before, yes I’m a young 73. Turn 73 and you get 37.
‘What I will be doing for [this] year is trying to pass on my experience as a entertainer to the younger ones because we have a lot of entertainers in this country and I do hope that… you know they’re very talented… but then there’s no representation for them, they’re being exploited. Now you’ve got some, I don’t want to use the adjective that I would like to use, right here in Guyana have been pirating my movies, and it’s a big firm in Water Street. I have the evidence against them because I sent there to buy one of the cassettes, If Wishes Were Horses and I got a bill for it… I don’t know if Anthony, the Minister of Culture or whatever is his position at the government doing for us entertainers because we are ambassadors of our country’s culture.
Whatever we project outside is how people will count us, and I’m well recognised in the Caribbean and Europe and North America. I am the poorest movie star in the world. It is in the Guinness Book of Records.’
Deborah Backer, Politician
‘One of my resolutions made in 2005 and renewed in 2006 was to spend more time with my ailing mother. I was able to faithfully keep this resolution until her death in May 2006.
‘One of my silliest resolutions ever made was to always be well dressed when out of my home.
My 2010 resolutions include keeping fit both physically and mentally, focusing more on my family and working towards shared governance at the national political level.’
Gerry Gouveia,
Chairman
PrivateSector Commission
‘The silliest resolution? To stop eating ice cream and cheese cake.
‘Resolution I kept: to go mountain biking more often.
‘Resolution I did not keep: That I would spend more time with my sons.
‘New Year’s Resolutions: One, do unto others as I would have them do unto me. Two, be less grumpy and more positive; three, eat more vegetables and drink more water.
‘The amount of unnecessary conflict among ourselves as Guyanese saddens me. I want to commit more of my energy to conflict resolution and using my voice as a voice of reason.’
Enrico Wolford, Journalist
‘I honestly don’t remember if there’s any resolution that I’ve honestly kept. And again, I honestly can’t remember making a resolution that was kind of silly.
‘My New Year resolution is to ensure that I stay in good health and to do the things that are necessary to stay in good health.
‘I don’t want to promise that I’ll exercise. I promise myself that I’ll do the things that are necessary to stay in health both mentally, physically and spiritually.’
Sheila Holder, Politician
‘First of all I must confess that I’m not a New Year resolution person. In some ways it’s the same position I hold for Lent. I never understood the rationale for giving up a bad habit only for Lent or for that matter doing a good deed only for Lent.
‘Since I’ve matured into adulthood I’ve made it a practice not to wait on a special occasion like the New Year to take the appropriate action I consider necessary in my life, be it the need to exercise, eat properly or do whatever [else] needs to be done…
‘More often than not I’m inclined to pluck up the resolve to do the necessaries usually at the time of becoming aware of the need to act or soon thereafter, rather than wait for the year to end or for the New Year to begin.’
Abigail McDonald, National
Scrabble Champion
‘I am happy to say that one of my toughest New Year’s resolutions of becoming Guyana’s National Scrabble Champion was achieved. I also made the resolution to count my blessings and I am also happy to say even in the challenging times of 2009, I always felt I had a lot to be grateful for.
‘Sometimes I don’t think I have a funny bone, but being a peculiar eater, I once made a resolution that I would eat only macaroni and cheese every day of my life. Imagine what would have happened after year three?…
‘In the world of scrabble, I would like to make a big impression at the Caribbean championships and be a part of Guyana’s first victory at the event. Personally, I would like to live the best life that I can, sometimes I’m not sure what that means and so I resolve to be willing to be used in whatever way God sees fit.’
Christopher Ram, Accountant
‘My wishes for 2010: to have a couple hours more each day; to see and spend more time with family; to see old friends, relatives and former staff as they join Ram and McRae as we celebrate 25 years; to see a more vibrant economy with more jobs and better salaries for workers; to see the beginning of constructive engagements and discussions on our myriad problems; to work towards the development of lawn tennis in Guyana and to be a better person.
‘My resolutions for 2010: to honour my 2010 resolutions; to see and spend more time with my family; to contribute to constructive discussions to resolve our country’s myriad problems; to help lawn tennis in Guyana and to be a better person.’
