#718
31/12/25 Coffee at 1230pm, good 9 hrs after waking up due to medical checks which prohibhit Cafeine.
Personal update:- My annual health checks done today... Some surprises show you age and be ready to face the consequences. Life is good.
As the clock strikes midnight in New Zealand, ushering in 2026 with fireworks blooming across the Auckland skyline, I sit here in my quiet corner of the world, tapping away on my keyboard. The new year is already alive and kicking down under, while the rest of us chase its tail. It's a moment that fills me with a quiet optimism, tempered by the weight of decades past. To all who stumble upon this humble blog: I wish you nothing but the very best in health—may your bodies be resilient and your spirits unbroken. Peace, in a world that too often forgets its value. And above all, security—the kind that lets you sleep soundly, knowing tomorrow holds promise, not peril. These aren't just platitudes; they're the anchors I've clung to through life's tempests. God bless you all as we step into this fresh chapter.
My mind, ever the wanderer, drifts back to a simpler eve: December 31, 1979. I was a gangly 16-year-old in Karaikudi, South India, pedaling furiously on my rusty bicycle toward my dad's office library at the CECRI Club. The sun was dipping low, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, as I raced against the fading light. New Year's holidays loomed, and I was on a mission to stockpile English fiction—classics like Agatha Christie mysteries or Arthur Hailey thrillers. Back then, my routine was sacred: devour two books a day, from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., then pick up again from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. before cycling back to exchange them for fresh 200-page escapades. The library smelled of aged paper and possibility, a sanctuary from the mundane.
As my tires hummed along the dusty road that evening, a thrill shot through me. "Boy," I thought, "tomorrow we enter the 80s!" It felt monumental, like crossing into a futuristic realm promised by sci-fi novels. Little did I know, 46 New Year's Eves would whirl by like pages in a whirlwind. Here we are, on the cusp of 2026, and the world? It's transformed beyond recognition—people, processes, protocols, politics, philanthropy, preaching, pollution, poverty, and even the darkest corners of the human mind. Mostly, in my view, for the worse.
Take people: We've grown more connected yet profoundly isolated, scrolling through digital echoes of lives we barely live. Processes and protocols? Bureaucracy has ballooned into a beast, strangling innovation with red tape and algorithms that decide our fates. Politics? It's devolved from principled debate to tribal warfare, where truth is the first casualty. Philanthropy, once pure-hearted giving, now often masks corporate agendas or virtue-signaling spectacles. Preaching—religious or ideological—has twisted into echo chambers of intolerance, fueling divisions rather than unity. Pollution chokes our skies and oceans; I remember clearer air in '79, before plastic islands floated in the Pacific and smog veiled cities like perpetual shrouds. Poverty persists, exacerbated by inequality gaps wider than ever, while the perverted minds among us exploit vulnerabilities through cyber scams, human trafficking, and unchecked greed. It's a sea change, alright—a turbulent one that's left society adrift, more fractured and fearful.
Yet, amid this gloom, I harbor hope for 2026 and beyond. Change is coming; I can feel it in the air, crisp as that New Zealand dawn. My optimism pins on figures like President Trump, whose bold actions—think reshaping trade deals, prioritizing American security, and challenging global complacency—could steer us toward stability. He's a disruptor in a system begging for upheaval, unafraid to call out hypocrisies. And strangely, I find myself trusting Vladimir Putin more than the cronies in Western Europe or Australia. Putin's pragmatism, rooted in national interest over endless virtue posturing, resonates in a multipolar world. He's navigated Russia's challenges with a steely resolve that contrasts the waffling alliances elsewhere.
China? It's a house of cards, a glittering bubble inflated by authoritarian control and economic sleight-of-hand. One day, when its people rise against the surveillance state and suppressed freedoms, it'll burst—history's pattern with oppressive regimes. As for India, it barely blips on my radar anymore. I don't even care. (My worry is only about my block of my apartment; not even the other block which is light years away for me). I reside here for the practicalities—passport, currency, the sperm lottery of birth that landed me in this vibrant chaos. But gratitude overflows for my Indian wife, the serendipitous gift that makes it all worthwhile. She's my anchor, my joy, in a land that's equal parts exasperating and enchanting.
So, here's to 2026: May it defy the downward spirals of yesteryears. Enjoy the ride, folks—embrace the unknowns with open hearts. All the best, and God bless.
Karthik
31/12/25 1730 Hrs. Bangalore.
No comments:
Post a Comment