Bring it on, 2005

The 1st of January, 2005 is now officially over. You know how they always say you can never go back in time, how each day is precious cos it never comes again? That's sort of really hitting home for me. Inexplicably, I find myself mourning the passing of the first day of the new year, probably because first of Januarys always seem to flit by unheralded due to the utter exhaustion of the masses from new year's eve partying. Poor little 1st of Jan. Everyone sleeping except for families who clog up the streets to their local shopping mall in the short-sighted belief that no one will like-mindedly hustle for the back-to-school discounts on the first day of the year. Plastic-wrapped uniforms, glossy textbooks, the clean, solid feel of new exercise books, their pristine pages ready to be scribbled upon, and of course, colourful new pens, erasers rulers and pencil boxes are shoved into plastic bags and charged to visa or mastercard, awaiting intensive use in just a few days. I used to be a part of that! Instead, I spent the day largely napping. :)

Anyway, it's a bright shiny new year and 12 new months for me to achieve my goals in. All my resolutions seem exciting and doable now, but motivation is an elusive and mysterious thing. And I know this, and I should probably do more to ensure I at least remember my resolutions tomorrow (ie write them down)....buuut let's leave that till after I snuggle into my sheets and read a bit of my book >;)

I was watching 8tv a few hours ago and listened in amazement as the TV hostess talked about her friends driving down to kedah for the new year in order to volunteer as helpers in the effort to aid victims of tsunami 2612. My immediate thought - "Wow". Firstly, providing aid, to me and probably a lot of the people I know, would probably be SMS donating. The extra helpful would probably send supplies such as first aid kits and clothes. But driving to the actual disaster site, a few hours' drive, and forgoing the festivities of the city? That's what I call selfless, and it amazed me that there are people, young people, my age, who would actually do that.

Maybe it is true that Malaysians are actually as helpful and friendly as tourists say we are. It took a tsunami for me to believe it, but I hope that's just me being me. All the best to those helping victims of 2612, and hopefully I'll be joining your ranks sometime soon.

Happy New Year, everyone.