Every year, I resolve to keep the resolutions I make come January 1, and every year — usually around January 14 — I break every last one. Well, this year, it’s not even February and already I’ve accomplished three! Granted, some of my turnaround has to be attributed to my job; I’m taking credit for the accomplishments nevertheless!

It’s Teetotal Time

Maybe it was the over-partying I did over the holidays. Or maybe it was Assistant Editor Janice Jann‘s eye-opening feature story in our Winter 2011-12 issue about the dangerous effects of binge drinking on Asian women, but my Ketel One martinis have not been very appealing lately. In fact, it’s been almost an entire month and I have had nary a sip. I feel cleansed, I’m less bloated, my skin isn’t so dry anymore, and I have more energy. We’ll see how long this keeps up — there are a number of birthdays looming on the horizon — but for now, I’m feeling mighty good about myself.

For Eyes

It’s been ages since I’ve gotten my vision checked, which probably explains why I haven’t been able to appreciate our new plasma TV — my glasses were so scratched and so outdated, it was like I was living in a Vaseline-smeared world. So when the opportunity arose to interview an optometrist, let’s just say, my eyes were finally opened to the sharp reality of my existence. Yes, I no longer squint, but yes, I can no longer obscure the fact that the face looking back at me in that mirror is a far cry from 32.

The good news is my new vision prescription allowed me to indulge in some new eyewear, which these days is practically as important an accessory as shoes. My favorite? The Derek Cardigan eyeglasses from Coastal.com. It’s perfectly big but not cartoonishly oversized, and the nerd in me adores the multiplication and division signs at the temples. Another plus? It does a better job at hiding my wrinkles than that $200 tub of eye cream.

Entertainment Upgrade

You know you’ve devolved into some form of boob tube Neanderthal when a tabloid headline reads “Will Ashley choose JP or Ben?” and you know exactly what they’re talking about. Determined to claw my way out of pop culture purgatory, I bit the bullet and switched over to DirecTV. (Good riddance wretched cable companies!) Essentially, I had about a half dozen weekends of marathon television, but not just any television. Breaking Bad, Dexter, Game of Thrones — my gawd, does entertainment get any better? But the highlight was by far Season 2 of Downton Abbey. Sure, the clothes weren’t as good as in Season 1 (a dreary war will do that), but the mischief and romantic angst (Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley!) rivaled those of any Korean drama. And then there’s the brilliant Maggie Smith who always seems to steal every scene she’s in.

The Crawley sisters in all their sartorial finery.

You can buy Downton Abbey, Seasons 1 and 2, here.

Former ER writer Shannon Goss ponders life as a modern Asian American hapa woman.

If I had to guess I would say I am one of the few people who still make (and valiantly attempt to keep) new year’s resolutions. With the new year comes the opportunity to be a little bit better. Some years I succeed with my resolutions, other years I fail. Generally, it’s on year five of making an annual resolution when it finally sticks. It was that stubbornness that got me to finally develop a nightly floss habit. And still, I’m not always great at it. I admitted this to the dental hygienist at my last cleaning, however, I must be holding my own because she was pleasantly surprised to find very little plaque around my teeth. And believe me, she was looking. I guess that’s a good life lesson for the kids: Set people’s expectations low and then you’ll always exceed them. You can say it: I’m going to be a great parent.

So as the reality of a new year sets in, I once again look to improve myself one resolution at a time. So for 2011, my resolutions are:

1. Do 25 push-ups twice per day. I’m happy to say I have been doing this. In light of the fact that my 91-year-old grandfather does 100 push-ups a day, this may not sound like much, but trust me, it is. I started by doing five. I had to stop three times and thought my arms were going to fall off. Now I do seven regular ones and 18 on my knees to complete the  set. Sad? Perhaps. An accomplishment for yours truly? Absolutely.

2. Meditate for fifteen minutes, three times a week: Today’s meditation resolution is yesterday’s flossing resolution. I look forward to 2016 when I actually accomplish this.

3. Run three times a week: I’m not there. Yet.

4. Read one book per month. An accomplished resolution from last year, but one I need to make again this year to ensure that my reading horizons expand beyond email and Facebook.

5. Volunteer once every two months: This might sound piddly, but trust me, it will be an improvement. I volunteered once last year. In December.

6. Electronics off by 10 pm every night. Considering this post will go up after midnight, I have room for improvement.

At this rate I am confident that, if nothing else, I will be doing a lot of push-ups this year. Or at least until I get married. And by “married” I mean “photographed in my wedding dress.” I keep trying to tell Jerome that I’m doing this for him, but we both know it’s really for posterity so that when I look back at our wedding photos my arms look great (that is, less bad). Good arms and a tartar-free mouth. Boom! Happy new year.