THE New Year is widely recognised as a time for wiping away the misdeeds and lethargy of the past year and attempting to start anew with resolutions aimed at improving one’s life.

People of all ages see New Year’s Day as a time to make vows for behavioural improvements for the coming year. Many of them have high hopes for keeping their resolutions but most people seem to give up on them even before January has come to a close.

But Yangon resident Ma Nilar Wynn, 21, is one person who is keeping the faith, saying that to her the New Year was a “time for cleansing defilements, dreaming of the future with a fresh start and planning for fun in the coming year”.

She said her resolutions for 2008 include taking more time out to relax with her friends, spending more time with her family and going on more pilgrimage trips to pagodas.

“This year I want to plan a family gathering party especially for my mother because I always have fun with my friends but I never make plans to do anything fun with my mother,” she said.

“My mother is always there for me whether I succeed or fail so I want to show her that I appreciate and love her because it is sometimes hard for Myanmar people to say these things,” Ma Nilar Wynn said.

“I will go shopping for food, do the cooking and prepare a special dinner for my mother and have fun with her the whole night,” she said. “I think this is good way to express the feelings that I withhold for the rest of the year.”

However, she said her biggest plan for the year was to go to Bangkok in March where she will start studying in Chulalankaung University’s masters program in international development on a full scholarship.

Ma Nilar Wynn she hopes to eventually pursue a doctorate degree in the same subject.

“My mother did her best for me so I want to show that I can do the best for myself and for my mother,” she said.

U Poe Tin Nu, 55, who runs a spare car parts shop in Bayintnaung market, said his efforts in the New Year will focus on promoting his own business and providing a better education for his two teenage children.

“I want to think about ways to develop my business and get ahead of my competitors,” he said.

“I think it’s good for people to make resolutions around the time of the New Year. It’s a good way to step away from our daily struggles and recharge our weary minds by looking at the big picture,” he said.