New Year 2013: thoughts

Happy New Year
By AV Latinggam

Happy New Year 2013. The old year 2012 has ended and a new year is about to start.  This is the time to contemplate achievements this year and in the previous years. Contemplation will usually point on the goals set and achieved from the past.  Achievements of any proportions are usually crowned with determination to achieve further.
The transition, is quite noisy where I am, the fireworks started as early as 8pm, way before midnight. They set off car alarms too; irritating but it synchronise with the bangs, so who is to say they are bad.
The festivity is apparent in both firecrackers and car alarms.
All over the world tonight or their nights will be letting off steam, letting  down their hair so to speak, and dance to tunes of celebrations; toasting the coming year. 
I remember as a young adolescent when I celebrated with friends, at the beach no less: at the strike of midnight we jumped into the crashing waves. It is quite interesting that we do this, maybe because its a throwback of my people (tribe) who believed that at every new year one should wash or bath in a flowing stream to wash away the bad luck of the previous years. Its a transition from the old to the new.

At this stage of my life, however, its more of reminiscing silently or otherwise about the previous years, achievements and experiences. It was an interesting and fulfilling year personally. Success on some level and failures in some.

Sunsets will always Return...Blast from the Past

Overall though, I am happy to be healthy and well. Lets hope it stay that way. Some friends during this New Year are not so lucky; a friend is in ICU taking care of a sick daughter fighting for her life. Someone else is going through an emotional upheaval.
On a wider angle, New Year could not be good for the civilians in Syria and other war-torn zones; the family of the woman who died after gang-raped in India. It will be just a passing of time for them.
The New Year indeed will bring a lot of changes and ideas in most people, especially with their resolutions. I believe however that resolutions or an aspiration of self-betterment in every way is an everyday affair.
So Happy New Year from the Land below the Wind....I wonder why we say Happy New Year and not Merry New Year...