Resolutions upon Return

I'm scared that I'm going to be making cabbage soup for the rest of my years.

And that my parents are going to return to Canada and think we sacrificed everything for you so you can be raised in the new world and become a doctor or something highly reputable so we can show you off to our friends - but you failed us. And then comment on my weight gain and blemished face.

And that my boyfriend that I wish to marry, will marry into debt.

It's time for me to figure life out once and for all. Time to stop traveling the world, taking in awesome sights and consuming awesome tastes - ultimately halting the best  time of my life. Sigh.

I don't have any specific career goals, but I don't want to end up at a big corporation - unless it has something to do with competitive intelligence or market research. But even then, I'd rather work at a think tank. If it's not about research, I prefer to work a job that promotes community development - a non-profit. Maybe something to do with children. So how do I prepare myself for these blurry career goals?

Let's make some resolutions that I oh-so-badly-hope I will keep upon my return:

1. Be a big sister.  I may not become a teacher (economically unreasonable) or a counsellor (will take too long) even though I really wish I could - but I could at least make myself available to one child. So she has someone to talk to, to experience things with, to just be there with when she needs a break from all the insecurities, isolation and question marks that life will throw at her. I have the application form, I just need to get a background security check.
2. Learn Mandarin. I've probably tried to learn mandarin a few dozen times, and then...life happens. I'm going to spend this year really learning mandarin. I have Rosetta Stone ready, and I know exactly which book to buy to study the characters. This should appease my parents (we're Chinese, but I never learned the language) and help me with my career prospects. I'm not only going to learn Mandarin, I'm going to immerse myself into it. Hang out with my Chinese friends, watch Chinese dramas and read the newspaper!
3. Study GMAT. Yup, I am MBA Bound, and I will need to prepare for it. I haven't figured out if I should take the frugal route and self-study, or take the easy route and attend a course. 

I really don't know how I will be able to accomplish 2 & 3- I am the master of procrastination. But what else can I do? I can't sit around and mope and whine and  exasperatingly flail my arms. It won't get anything done. This year is definitely going to be a test of real personal motivation.