Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

By Sarah Jane Rodriguez

Prodded to take away all the marks of problems at the face, to jump if you are lacking of height, to shake some coins in your pocket if you are longing for money, and to shout at the top of your voice - all of these are the prerequisites in ushering the New Year!

Prior to the very important celebration, I, together with my relatives went to one of our investments (farm) in Bataan to breathe some fresh air and to forget our problems somehow as we recall the happy moments that passed though years. December 31, 2010. Happy old year to all of us! I cooked some of the viands that we will serve for media noche. My mobile phone was flooded with messages from the people whom I shared some of the memories in my 2010. Before the year has ended, we did not forget to thank God for all His blessings to His creation on earth. We praise Him for His kindness and loving heart that He offered to death to save the lives of many.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2… Happy New Year! Fireworks are everywhere, happy faces anywhere, and all the families are together to celebrate the usher of 1.1.11. Yes, a very lucky day and a time to do all your plans according to Chinese Feung Shui. The whole world celebrates the advent of New Year foolishly and so dangerously such that everyone, especially the young and the innocent, are put in harms, burns, and even kills. In other countries, local governments allocate money for their New Year’s fireworks and pyrotechnics. They are an awesome visual experience that residents look forward to at the park or on television in safety of their living rooms. But to Filipino’s, that’s no thrill at all. Thrill is impressing the neighbors that they have money to burn. Fireworks have become an inter-family competition. Worst, despite police warnings, the irresponsible fire their guns indiscriminately into the air mindless of where their bullets would land. Then come the anguish of the victims’ families, the blame game, the regrets, and then the investigations that lead to nowhere- in that predictable order. We are the only country where are hospitals are made to go into red alert and to prepare to attend to injuries that may be sustained during an otherwise happy occasion. We know the risks but we would rather not prevent it. On the lighter side of things, we’re so glad that we’re entering another decade as we live our life and overcome various difficulties through years. We’ve sang and danced to celebrate this very important occasion. We welcomed New Year with laughter in our faces and hopes longing for ourselves, our family, and our country to have a brighter future.

It doesn’t matter how we’ve spent our new year, but what matters most is we know how to share our blessings to everybody and to understand than to be understood, to forgive than to hate, and to share than to receive.

Happy New Year to all of us!