Best Wishes

Hi,

I will start this post with a few lines sent by Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan to the Chennai Photowalk mailing group on Facebook :

“…January 1 is not going to be drastically different from Dec 31, or heck, even Dec 1. It's not the birth of new life - spring is. It's not a new season. It's not a new beginning. It rarely is the beginning of anything new. Months change every 28-30 days. SO, January 1 is no special month's start.

My life will not change tomorrow. Neither will those of many I know. My outlook, my thoughts, my viewpoints don't change. I am not going to magically become thinner, stronger, funnier, or more talented. I will most definitely not win any lottery/beauty pageant next month, much less the next day…”

I will break off here because in a few lines it sums up the day that went by.

A few learnings from the New Year eve and New Year day that I thought I will share with you

- SMS will be charged on big days and so prudence will spare the bank
- Eating out is not a good idea on these days as it is expensive and the noise and crowd can make it a forgettable experience
- Eating out a la carte is still better than the exotic spreads
- Driving is best avoided as it is a very popular activity for most of the city
- Community spots like parks, beaches etc will suffocate you and leave you gasping for space and breath
- High spirits are good for you, provided you get them from Church or other places of worship and they will come free and you are not likely to get bounced after your highs
- Home is still the best place to be whether it is the first or the last day provided it is not just brick and concrete but a structure founded on love
- Time spent with the loved ones if still the best gift that can be given and it is as pleasing to receive
- “The time is always right to do what is right” – Martin Luther King Jr, so one does not have to wait for one day to make resolutions after all nobody waits for a day to break them

So am I against the New Year revelry, no? I just felt that commercialization has robbed the day and so many other days of their beauty. It was funny to note that while one was enjoying a holiday and burning up money to celebrate it, another was working hard to get that money into his pocket. Those businessmen are having the last laugh and the joke is on those who fell into the money trap.

I was extremely saddened to hear that people died celebrating the New Year. The cause of death was automobile accident. I had already written earlier that these accidents were suicides in disguise. People who care less for their lives pay for it on the road. I noticed a woman wear that ear muffs as she rode her two-wheeler while a helmet dangled behind. A new year has dawned but some things will never change.

Wish you all a very happy, prosperous and grace filled new year.