I pledge to: Confine my fishing kayak to inshore areas

keep a record of my income and work out a budget and stick to it

think about putting myself first

eat more fish and less red meat

to try to finish reading a book

give up Rocky Road ice cream

make a difference in the world be a better friend

become a more spiritual and grounded individual improve my health and my job

to lose 20 pounds and give that old treadmill a go every day

complete reading one book before starting a new one

start a wellness regime at home

cook more dinners at home

take more Italian classes and spend more time with family

This year The Royal Gazette dug out the old address book and polled Bermudians near and on the next block to ferret out their New Year's resolutions. While there was the predictable lose weight vow, we also found a few unusual ones. Alan Gordon, St. David's Islander and first place winner of the adult Christmas short story contest, said he scored 100 percent on last years New Year's resolutions, because he didn't make any.

"This year, I'll make some resolutions," he said. " First, I pledge to confine my fishing kayak to inshore areas, and stay out of the treacherous ocean currents out past the St. David's Lighthouse. I have learned that my health and safety are jeopardised when I kayak out that far, because when I come home, my wife becomes dangerously angry with me for paddling out so far, but not so angry that she won't eat the fish."

Mr. Gordon also said he was looking to make a financial investment in the coming year, by buying stocks in Gosling's.

"The Black Seal drains so quickly around here that a good percentage of Gosling's last quarter's earnings must have come directly from my wallet," he said. "If I'm going to continue keeping Gosling's in business, I'll have to defray the cost by getting dividend cheques as discounts."

New Year's finds more than a few Bermudians with a chill wind whistling through empty pockets. Debra Faiella of Paget promised to start budgeting better.

"I am going to keep a record of my income and work out a budget and stick to it. One reason is to maybe find out where my money is going and see where I'd be able to cut back and save a bit more, or at least not waste it. Then there's the proverbial lose a 100 pounds and stretch every day blah, blah, blah. I know, boring resolutions. Maybe if I ever stuck to them, I could make some new ones."

Food should be the last thing on most people's minds, considering the huge holiday meal they just scarfed down; not so, The Royal Gazette discovered. For example, mushrooms, figured heavily in Claire Simons' New Year's resolution.

"I am going to try and think about putting myself first sometime over the next year," said Mrs. Simons of Southampton. "I like buying mushrooms ... none of my family likes them so I never buy them." With all the extra mushrooms, naturally, Mrs. Simons said she would have to start walking part of the way home from work.

"I also want to eat more fish and less red meat, and try and finish reading a book," she said.

Richard Simon, organiser of the Just for Laughs Bermuda event coming in January, was vowing to give up Rocky Road ice cream. (The Royal Gazette urges its readers not to try kicking this painful, life-shattering addiction alone. Your family want to help you. Please provide extra spoons.)

"My favourite is Turkey Hill Farms Rocky Road," said Mr. Simon. "While it doesn't make 'good press' I actually kicked my addiction late last summer. I hit bottom whilst on vacation in Ocean City, Maryland. They have 'great' ice cream there! I promised myself that when I got home, I'd give up the ice cream (kinda like a New Year resolution in August) and I did! Before kicking the habit I probably consumed about 15 half gallons per year."

However, when Mr. Simon spoke to us there was a strange brown and white smudge on his chin.

"Pray for me that I don't slide back into the abyss of ice cream addiction," he said. "I feel pretty confident that I'll be okay but have a reservation made at ice cream rehab just in case..."

Some people were taking a slightly deeper approach to New Year's Resolutions, vowing to become more spiritual, or participate more in the community. (For volunteer work, might The Royal Gazette suggest manning a charity ice cream hustle truck in the Smith's Parish area).

"I would like to find a way to make a difference in the world," said Robin Millet of Devonshire Parish and mother of a toddler. "I would like to make a difference, even if it is in a small way, volunteering or something. I have to figure a way to do it with my son, Caiden. "I didn't really have any New Year's resolutions last year as I was too busy with baby Caiden to worry about me. I hope to stick to this year's resolutions."

Ashleigh Davis, who works at Deloitte & Touche as a Secondments Consultant, said she also wanted to challenge herself by volunteering somewhere.

"Whether it's St. John Ambulance, or reading to school kids, tutoring, I'd just like to offer up some of my time to someone else," Miss Davis said. "I really do enjoy helping others and I used to volunteer a lot in university but I let it fall to the wayside when I got home and got a real job. So I think its about time to get back out there."

Liz Boden of the Nurses Practice and the Open Airways asthma charity said she thought New Year's resolutions were a great way to take stock.

"I only started taking New Years resolutions seriously after a big birthday a couple of years ago," Mrs. Boden said. "Getting older means time is more valuable."

She resolved to also be a better friend, even though she tends to work quite a lot.

Bermudian writer Cha'Von Clarke, who won an honourable mention in our Christmas short story contest, said she avoided making "false promises" to herself.

"Instead, I have an ongoing resolution to become a more spiritual and grounded individual; one that shares her blessings while supporting others in their personal growth," she said. "With this in mind, I have accomplished much in the past year but it is just the first baby step to reaching my ultimate success in life."

In her poem, 'It's a New Year' Ms Clarke wrote: "Unpack your heavy bags that have chained you down for so long and reenergise your spirit with the newness that you deserve. That 'one day' has come. Embark on a journey of positive energy and escape the darkness of the world!"

Another writer, Rod Farrington, author of the Spinners series about the Bermuda Triangle, said although he was promising himself he'd finish another book by year's end, he was also looking at something more weighty – himself (spiritually, we mean).

"The New Year's resolution is an evasive concept for me," he said. "As the years go by you look at yourself in the mirror and one would be crazy not to think of many resolutions you might want to make. At the end of each year I'm sure like everyone else I think of all the resolutions I should make that would improve my health, my job, my well being and even my pocket book. But as the New Year rings in and the celebration is over life goes on and so do I. The resolution becomes an afterthought. However having said that, each year I do improve something in my life, but it tends to be event triggered and not year-end triggered. The event might be one morning I step on the bathroom scales and see a BIG number I never knew was on that scale before. So maybe this year I'll give the New Year's resolution a try. Nothing special I'll try to lose 20 pounds and give that old treadmill a go every day. Maybe this will help me enjoy life longer, be with my family longer and maybe write another adventure novel about Bermuda."

While Mr. Farrington was vowing to write a book, Culture and Social Rehabilitation Minister and author Dale Butler was hoping to just finish reading one.

"I resolve to complete one book before I start another," said Mr. Butler. "I am currently reading about 15."

Liz Tee, Managing Director of Troncossi Public Relations Ltd., said her resolutions are to start her own wellness regime at home.

"I want to cook more dinners at home," she said. "Take more Italian classes and spend more time with my family. If I want to do something, I usually just put my mind to it and do it. New Year's resolutions don't tend to work for me as they are a bit contrived, although I will probably think about my resolutions for the first two weeks of the year and then forget about them. As I said, if I really want to do something, I'll do it and the New Year won't impact that decision."

Sometimes, New Year's resolutions do work out for the best, as Ellisse Johnston, 16, found out. Last year, she vowed to start writing again. This Christmas she won first place in the Under 18 category of the Christmas short story contest.

"Last year I had the New Year's resolution to finally step out of my comfort zone and try something completely different and challenge myself," said Miss Johnston.

"So I started writing again. I had stopped for a bit to go into a more science oriented area but writing has always been my passion so I took it back up. It has always been one of my major goals to have something I have written in a newspaper, I just have never had the courage before. So I entered the Christmas story competition.

"This year I don't really have any New Year's resolutions because personally, I don't feel the need to make a promise to improve myself at the beginning of a year, it should be an ongoing goal that you work to accomplish not just something you say to make yourself feel better. In my opinion, personal empowerment comes from doing whatever makes you happy and carrying out your responsibilities to the best of your ability all the year round. A New Year's resolution is a good first step but it's not, at all, the most important."