The spirit is willing, the body protests!

 

There is a sadness inside me always. 

It seems like only yesterday I was twelve!

Today, I am seventy and two!

I am now  'Hai uncle' .

I wish I could be 'Hello, young man'!

How I yearn 

to go for a game of football on the green field.

I can't. My legs don't yield!

How I long

To fling my school bag on the bed! 

And get my mum's face all red!

Throwing a bag today, on a chair, 

Will get grandson's snigger and stare

Loved the glances of the girls, then

Today, not a glance, 

not a chance!

Enjoyed then, the swim in the river!

Now it's so cold, the muscles shiver

Oh, that game of hide and seek!

Play that now? No, I am meek!

Nice game, police and thief!

But not now. All pain and grief!

A tarzan was I then, climbing the trees!

Not any more, pain in the knees!

"What would I like to be in the future?" 

No! Not a doctor, a pilot, or a teacher!

All I want to be is young, young forever.

And ever!

Singapore - lizards on track!

 

 Singaporeans are  proud people. Whenever they come on vacation to Malaysia, they tell their Malaysian friends how clean Singapore is, They will proudly acclaim their roads are well structured, well planned, and maintained. Discipiline is everywhere, and there is no corruption or 'under the table money' as they call it, with their police officers and others. And how modern and sophiscated Singapore is, and the Singaporeans are, with the latest facilities and technology.

Their acclamation  mostly, seem to be true, as the Malaysian workers returning from there, vouch for it. So it was indeed a proud moment for them when the highly prestigious Formula 1  Grand Prix was held there recently. How internationally recognised and respected their nation was!

However, sadly, to their anguish and dismay, monitor lizards made dents in their pride. Yes, monitor lizards! The lizards  made it difficult for the drivers during the practice session,  in the meticulously  prepared race circuit, crossing the track at their whims, making the drivers wary. Yellow flags were also waved by the marshalls to warn the drivers of the lizards on the track. Speed and positioning were at risk! F1 aces,  Max Verstappen, and George Russel were vocal about them. Fernando Alonso seemed to have accidentally ran over one!

Thankfully, there was no mention of the lizards from any quarters on F1 final race day. So it was assumed the reptiles did not make any appearances on the track.

On the funny side, it seemed like bad omen for the afore mentioned drivers. Max Verstappen, who won the past 10 races, only came out 5th in this one! Fernando Alonso was 15th. Russell did not finish the race! His car crashed and stopped in the last lap of 62! He was in 3rd place at that moment! 

But, Singaporeans, please do not despair. This was not the first time animals had intruded on the race tracks. In 2011, a dog had run here and there on the race track of India during the practice session of the F1 Indian Grand Prix. In 2020,  the Bahrain Grand Prix practice session had also been interfered with by a dog. In the 2016 Canadian Grand Prix, a pair of seagulls stood blatantly on the track  while Sebastian Vettel was speeding towards them! And he had to maneuver around them! So, Singaporeans take heart! Fret not. Singaporean authorities, as well as the F1 race officials will, surely, monitor the reptiles' habitats and their movements closely, and take the relevant preventive measures so that these reptiles stay away from the races!

By the way, the Singapore Formula 1 GP was won by Carlos Sainz Jr. Second was Lando Norris. Louis Hamilton captured the third place. Congratulations to all of them. Congratulations also to the organisers and all the Singapore fans!

Zelenskyy, what a man!

 Voloadymir Zelenskyy. What a man. Instead of runnng into exile when a superpower like a Russia attacks his small nation, he stood there, challenging, organising, and then going helter-skelter, in his simple army-green T-shirt, to many nations in the world, requesting help, realizing his country could not do it alone. No one, including Russian president, Putin expected this, Zelenskyy being an actor and comedian as his former career! Who knows, perhaps it was this career that made  Putin think that this was an opportune moment to attack Ukraine. He may have thought that a nation run by a political minnow was easy meat. Ha ha! Wrong presumption!

Sorry, for that comical, tongue in statement. Thousands of lives have been lost, men, women, old, young and children. People have been displaced, Lives have been turned into upside down, into hell. All for what? Land? Wretched land! 

To all the nations of the world. Let the past be past. Do not have the urge or temptation to take back the land that you had somehow let go out of your hand. Start a new beginning. Please respect human lives. Live and let live, There is enough natural disasters on this earth to think about; the earthquakes, the volcanoes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, typhoons, floods, heatwaves not to mention the uncontrolled demonic fires, etc, etc. 

Coming back to our Zelenskyy, he, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy is not too old,  just forty years old and is married with two children. He comes from an Ukrainian Jewish family. He has been the President of Ukraine since 2019, after popularly winning the election. He was a likeable actor and comedian, and being a household face and name, winning was not too hard. He possesses a degree in law.

Many statesmen are known for something, like for bravery, or for strictness or for hastiness or even for tyranny. Though President Zelenskyy has received certain awards like Freedom Award and Courage Award from USA and Leadership Award from UK, to me, and I am sure many of you will agree, President Zelenskyy is known for his persistancy. His persistancy in travelling all over the world to request for weaponry has fruited in several NATO countries sending all sorts of armaments to Ukraine, to fight the disliked and uninvited war. 

The younger generation could learn a thing or two on persistancy from Zelenskyy. That persistancy pays. If there is a 'Persistancy Award', it should be given to one Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy!

Whither Donald Trump, 2024 and beyond

 

It is funny that former US president, Trump is facing so many charges all at once . Altogether 4, if not more. Yes,  more is possible. If you ask me, I will firmly say that his crime, serious though it is, is only one, that is instigating mobly people to attack and damage the Capitol Hill building on January 6 2020.The world also knows. It seems to have been proved beyond reasonable doubt, through video and audio evidences, that  Trump's unthoughtful and disastrous  reaction to his presidential loss was the main negative push, the impetus for the January 6 catastrophe, where damages to the building and materials were immense. The pride of America had been injured.

Regarding the keeping of  the important documents in his house, I think he would have returned them later if he had finally admitted to the election loss, and had been approached diplomatically. And that matter of Trump trying to overturn the election result of the state of Georgia, Actually, in every country this thing happens; the losing party trying all sorts of things to win, like putting the blame on some sort of malpractice by the winners and also trying to get the votes through some unorthodox means. Mostly, these will get condemned and the political life goes on.

As for the sexual abuse or harassment cases, those women only brought them up or highlighted them only  when Trump was standing for president or after his initial election, as the President of the United States. So it looks like as a spur of the moment; an opportune or inopportune moment - you make your own choice. It is worth noting that a 'me too' sort of thing also strangely began to happen, then. Violated, though, those women could be, their late reporting seem  to be an afterthought or on coercion from certain individuals. But, of course, we  cannot disregard them altogether. The law has to take its  course. But not together or close together with the January 6 case. Remember, we have come to know Trump had also settled some cases out of court,

Deep inside me, I seem to like Trump. I know Trump would make a good president, an exciting one! We have seen that in his first term, such as, calling North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, the Rocket Man, but  still, visiting him in his own land of North Korea, being overly friendly with supposedly, arch enemy, President Putin of Russia, showing displeasure towards NATO, saying USA is paying more to NATO than it should. Always something new! Remember the 'Kung Fu Virus? Ha ha,that was a good one!

 Unfortunately, the January 6 incident has tarnished Trump's image. How sad! What a loss! Trump has been indicted, court cases are going on and mug shots have been taken. Will he go to jail? I don't think so. American Presidents don't go to prisons! They just go to the courts for their lifetime, while going about their business (literally) and continue to do their political rattling!