My resolutions this year will be a bit different from usual, but bear with me for the next 500 words or so.

As of today, I am unemployed.

See? It’s already a bit different 😁

Anyway…

All performers in the world work on a project basis. Unless you are a Hollywood powerhouse actor, most of us often write, rehearse, and perform without a guarantee of income or recognition, scraping through barely making ends meet.

I am used to this roller-coaster lifestyle, but the difference this year, thanks to Mr. Delta and Mrs. Omicron, is that I have literally no income-generating project lined up as of today.

Now… I find this situation quite intriguing!

The silver lining is that I can truly empathise and walk along with people who have lost their jobs and businesses due to the grumpy spiky couple aka Mr. D and Mrs. O.

Sure, I may have to take up a day job or moonlight, but I have this rootless sense of hope that from here onward it will be up and up! 😁

With this in mind, here are my goals for this year:

1. Treat my own life as a big joke and document my journey

Good rakugo performers and comedians know that their own lives are the best sources of comedy. They know how to make people laugh at the expense of their own tragedies, so why not?

I’ll be open about my temporary joblessness and document how I eventually get out of this situation so that I can hopefully walk along with and give courage to people in a similar situation as mine.

2. Write as many original rakugo stories as possible

With the recent passing of Sanyutei Enjo III (三代目 三遊亭 圓丈), the godfather of Shinsaku Rakugo* (新作落語) on 30 November 2021, I was inspired to start producing more original stories.

As some of you may remember from my last year’s resolutions, I have already written some stories based on Edogawa Ranpo‘s mystery novels and fairytales by the Brothers Grimm, but I am still trying to figure out how to present them- the mystery rakugo being too long while the fairytale rakugo being too short for stage…

Meanwhile, I have finished translating a rakugo story into Māori (Jugemu). Once I completed 2 or 3 more stories, I will find a cultural adviser and a Māori translator so that I can work with them to create something that is respectful to te ao Māori (the Māori world/ worldview). Hopefully, I will make some progress in this area this year, too.

* New/ original rakugo as opposed to classical rakugo (古典落語). Shinsaku rakugo literally means “newly written rakugo”.

3. Become a Laughter Yoga Leader

As some of you may know, I am a Laughter Yoga enthusiast. It has helped my family stay happy and healthy through this pandemic, and I would like to be certified as a Laughter Yoga leader this year!

I will definitely be talking more about the benefits of laughter here!

Laughter Yoga, by the way, is a health exercise and NOT affiliated with any religion.

4. Continue with my Māori Full-Immersion Journey

Last year, I completed my first year of Te Ataarangi (Māori Full-Immersion) programme. Oh boy, it was super challenging and I thought of discontinuing my journey so many times last year, but I have decided to continue on to the advanced level this year.

These are my goals for now.

I don’t know when I can get back to stage yet. Being a one-person gig without a regular producer, it is still too risky for me to produce shows. Schools and other organisations haven’t invited me back yet.

So everything is unclear and unwritten at this stage.

Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten would be a great BGM for me right now.

Oh, so much freedom, and I feel alive!!!

To life!!! 🥂