Another year is over. Almost. Seems like 2012 just sped by in a blur. Suddenly we want to play catch-up. We have not done enough, perhaps, and now want to do more. We see where we goofed and itch to do damage control. A little more thought could have helped. It is too late.
Unlike an unfinished painting, we cannot add a few more strokes to enhance the color or cover up flaws. We can’t finish up work we have left halfway done.
Car companies hit the tri-media to give notice for clients to take their defective units in for adjustments. We can’t. The past allows no tweaking. Time wasted is beyond recall.
What does it say in “The Rubaiyat” of Omar Khayyam? “The moving Finger writes, and having writ, moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all thy Tears wash out a word of it.”
Does this depress you? It shouldn’t. There’s a new year just ahead. Raise your glasses!
“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘it will be happier.’”—Alfred Lord Tennyson
The latest and probably not the last prediction about the end of the world was obviously a dud. Do we call it Mayan calendar fail? A great majority of people I know scoffed at the hype about Dec. 21. But some didn’t pay their utility bills, just in case. A few of my friends actually lost sleep over it. Products of World War II like myself, they were worried about what to pack. I asked them, “Why, where are you going?” They thought about it. I heard nervous laughter, and they never brought it up again.
I wonder. Would it have ended with a bang, or just a whimper? We hear terrifying stories about global warming, natural disasters and wars. There is talk that the world is winding down and will go out in a fizzle, not a sizzle. Whatever.
Quick review
If you read the Bible, you know the signs. Mark 13:32 says: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
How was 2012 for you? I can’t complain!
Here’s a quick review of events I remember.
We almost had a Miss Universe. In my book, she won it. Mabuhay ka, Janine Tugonon.
The controversial RH bill was ratified.
We lost the King of Comedy in July. There were endless tears. But the laughter remains.
In May we impeached a chief justice in a televised trial. The nation was embarrassed.
The world went into shock when Pacman hit the canvas and was out for the count. But he is still our champion.
Filipino Flash Nonito Donaire Jr. is ESPN’s choice for Boxer of the Year.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile launched a best-selling autobiography.
Jun Magsaysay threw his hat in the ring for a seat in the Senate. There are only a few good men like him left on our political horizon.
San Miguel Corporation bought a large portion of Philippine Airlines shares. They promised a fleet of newer and better planes. Will their seats work now?
Lady Gaga came to town and there was a protest. Sting was here. So was Elton John. Ticket prices skyrocketed. They sold out.
There is a new Filipino saint.
“Gangnam Style,” with over a billion hits on YouTube, is the latest dance craze. Even cabinet members are doing it.
In August we lost a great man, DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo. He left big shoes to fill.
Typhoon Pablo wrought death and destruction in Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley and Surigao del Sur. Thousands of residents are still reeling from the savage storm.
Don’t just sit there. Help!
Do people still make New Year’s resolutions? I used to. Days before the eve I was writing down my “to do or not to do” list. Right on top were two items: quit smoking and go on a diet. Well, I haven’t smoked in 28 years!
I don’t do resolutions anymore. There are enough don’ts from doctors. Over the years I think they have covered every naughty habit I needed to break. Almost all.
Snap, crackle and pop
A health guru recently advised me to listen to my body. I did and I remind myself of a cereal. I have so much snap, crackle and pop. Common sense dictates that I check out what still works before I launch into anything novel. Such as, I recently found out while posing for a Christmas photo, kneeling is out.
Instead of resolutions, shouldn’t we set goals? Short-term goals, maybe? Yes, even people of age must have them. Nothing can give us more reason for being than an aspiration that will impact lives and influence people. They say that without a goal, one is just a dreamer; that a goal is a “dream set on fire.”
Dreams are not just for the young. Don’t rule us out. When I last checked, there was fire still burning in my belly. (No. It was not heartburn.)
The young and reckless want to set the world on fire. We are selective of what and whom we ignite. But we care. Passionately.
It will soon be 2013. What do we hope to see? Change? Remember, it starts with you. Don’t settle for just the illusion of change. Make a choice to give rather than take. Do something good for others. Touch someone’s life. It is not about you. Make it about someone else. Just look around you!
The New Year will unfold with brand new days, ready for us to jump in and live them fully.
“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour, if you choose.”—Arnold Bennett
Happy New Year!