It is that time of the year again, guys? What time, you ask? Well, time of the year to list down your new year resolutions.

We all know that most of us will fail and probably abandon our lists by the end of February or March, but when has that stopped us?

(For those who don't fail at it, bravo! Can you give us some pointers on how to keep at our goals too, please?)

Anyway, back to what we were getting at; when you're preparing your list for 2020, here are some very Malaysian resolutions you can add to it.

Why not kick start the new year by pledging to become a better Malaysian, right?

In 2020, I shall not...

Double park like nobody's business!

If I absolutely have to, I will leave my phone number and be back within 30 seconds of receiving a call from the person who wish to remove their car from a valid parking spot that I'm blocking.

Honestly, there is no excuse for double parking in an age where ride-hailing is a thing. If you're rushing and you know it's hard to get parking where you're going, hire a car or use public transportation.

Also, for the love of all things good, don't 'double park' at an empty parking spot.

We could never brain this. Why would you block an empty spot and another car when you could have parked in that spot? What is your logic? Help us understand, please.

In 2020, I shall...

Always use a headphone or earphones when listening to something in public places!

This is an unspoken rule: no headphones or earphones, no listening to anything on your phone or laptop in public places.

Just a few weeks ago, a friend of this writer related her horrifying experience of having to listen to "Baby Shark" being played loudly, on loop, at a restaurant by parents who wanted to pacify their kid.

Why would you subject others to such torture?

Don't even get us started on people who play their private voice messages on speaker. No honey, we don't want to know about your friend's cheating boyfriend or crazy girlfriend. TQVM.

In 2020, I shall not...

Drive on the emergency lane!

Emergency lanes are called emergency lanes for a reason: it's for emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks, and not for you to use when you're too impatient to be stuck in jam like the rest of us mortals.

Can you imagine if you block these vehicles only to go home and find someone you love dead because you, and others like you, blocked the way of the emergency vehicles and they couldn't get to a place in time to save lives?

Let's not be selfish, guys. Almost none of the things that we usually rush for are life and death stuff, so please be considerate.

In 2020, I shall not...

Waste food!

According to data from the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp), Malaysians throw away about 16.668 tonnes of food waste.

The amount of food that we throw away can feed about 2.2 million people, three times a day!

Crazy, isn't it?

In 2020, let us strive to be mindful of how much we eat and reduce the amount of food we throw away, especially during festive seasons.

In 2020, I shall not...

Buy limited edition products, concert tickets, etc and re-sell them at exorbitant prices!

How many of us have waited excitedly for a favourite musician to finally grace our Malaysian soil, only to find the tickets were sold out within hours of it being on sale?

But that is not the worst of it. It is even more frustrating when the same tickets are being sold by opportunist bloodsuckers who sell them for three times the price.

Same goes for any other limited edition products out there (remember the whole Uniqlo x KAWS T-shirt?). We understand the need to make money, especially in this economy, but let's think about the effect of our actions on other people too, ya?

In 2020, I shall...

Put the trolleys back to its designated spot after grocery shopping!

Don't you just hate it when you find a parking spot in a shopping mall only to find it being blocked by a shopping trolley? You would then have to get down from the car just to remove it before you can drive into the parking spot.

It's just like you being upset with your colleague for not returning your pen after using it, so why not be more considerate and return the trolley to the bay right after you use it?

It's really not that hard, guys! Since you've already pushed the trolley to your car, just spend another 20 seconds pushing it back to the designated trolley bay.

In 2020, I shall...

Read a post properly on social media fully before commenting 'PM'!

If you're running an online business, you'll understand the frustration of receiving this comment.

Please read all the information provided and then ask the questions you need answers to privately, instead of asking whoever provided the information to contact you without even giving context to your request.

Most of the time, the information you require is right the in the post. All you need to do is spend a couple of minutes reading it. Didn't get the info you need? Drop them a private message. It is really that simple.

In 2020, I shall...

Think before commenting on a post!

Keyboard warriors, we're looking at you.

From jumping to conclusions based on just the headlines to spewing angry comments at people whose opinions you disagree with, there are so much of negativity and anger on the internet.

Before you comment on a topic or article, ask yourselves these questions: do I fully understand the topic or comment and the context it's made in? Would I say such hateful or hurtful things to someone face to face? Am I being kind or just a pain?

By the time you're done asking yourself these questions, you'll probably be a lot less angry and your comments will probably have more substance, and you won't come across as a complete a-- to other readers.

In 2020, I shall...

Take better care of public properties!

Remember when Taman Tasik Titiwangsa reopened recently and was vandalised within a few hours? What was that about?

We may never understand why some people lack basic decency and decide to vandalise or just litter everywhere, but we can help by telling people who do such things off, reporting it to the authrities or cleaning up when we could.

Malaysians are generally non-confrontational, but if could all muster up some courage and call others out on their dougebaggery, maybe we will be better off as a society.

In 2020, I shall...

Not use the term 'bossku' indiscriminately!

'Bossku' was a perfectly normal and acceptable way of greeting friends among Sabahans, or so we were told.

It was even a cool word until a certain politician decided to use it and everyone decided to use terms like 'terbaik bossku' and 'malu apa bossku'.

'Bossku' is still OK, we guess, but the other two....can we stop saying that in 2020 once and afor all, please?


You don't have to add all the resolutions to your 2020 list, of course. But we do hope at least some of it made it onto your list.

Like the wise Michael Jackson once said, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways".

Be the change you want to see, and sooner or later, Malaysia will be a better place.

Happy New Year, folks!