Snapshots

EPL Away!!
OK, OK so Liverpool didn't do too well in their opening game...so what? They're slow starters, and there's the Champions' League Qualifiers on Tuesday to worry about. But at least they showed some fighting spirit in the second half. Will need to give time for the midfield and new attack to gel. The EPL is a marathon and not a sprint. Let's hope the stamina is there this year.

Merdeka!
Just under ten days to go to our country's 49th birthday. Nothing special I guess. Patriotism? I don't fly the national flag. But then again I don't see that many of them flying in the wind this year. Silent protest against price increases? Who knows? And I don't get this flying-the-Jalur Gemilang-to-show-your-patriotism thing the leaders cry out yearly. I still work like a dog for the government and have no plans to leave; I pay my taxes in full and on time; I defend the country when people make disparaging comments against it. Isn't that patriotism enough? Outward show of does not always cut it; it's what you actually do in the sidelines that really counts. I guess we laymen have a different interpretation of patriotism.

Early Budget
It's a bit odd that the Budget tabling is due right after Merdeka Day on Sept 1. Is there something special waiting in the wings? Especially after all the price increases we have to suffer this year. Hmmm...hopefully it's a pay rise and not the one-off bonuses we hear year after year (err, that would be good too, in addition). The Government can afford a pay rise, and it will certainly boost morale in the civil service, I think. Tax cuts maybe...but I'm not hoping much. Otherwise I don't see anything other incentives the Government has too offer. If not this year then maybe the next, seeing that next year is the 'Golden Jubilee'...

Senseless muders
Deaths which have rocked the country. Senseless murders that borders on insanity. Snatch thieves. Why would anyone kill for a few ringgit? Are society getting so impoverished that we need to steal for a few ringgit? Junkies we say...maybe, and who knows? And where is the safety and security we once cherished? Can we afford to walk in the night, even in the bright lights of the city and feel safe nowadays? We are becoming more modern as we speak. It's a reality of life.
Next: shooting and guns in the schools; freely available drugs in the streets; underage abortions shooting through the roof; unemployment rising. Sounds familiar? It happened to the once most powerful economy in the world. You know what I'm talking about. The price we pay for modernisation and urbanisation. Our 2020 vision is fast becoming a nightmare.