(Things) I am not

It has become practically customary for people to craft resolutions for the new year. In my elementary and high school years, our first formal theme writing in going back to school from Christmas break would invariably be our New Year’s resolutions. A research paper I read claims that many resolve to stop smoking or do away with liquor. These are the top two resolutions. It appears that people decide to do away with at the onset of a new year something they have been doing for the major part of the previous year.

I wanted to humor my readers with a set of resolutions. But true to the off-tangent nature of this column, I have decided to tinker with something I’m not wont to do. 

One; I am not a basketball player or a coach, although I had a pair of good shooting arms, untested in commercial leagues, to sink shots from the three-point land.

When Lewis Alcindor became Kareem Abdul Jabbar and left the Milwaukee Bucks for the Los Angeles Lakers, I became a Lakers fan. There were no live games then, but I followed assiduously newspaper accounts and delayed TV telecasts of their classic cage wars with the Boston Celtics. The present LAL is in love with the rainbow shots but their percentage efficiency in this area is less than desirable. Most of their recent wins came from point productions in the paint. I resolve to pester Luke Walton, son of the legendary Bill of the Portland Trailblazers, with messages to let his players to favor lay-ups and short jumpers.

Two; I am no musician but I love to listen to music, particularly songs by crooners like Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Vic Damone, John Gary, Jack Kones, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Vale, and Andy Williams.

I have a small collection of the vinyl long playing records, the 33 1/3 type of those artists. Listening to them daily in my retirement days keeps my nerves in check, I believe it will also help other senior citizens enjoy their sunset years.

Former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama once entertained the idea of organizing an orchestra to play music daily at the Senior Citizens Park to the elderly. His plan died at the hands of a City Council inconsiderate of the well-being of old folks. I resolve to plead with the current administration to revive this. If they can spare fifteen million pesos to support some six thousand habal-habal drivers, why not spend a lesser amount to serenade about seventy thousand oldies and put a smile on our face?

Three; I am not an environmentalist like my friend, Atty. Tony Oposa. But I believe in his advocacy specially in planting trees. It can be true that if we reforest our balding mountains, we minimize landslides, lessen rampaging floods, and help slow global warming.

In my modest contribution to this cause, I have already planted few hundreds of Mabolo, Tugas, Narra, and other trees. I resolve to help campaign for a more studied yet vigorous tree-planting program. Who knows? The following generations may benefit from the customary practice that may evolve.