That Time of the Year... Again

Wow... it's been ages since I've blogged. Looking back on 2008, it's been a tumultuous year for the world.

Major events in the world include:

• Australian government apologised to Australian aboriginals for the generations of discrimination. A bittersweet event. What's done is done. We can no longer turn back time on atrocities such as the Stolen Generation.
  
  
• Protests by the exiled Tibetan against China rule that led to many deaths.
  
  
• Ma Ying Jiu won Taiwan's Presidential election. Rejoice! At least there's a proper person at helmship instead of clowns.
  
  
• Cyclone Nargis ravaged Myanmar, and it showed the world how important it is to have a good government. D***a*** government delayed international help resulting in the lost of more lives than expected.
  
  
• The Sichuan earthquake that shook China. The abominable Chinese practice of taking short-cuts and producing sub-quality products has finally turned on them and at what price.
  
  
• Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. I seriously don't understand the big deal over the table-tennis medal. It was a medal won by a Chinese national and Singapore bought the medal. End of story.
  
  
• Sanlu milk powder in China was found to contain melamine causing many infants and children to develop kidney stones. Upon investigation it was found that Sanlu milk powder is not the only dairy product contaminated with melamine, it also included other products that used dairy products as raw materials. This definitely put a dent in international confidence on food stamped with "Produced in China".
  
  
• Isreal resumed peace talk with Syria.
  
  
• China resumed dialogue with Taiwan.
  
  
• Typhoon Fengshen sank ferry in Philippines.
  
  
• Hurricane Gustav swept through Haiti.
  
  
• World economic recession. Major financial institutions in US such as Lehman Bros, AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac either collapsed or is now an empty shell.
  
  Closer to home, stupid Singaporeans bought minibonds and were happily collecting the interest earned without making a peep until Lehman Bros collapsed and all their minibonds became scraps. Then started the whole charade of pointing fingers at relationship managers for misselling and MAS for not intervening earlier etc. Didn't hear them complaining the relationship managers of misselling when the bonds gave them good returns. Investment in bonds, big or mini, are personal choices. If the government has to intervene in every single thing a puny-brained Singaporean does we might as well declare Singapore a communist state.
  
  
• Barack Obama won the US Presidential election. Mixed feelings on this. I am glad he won, and George W Bush's airhead reign is coming to an end. But I pity Obama for having to clean up the mess Bush made.
  
  
• Anti-government protesters crippled Bangkok's airport. I've come to the conclusion: 泰国人吃饱没事做.
  
  
• Bombings and terrorists attacks everywhere. What's the world coming to?
  

Well, here's wishing everybody a happy 2009. We'll ride out of recession in a couple of years' time so hang in there everybody.