The New Year is upon us and here we go again with the new and oftentimes recycled set of resolutions. Having started the years with a set of goals to end the year for more than half a century of my life, I know how difficult it can get. It has helped to have guidelines when making my yearly resolutions aided by tips from reputable institutions like The American Psychological Association (APA). 

The APA gave a few tips on making New Year resolutions last. Its basic suggestion is to start small. A good way to start, it says, is to make resolutions that you know you will keep. An example given, if you want to go to the gym, instead of aiming to go seven times a week, three or four times a week should do to start. Go from there.

Another tip given by the APA, instead of a complete overhaul of “unhealthy behavior,” is to change one unhealthy behavior at a time over a long period, unless your condition needs professional help. 

Talk about it. It is important to talk about your goals and surrounding yourself with people who can help you attain those goals. If you want to work out regularly, surround yourself with people who live healthier lifestyles or, if you want to quit smoking, join a group, the APA suggests.

“Perfection is unattainable so don’t beat yourself up,” according to APA. And don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask for help from those who are willing to listen and lend a helping hand or expertise to attain your goals.

To be honest, setting goals and working to achieve them can be done any time of the year. In fact, we are all achievers, especially when it comes to micro goals. Some goals are easier to achieve than others and some take longer but the important thing is to work on them until they come to fruition. 

Two people come to mind when I think of goals set years before they are achieved: National Museum of the Philippines senior museum researcher and archaeologist Timothy James Vitales and film director and screenwriter Daryll Yap. Although in different fields, both have projects that are in the spotlight now—projects that were mere resolutions made over 20 years ago.

From May to June of 2024, funded by National Geographic, Vitales led a team of archeologists to the lakeshore municipality of Lumban to search for evidence of the long-lost settlement of Ma-i.  Lumban is one of the oldest settlements in the Philippines being one of the first towns documented by the Spanish when they arrived in Laguna in 1571.

“Linking the Lake Region to the historical land of Ma-i may answer questions on the significant role of the Philippines in the Asian maritime world in the past,” says Vitales. “Ma-i may have been so prominent in the maritime trade scene, enough for the ancient Chinese empire to take notice and mention in their accounts.”

The year 2025 had barely begun but Daryll Yap’s latest film The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma (far from being wrapped up) has been causing waves. It all started with a resolution, a promise of sorts to tell the story of his townmate actress Pepsi Paloma.

Twenty years ago, in 2005, barely 18 years old, Daryll when joined the artist group, Artistang Gapo, “Pangako na namin sa Artistang Gapo, na kung sino magkakaroon ng pagkakataon, ikukwento naming ang story ni Pepsi (We swore to each other at Artistang Gapo that who ever got the chance must tell the story of Pepsi),” Yap says. “Parang ang baba ng tingin sa Olongapo. So ayun. They looked down on Olongapo, so there). We must tell it if we make it in the industry.”  

Pepsi Paloma accused popular comedian and variety show hosts Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, and Ricardo Richie D’ Horsie of drugging her and raping her at the Sulu Hotel in Quezon City in 1982.

The film has yet to be wrapped but already it is gaining traction. “Through this film, I hope to spark awareness, not just about the life and tragedy of Pepsi Paloma, but also about the larger societal issues her story represents,” says Yap.

Let’s hear about these developments born not so much of resolutions, as New Year’s resolutions go, but of a steely resolve next week in this column. In the meantime, happy 2025 to all!