as a new year beckons

I dont feel that good. A year has almost passed by without much highs. And its ending with a lot of low points. That doesnt augur well for the coming year. For the past week, I have been very discouraged to blog. To start here would be to vent a lot of frustrations that we seem to be facing in this beautiful yet sadly, badly run country. It doesnt help when work on the table piles up and theres many things to be done for the new house.

This is a scary scenario. I could be unconscious in a hospital, and someone can just take my thumbprints and then claim that I had converted my religion. My entire estate, if HE thinks my time is up, then is taken from my family. All because theyre not of the same religion, it can be claimed. It becomes as though I did not exist for my family. It doesnt make sense. At all. The details of the case is still a bit sketchy, but whats been reported has scared the wits of lots of people. And YET we have NOT seen our MIC, MCA, Gerakan and other political parties saying a word on this matter. When the idiotic MP uttered the word "Keling" in parliment and was rebuked by DAP (of all people), where were MIC, PPP and Gerakan? When one knows something is considered an insult by others, one wouldnt (if one was a decent person), utter such insulting words. But then again, decency is a subjective matter nowadays. Perhaps i should at all times keep a small piece of char siew, sealed in a plastic bag, in my wallet. Now, thats a thought.

Then we have the proposed laws affecting the majority here. Husbands can divorce and then seek maintenance from the wife! Equal rights, it seems. Our PM has the cheek to say that whatever unjust provisious can be amended later. And so, we tolerate third class work and allow for amendment later.He has lost all credibility. It is very obvious he is not in charge of the country. These women are being treated like objects.

So much for saying theyre of compassion and fairness.

I was driving to work this morning as usual, and this hit me. In the indian dialects, the word "swami" is a primarily Hindu honorific, loosely akin to "master". It is derived from the Sanskrit language and means "owner of oneself", denoting complete mastery over instinctive and lower urges.It is a title added to one's name to emphasize learning and, of course, mastery of a specific field of knowledge, most often religious and/or spiritual.

Why do i bring this up? In the Malay language, theyve adopted this word i.e. spelt as "suami", to mean "husband". Is it a cultural thing then. The Lord and master of the home. Owner of himself and all who are tied to him.

What else has been bugging me. Work related ones. Someone appeared to have screwed up in the branches. Its a bit worrying.

On a general basis, theres no signs of control over over-building in the country. The financial institutions are bearing the weight of this potential nightmare.

On a somewhat lighter side, can one really believe that students nowadays are getting smarter? The number of students getting sraight As is absolutely mind-boggling. I wonder if those getting As in English at PMR level are able to speak decent English. (Naturally almost anyone can speak indecent English)

There is no accountability at all anywhere. Government or GLCs. Everyone spends money like its their right to. They manage as though its their house. Not as a responsibility held in trust for the public.

Then we had the year end circus act. To drape the grand pyramids with flags. Sigh. An equivalent to the normal government department and local authority "lawatan sambil belajar"/study tour, where the tours are primary reasons, at taxpayers expense. Now it seems the Egyptian authorities will NOT approve of such stupid things.

Which brings back to how we seem to be donating millions all over the world, but find it difficult to fund the needy here. It is downright sickening. Millions collected for victims of the tsunami have yet to fully trickle down to those deserving.

I guess I could go on and on and on. And it wouldnt serve a purpose. I complain not because i hate this country, but because i hate the way it is being screwed by the managers. We should be comparing ourselves with first world economies, but instead the defenders would say we are doing so much better than indonesia or african countries.

There has not been many highs. I guess most highs have been related to D and K. They're a wonder to be with. Testing our patience to the limits most times, but nevertheless a joy to spend time with. To see them grow up to what they have become at times I wish we could do more. Spend more hours. Taking them around. Theyre heading to nursery and kindergarten next year. K coped well during orientation this week but appeared a bit fearful of being alone. She should do well. D on the other hand is taking time to get used to being in a classroom. She's excited yet she could be at a disadvantage for a while since the rest of the students had the benefit of attending nursery this year. On hindsight our decision to let her skip nursery may not have been a good decision.

We're heading to KL tomorrow morning for a couple of days. If weather is fine, I hope to drive up to Ipoh on sunday morning to meet up with an old friend and his family, for a day trip. By wednesday, work on the house should commence. And surprise surprise, i finally signed up with Clark Hatch last week, after procastinating about it over the past few years. Time to get back into decent shape.

Its going to be a very interesting start to the year. Lots of expectations and dreams. Only time will tell how the coming year will turn out to be. Anyone know a good feng shui master? astrologer? Time expended writing this. I should have used that time to finish up my work! Its already 330pm and its time to head to the bank. Looks like work will have to wait till next year.

Cheers! everyone. May you find what youre looking for in the following "mat salleh" new year.

vic