A year of ambition, pain, false hopes, and change, to be left behind for an uncertain future...

*longest title ever. period*


2008. We've seen many things happening. Some with a feel-good factor, some filled with sadness and agony, some exuding with hope and confidence. I won't go through the pain and boredom of digging up all of the past events, save a few notable ones. Or whatever I can currently dig up from my archives.

In March, good ol' Malaysia had its 12th general elections, where the loosely assembled Pakatan Rakyat, consisting of PAS, DAP and PKR (each with rather distinct ideologies and agendas) gave Barisan Nasional a good run for their money (quite literally, in a way) by capturing/ retaining 5 states and gave new hope despite failing to acquire enough seats to topple current federal government. However, as some recent events have shown, it looks like the up and coming coalition might be showing some really obvious chinks in its proverbial armor. And PAS' persistence in implementing Hudud laws (corporal punishment) has done nothing to ease tensions between its coalition partners.

Simple question for 2009:
How will Pakatan Rakyat hold up? Will they last to continue keeping BN on its toes? Or will it crumble into nothingness, due to massive differences in opinions and agendas?




Then on 12th May , the immensely tragic Sichuan earthquake, the 19th deadliest earthquake in history, clocked in at 7.8 on the Richter scale occurred, causing 69,227 lives to be lost, 374,643 more injured, 17,923 missing, and approximately 4 million displaced and homeless . A sad day on the calendar for the Chinese people, where the virtues of endurance, perseverance and resilience had to be exhibited by these people to carry themselves through the dark hours in their history.

Simple hope for 2009:
That the affected regions will recover from this traumatic experience, and with God's grace, these people will be able to rebuild and live normal lives again, though never forgetting this fateful incident.





On 08/08/08 at 8.00pm, the Beijing Olympics began, in the aftermath of the deadly Sichuan earthquake, and merely shown the strength and perseverance of the Chinese people to keep the show going in spite of the emotional duress endured by the Chinese people in general. A strong show by the Chinese team led them bagging the most number of Gold medals overall, although the athletes that stole the limelight were none other than Michael Phelps, bagging 8 Golds in the swimming events, 7 of them world record-breaking, and Usain Bolt, 3 Golds, all world record-breaking feats. It was a treat for fans of such events.
admittedly, I never watched a single Olympic event. *shrug*

Simple message for 2009, and the years beyond:
Even if shit gets thrown in your face, and you slip and fall due to its horrible stench, never give in, pick yourself up and move on forward to achieve your goals....thats, if you have any.



September 16. Anwar had much earlier made a bold and immensely hopeful statement of a crossover of BN MP's (members of parliament) to PR (pakatan rakyat) on the 16th of September in hopes of getting the simple majority of MP's to topple the federal government and form the NEW federal government. But, as we all found out, it appeared to be empty talk....or is it? Stay tuned indefinitely for more Anwar tunes.

Simple theory for 2009:
Anwar could be holed up in some underground fortress a.l.a Hitler, planning a totally unprecedented strike on the bastion that is the BN federal government, getting the numbers he needs and sending the whole nation into vile anarchy overnight.




More continuation on Anwar. Accusation of sodomising Saiful Bukhari thrown at Anwar. And Saiful even sweared on the Quran. Though some leaked medical reports seem to indicate otherwise...

Simple, unresolved verdict for 2009:
Guilty, or not guilty?



November 4. Probably THE election of the year. Senator Barack Obama vs. Senator John McCain. An African American versus the White American. Young charismatic hotshot versus seasoned war veteran. One surged a message of change. Another carrying the credibility of stability and experience. One wished to end the war in Iraq. The other refused to pull back after an immensely costly war effort. One showed determination and detailed plans to counteract the weakening economy, the other lacked that same initiative, and may have paid the price. After a long , bloody and costly campaign, the people of the United States of America voted for change. The American Dream was realised. An African American at the helm of the most difficult seat in the world.


Simple expectation for 2009:
Will Obama live up to the hype? Will he, bring about the change that has been the crux of his campaign and his ascension?




The vicious Mumbai attacks from the 26th to the 29th of November, striking 8 key locales, most notably the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, and the Oberoi Trident, in an apparent attempt by a Pakistan-based militant organisation, Lashkar-e-Toiba (considered a terrorist organisation by the UK, US and several other nations) to re-enact September 11 2001. 173 people died (some foreign tourists) and 308 injured from the massacre. A few fortunate souls happaned to be at Mumbai, but at some other place at the time of the attack. Bless them. And those who have lost loved ones in that (somewhat) unprecedented and vicious attack. Appears that the Indian intelligence agencies have actually detected some activity regarding a possible attack in Mumbai, and did something to shore up security...but not enough, it seemed, as they may have failed to properly gauge the possible severity or the threat posed.

Simple lesson for 2009, and the years beyond:
You get a death threat, take it seriously. Very seriously.




There are many many more events, but either I'm too lazy, or I just don't remember it at this moment. But that was 2008.








au revoir 2008, vous avez été une épine aigre-douce dans mon bout.

and now,

...hello 2009. Its a time for turning over new leaves. And a time for change.












Happy 2009 people. Hopefully it'll be a brighter year for all of you. God bless.



Source of any information or statistic above:
Wikipedia, the answer to life's questions....indeed.