As Year 2006 bids its farewell, we once again close another chapter in our lives. We reflect on the bitter sweet memories it has brought us. We learn from past mistakes, hoping that it would serve as a guide for the road ahead. Tender moments of happiness, fun and joy, we cherish and store in our hearts, for in times of sorrow, may they warm our souls once more.

With all that done, Year 2007 creeps in, promising a year of all things new and exciting. It is once again, a time for us to whip out that pen (or pencil, as some of you may prefer) writing feverishly on that piece of paper, a list of things we wish to achieve before this year comes to a close. The new year resolution syndrome (as I would like to call it) lives on.

But let’s get real. How many of us have actually succeeded in achieving everything in that list? For those who actually have, well kudos to you for you are extremely disciplined and should be awed by all things living in the world. For those who tried but always find themselves plagued with guilt when the end of the year comes close, well don’t be too hard on yourself because normal people ( the opposite of normal being special) don’t usually have enough will power to stick to that darned list.

I say New Year resolutions are superficial. Think about the things we usually want to achieve. It’s always losing that few (or more) pounds so that we can look like Jessica Alba or spend less so we can later spend it on that oh-so-gorgeous Salvatore Ferragamo bag. Sure, there are other things we’d like to do to improve ourselves but it doesn’t always work does it? And when it doesn’t, we feel bad. So why don’t ditch the whole new year resolution idea and start focusing on the very basic thing that can make us feel good? And what better way to feel the good than to have a healthy fun loving relationship with the people that matters most.

The most frequent activity that we human beings do is interact. Imagine life without interaction. That would be sad ain’t it? What we can do this year is to improve our relationship with the 3 key people in our lives ¨C family, friends and that significant other. If you don’t have the last one, don’t sweat, it means you have lesser work to do and more love for family and friends! Yay!

Let’s us first start with family. Many of us don’t spend enough time with our family. Sure we do go home for dinner on the weekends; after which we plop ourselves on the couch, flick on the tv and watch reruns of Friends. Well, that’s hardly any bonding time. Instead of the dull and boring dinners at home why not spice things up? Take the whole family on a one day trip to Ipoh or Malacca to have some great authentic local delicacies. Trust me on this one. Good food brings people together. If you don’t want the hassle of driving down to another state then bring the whole entourage out for a movie! The whole idea is to induce conversations. One that is light and make no room for squabbles. Another fun family activity would be having a game of Jenga or Uno Stacko. It’s fun, it guarantees laughter and it’s so simple even your great-grandma can join in the fun!

Next! I think it’s fair to say we have 3 types of friends. First the loyal and dependable besties, then the chill out buddies and lastly the ubiquitous hi-bye friends. We tend to think that just because we’re given the ¡®best friend’ status, we are at the peak of the relationship and there’s no room for improvement. Wrong! There’s so much more we can do to jazz things up with our best girl(s). Slumber parties may seem juvenile but who can resist some fun girly whirly twirly time? Imagine a night decked out in your favourite peejays with your favourite girl(s) talking about anything under the sun, well in this case, the moon. It brings a whole new meaning to having a girl’s night out. Backpacking makes a good bonding activity too. Backpacking around the world with someone you know inside out makes travelling so much easier. You don’t have to worry about weird toilet habits too. If you can’t afford to go to places like Europe or even Bangkok, you can always backpack locally. Penang or Malacca would be a great place to go with their rich historical background and awesome local cuisine at really affordable prices. These two places are a hit with tourists too so you might just feel like you’re in foreign land. Remember, the whole point of backpacking is budget travelling and roughing it out so don’t cheat and take cabs instead of buses. I went backpacking with my besties once and walking in the rain was one of the best moments ever!

Lastly, the significant other. If you’re in the first 6 months of your relationship, you can skip this part because you’re most probably still all over each other. If the relationship has been on for more than 6 month and you start to feel that things are getting a little routine along with the fights and same ol’ activities, then it’s time to give the relationship a little face lift. You’ll be surprised how many things you can do together. He is afterall, right now, the love of your life no? One thing you can do with him is cook up a meal together. Cooking can be a real dud if you’re no Martha Stewart, but cooking with him may make all the difference. Try it. If the food doesn’t work out, there’s always take away. The next thing you can do is go for a romantic horse trail ride together. Sounds exciting eh? Check out http://www.berjayahills.com/ for more information. Why not take ballroom dancing lesson together while you’re at it? Nevermind if you can’t dance, just sign up for a short course and see how it goes. Guaranteed plenty of goof-ups and plenty of laughter! But do remember that for all the above to work out, compromising plays a big part. We girls are so use the doods giving in that we sometimes forget that they have feelings too (ooppss!). The key to a healthy relationship with your man is like flying a kite. Don’t hold on too tight, loosen that grip a little, tug at it once in awhile and never let go!

Now with all that done, you’re bound to feel good for the rest of the year. Maintaining a fun and healty relationship with people you love is one of the best things you can do. Being able to interact with them rubs off on you, making you a cheerier person. But remember, there’s so many more you can do, just be creative!

Have a great year!

Last 5 posts by Amelia Tan

• Backpacking Survival Tips - November 22nd, 2007
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• E-love - August 14th, 2007