The New Fear is Here

About one year ago to this day, I made a couple of New Year's resolutions (how charming). Can't remember all of them, but here are the 3 that stands out.

1. Get to Officer Candidate School. ( That time I was still in basic training. )

2. Lose the tummy.

3. Get a girlfriend.

Let's see where I stand one year on.

1. Now a lance-corporal in Guards. (God.)

2. Still have the flab.

3. Yep, you guessed it, still single.

This sucks.

They say God works in mysterious ways. Wow. If all these are a test, its a tad too cruel. Guess its all my fault then. Sigh.

Sometimes these resolutions are really, well, irritations rather. Hardly anyone I know ever achieves them. Either that, or they are keeping mum. Which is.... unlikely. Who wouldn't want to boast about it?

But the charming thing is, the basis of all resolutions is hope. And dreams. Looking at the past year, I daresay we all need hope. Earthquakes, contaminated food, renewed conflicts in parts of the world, the current financial crisis.... the list drags on and on.

We could say that the year 2009 would be a lot worse, with nothing to hope for. After all, 2009 would merely be inheiriting the evils that 2008 birthed. But many of our troubles are caused by no factor other than ourselves. And if there is one thing we can be certain of, they will have to be resolved by us.

The world is not a perfect place, never will be. But it can be made better, for it was made better, by generations before us, living, hoping, dreaming, keeping the worst of mankind's faults at bay. Sometimes they failed, as in the Holocaust. More often than not, they succeeded, when apartheid in South Africa was defeated.

We owe it to ourselves, if not to them, to continue the legacy that has been built up. To hope and dream, and finally create, something better, for us, and for the future.

Happy New Year, everyone. May your wishes come true.

Christmas cheer.... and jeer

Dear Santa,
<:AtomicElement>
It's Christmas once again. You know, I once believed in you, but year after year, my faith in you disappeared. Why, you may ask. Plenty of reasons if you ask me.
<:AtomicElement>
To begin with, I never ever received the presents I always asked for. Toy cars, big guns, dizzying contraptions (not contraceptives)... all pleas were in vain! What did I get? Socks! Thanks for the absurdly practical gift! My loyalty to you began dying.
<:AtomicElement>
Secondly, you were supposed to stuff stockings with delightful candy. Not those crappy Hello Panda choco biscuits bought for 60 cents a pack at the store downstairs. Granted they are delicious,but hey, you are from the North Pole, some exotic delight would be nice here at the equator.

Thirdly, how the hell do you enter our houses in Singapore? Legend holds that you climb down the chimney, but look around you - there aren't any? We live in flats! Maybe you abseiled down the walls, sneaking from house to house, floor to floor. With a heavy burden of presents. Wow, you could give the special forces guys a run for their money. You could teach them!

Speaking of which, where do you park your sleigh? This is Singapore - without the permit you could get fined for illegal parking. Or worse, it could be towed away! And what about the reindeers? Do you leave them there chewing grass while you run off on your errands? That's vandalism - it's a crime. Not too mention all that poop.

How do you get here anyway? Flying over the airspace of 3 sovereign nations, each with their own highly-strung air force - getting here must be exciting. Do you sweat? Or perhaps they can't see you because you have Stealth Technology! Wow.

The more I think about it, the more improbable it becomes. Love to hear your thoughts on the matter.... if ever.

Merry Christmas,
Kenneth

A hi from insignificant me to the big wide universe

Well, hello

Here I am, the latest addition to the perhaps millions of blogs out there, all unique, yet all the same. The online diaries of those people, regarded as noise cluttering up the internet. Having said that, I thus doubt that anyone will read this additional piece that is probably adding to the strain of a server somewhere. Still, a tiny nugget of hope remains that someone might actually read this. Console me, please, fellow bloggers. I need attention too.

At this time, the Miss World Universe 2008 is being held. Beautis, aren't they, the participants. Wish we had more of such competitions. Each and everyone of them are representing their people, really. The hopes and dreams of millions of souls. Every contestant is different, looks, race, beliefs, etc. but at the heart of it all, they are humans. Wishing for something better, for peace, for joy in this war-torn world. All six billion of us are the same. Sometimes boggles the mind why there are such bloodshed today. Alas, it was, it is, and it perhaps will always be.

The desire for peace is strong, but the thirst for blood is much more seducing. I suppose that's human too.