Covid- 19. End of the world?

Remember the 2012 spectacle and brouhaha. There were strong speculation  and assertions that the world was going to end on December 21, 2012 because the calendar of the Mayan civilization (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador) ended on that date! 

Well, the world did not end. We are still up and about, but not very much of it, up and about, I mean. Because we are engulfed by the plague of Covid- 19 virus disease. Here is the bombshell! Could there have been a mistake in the deciperation of the Mayan calendar. Could the year of doom be 2021 and not 2012, what with the all present incurable disease? Looks like vaccines for preventing the deadly coronavirus are not being found. Many countries have claimed "Eureka!" But until now nothing has materialized. The countries are desperately competing to be the first ones to have discovered the vaccine. They want other countries to applaud them, accept them as the genius they are! You see, they are greedy for the wealth and the power that monopolizing the vaccine will bring!

Coming back to the matter of similarity, just look at the numbers; December/21 /2012 or 12/21/2012. It could easily have been 12/21/2021! 

Painful, it may be, yes, let the world end in 2021! Man has gone overboard. He has thrown morality out of the window. He is slaughtering his own kind for the control of territories, for power, for wealth.  Abuses of all sorts are becoming the norms of the day – women abuse, child abuse, abusing and killing of one’s own kin – you name it, they have it. Even the priests whom we, faithfully, respect cannot be trusted! They can be so shamefully embarrassing! Adulteries, infidelities, frequent marriages and divorces are almost accepted as trends and envious life styles. Platonic friendship has given way to what they call now as polyamory – a term stylishly given for multiple partnerships. Innocent group relationship has been taken over by their ‘polyfidelity’. “Till death do us apart” has become “Till wealth do us apart”!

Man’s morality has gone down the drain! It is right that he too should follow along and drown! Yes, let the world end before more humiliation surfaces! It did not end in 2012. Could it end in 2021?

(The above is my singular observations and frustrations. Don't let it affect you).

1Malaysia wonders - the mamak restaurants

People may say what they want. That, they are expensive. Or, their food is tasty because they are putting the harmful monosodium glutamate in their recipes. Or, even, that they are dealing in some ‘mantras’ or magic spells to attract customers. Ha ha! But the fact is, the Indian Muslim (follower of Islam of the Indian sect) restaurants, fondly called as the ‘kedai mamak’, are real portrayers and propagators of the 1Malaysia, or unity of the Malaysian people concept, initiated by the, then, Prime Minister, Najib Abdul Razak. People of all races and religions - Malays, Chinese, Indians and even the westerners - are found eating there.

To explain further, Malays hesitate to go to the Indian or Chinese eateries because of the halal (food fit to be consumed by Muslims) requirements, which these places may not have. The Indians shilly-shally to enter Malay restaurants because of the fear of being, unintentionally, served food containing meat of beef (disallowed in Hinduism). It is difficult to see Chinese patrons in a Malay restaurant either because the food is not to their likings or the uneasiness that they may attract undue attention upon themselves, being consumers of foods prohibited by Islam. Having said that, to be fair, I do remember having seen, occasionally, some Chinese customers in a Malay eatery, most probably, due to the eatery being in close proximity.

The mamak eateries seem to have overridden all these obstructions. The Indians in Malaysia, who mostly comprise the Tamils, go there as the hosts speak their language, the age old Tamil language, and the food is similar to their own, what with dosai, capati, rice, curry and so on, and the ingredients, spices and such, similar to that of the recipes of Malaysian Indians' cuisine. 

The Malays patronize the kedai mamak because the food is halal, and what's more, the recipe also is not too far from their own, most of their ancestors having some South Indian roots. 

The Chinese are there because they like changes in their taste buds and also the Indian outlook of the hosts at these restaurants put them at ease. The other races are also there due to the wide variety of colourful and spicy fare.

Now, a kedai mamak is a place where all races of Malaysia converge and see each other eat! They are all under one roof, in a small place, rubbing shoulders with one another, if you please. To all the mamak eateries of Malaysia, I salute you! You are indeed 1Malaysia exhibitors. Long live the kedai mamak!

Animal life? Not for me!

Not that I am a Buddhist, but I do have some respect for the religions and their beliefs. I have started treating cats kindly now, since, I read about the Buddhists’ belief that one can be reborn as an animal, and for that matter, a cat, in afterlife, or rather after human life.

I hope in my afterlife, if I am reborn as a cat, the cats that I threw slippers and sticks at are not there! They are sure to give me a tough time! (Most Indians consider cats crossing their paths as a bad omen and choose to chase them away). 

If I am reborn as a goat, I hope the goat on which I shot water with a pump gun  accepts my apology. 

And the fowls! Oh, my God! I don’t know what I am going to say to the fowls! They had been so tasty! I am a goner for sure!

President Trump's Covid- 19 virus attack - a hoax?

 

Could President Trump’s Covid- 19 attack be a hoax, a drama, perhaps? I hope so. Yes, I hope him being found positive for Covid- 19 virus is just a gimmick to offset his doing badly in the Trump vs. Biden Presidential Debate. Trump being found positive, and being quarantined just after about 1 day from his debate held on September 29, in Cleveland, brings about this unintended suspicion. The fact that he can be driven around in his Presidential car and waving to the well-wishers along the street further strengthens this notion, added with the  presence of the political syndrome called as 'sympathy votes', and elections being just a month away.

Of course, we do not want anything untoward happen to Trump because of him being the current President of the American people.

USA, being the superpower that it is, and having control, whether directly, indirectly or even remotely over the world’s wellbeing of its economy, political stability, environmental dispositions will greatly bring about some anxiety to many leaders of the world.  And, generally, USA, having the internationally assumed task of being the ‘big brother’, whatever nastiness happens to its leader is sure to disrupt the routine functions of the world on a lot of aspects. Often, negatively, for many nations that depend on it, be it openly or secondarily.

If President Trump has truly contracted this scourge of Covid- 19 virus,  I, as a normal and caring human being, sincerely, wish him speedy recovery to his twitting self!