New Year Wishes, Resolutions and tips.

This blog is now more than six years old.  I wrote my first entry back in late 2005 and now its 2012 and so much has changed.  Back in my first New Year's entry, I wrote the following wishes for each country:

For Thailand:

• A peaceful and successful transition to the new constitution and election of a new Prime Minister in an election noted for its fairness and honesty.
• A peace accord reached in the deep South that recognizes the religious freedoms of Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, and any others that people many want. Recognition that one Thailand with different religions is better than two separate countries.
• A robust economy based upon HRM principles of Self Sufficiency and shared by all segments of the Thai population.
• Continued preservation of Thailand's culture and its openness and tolerance to foreigners that have chosen to make their homes there.

For the USA:

• A just and proper ending of the Iraq war, respecting the soldiers and civilians that have died and reflecting the wishes of the Iraqi people with an end of ethnic violence instigated in the name of religion throughout the country by fanatics.
• An end to the political polarization that has paralyzed the country for the last decade. A recognition by the American public that internal politics is harmful to our image and competitiveness in the world.
• Return to unbiased, honest, and complete news coverage in the media. Walter Cronkite where are you?
• Recognition that the country is in trouble financially, morally, and culturally and that unless we return to the fundamentals that made this country great, we will implode like all previous governments in the past.
• A return to an age of real peace, free from the worries of terrorism and social instability.
• A return to respectability in the world for our good deeds and commitments.

A lot has happened since those wishes.  We had four Prime Ministers, a coup, shirt wars, and floods in the Land of Smiles. Central World was opened and burnt down and there has been no progress in the South and a new hotspot has opened up with Cambodia in the East.  But the economy has been good and progress has been made as evident by the baht getting stronger and the dollar getting weaker.  Lastly, Thailand is still a place where foreigners are welcome and find a place where they can call home without too much hassle.

As for the US of A, the war in Iraq is over, but the conflict in the middle east continues to move like shifting sands.  There is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Syria, and North Korea to make our lives more dangerous.  The polarization continues in politics, to even a greater degree than ever before even after electing America's first Black president who promised "Change" and unification.  We won't speak of the news coverage, only comment "where is the news?".  The economy imploded like I thought it would and continues to struggle along in a slow death spiral while the pilots of USS America are playing politics and debating about it in the cockpit.  The age of real peace and respectability in this world is like a dream that we can only wish for - maybe not even in our lifetime.

Looking back over one's posts for the new year does wonders for realizing how much really happened or didn't happen.  Seems like its so long ago, and yet things seem to be no different now than back then.  (brilliant Thai girl phrase to describe the situation:  "Same, Same, only Different"). 

How many resolutions did I accomplish or fail?  Too many to cry over and too little to brag about.  So this year, I decided to have only one...one that I borrowed from my good friend Bangkokbuddy.  Its really quite simple and a stroke of genius as well.  Simply put, "Make a lot of happy memories"

Lastly for tips:
For those watching their sweet intake and don't like the prospect of taking in Sucralose or Aspartame for the rest of your lives, consider a natural product called Stevia.  Used for hundreds of years as a natural sweetener in South America, it appears to be the way to go.  I will be trying to change over this year and will give periodic reports on my results.

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