2010

Today is already the 3rd of Jan.,2010, 11.20pm. I feel well enough to update my blog after a few days of sneezing, coughing and rolling in bed with a bad cold, half awake under a heavy doze of cough syrup, antibiotics and other pills that I swallowed. The TV news seem to focus on children going to school for the first time and the use of the word "Allah" by the Herald. Nothing really new. Oh, Tok Mat and Judge Augustine Paul passed away. May they rest in peace.

Surfing through the blogs, I see that the racial issue is still seething.The missing turbojet engines are still plaguing the TUDM.
MCA has still not resolved its problems and the country's economy will only grow by about 4 or 5%. What I miss most is some feedback or evaluation on the Quality of Life in Malaysia. Are Malaysians happier in 2009 than 2008? Has the KPI been able to gauge anything postive (or negative) to show the priorities that must be faced in 2010? Or has there been much ado about nothing, following the change in the national leadership early last year?

Oh God, my nose is still as stuffy as the image that I see for 2010. I hope things will clear up as we move further into the new year. My first hope is that teh tarik and roti canai will not cost more after the current hike in the price of sugar. You don't need sugar for making roti canai but our friendly reatuaranteers and stall operators can always find a connection to justify the rise in cost. Just like the government in justifying the rise in the price of sugar - to stop subsidizing a foodstuff that can increase the rate of diabetes in the country. Has the periodic hikes in the price of cigarettes reduced the number of smokers in the country?

Well, life must go and our responsibility is to make the best of it, no matter what happens in the country. No, we must influence what happens, if possible take part in ensuring what will happen! That's fine but the big question is: how do you know that what you want to happen will be better than what is happening now? Ask yourself if you're happier now than a few years ago when you were not as well-off as you're today. What have we lost in trying to make more gains? What have we missed in trying to create a new and more progressive Malaysia, a high-income nation and a capital-intensive country. What must we give away if the capital is to come from foreign coiuntries?

I guess my head is still too dense and stuffy because of the cold, to think straight. But it's too full of questions as we move into 2010, full of questions with no answers. Despite the cough and cold, I finished reading a Turkish Novel written by Orhan Pamuk which won a nobel prize in literature published in 2002 and entitled "My Name is Red". Some of the insights expressed by the author are just fantastic. Eg. ".....as soon as our merciless intellects draw (a) bitter conclusion that our hearts refuse, the entire body rebels against the mind." No wonder we often feel so restless and angry about something which we're not sure of. Again "...in our world evil is as neceeary as virtue and sin as necessary as rectitude.." Why are some men so proud and full of self importance? Because God made the angels bow before Man ( Adam), only Satan refused to obey. "..Happiness is born of harmony and , as a matter of course, harmony becomes happiness." About love and marriage, the author has a somewhat intriguing view: "...after marriage, love itself will vanish, but happiness fills the void... Love and marriage are but a a means of obtaining...contentment."

Well, it's past midnight now, Dec.4, 2010. Can't stay up tool long for the bout of cold is not over yet. Must have a lot of rest. I've just picked up Salman Rushdie's Midnight Children for my next reading assignment. Hope to finish it by the time my cold runs its course. And get more insights as guidance for the year 2010.