A retrospection at the year gone by

Finally found some time to actually try and do some retrospect on the year gone by. So better late than never, here I go.

I could say 2005 was a very turbulent year for me. It had started really bad, with lots of work, had the best part of my life for the next 3 months, changed companies, made a lot of friends. Then had a really bad phase, with my personal life going awry, a friend of mine got really upset with me and didn't even want to see my face. Had a slightly better end to the year with a promotion.

So 2006 started on a good note, what with getting a promotion at the end of the year. To add to the happiness, i had also cleared my B-School entrance exam and was called for an interview. It is a different fact that i couldn't clear the interview, my nemesis from time immemorial. But the main item on the agenda for the year was to get my friend back. Although i can't say that I succeeded in that effort, I can say that we got back on to talking terms at the least.

The month of May was a fun time for me. First of all, there was a marriage at home. No, it wasn't mine. I still have some luck left, though am not sure when i will run out of it. The excitement and the anxiety (to some extent) of a new member coming to your house has to be experienced to understand it.

Then came my Birthday. I was amazed with the number of calls i received on that day. Never in my life (till then that is), had so many ppl wished me on my birthday and i know who should be thanked for that, Mr. Orkut.

But with my birthday came the signs that my luck might be running out. That was when my mom started giving me ultimatum, "either u get into a B-school or I will get u married next year". I tried all tricks in book, including telling her that i will find my own bride. Her reply, "sure get her". Now i dunno who leaked this secret that I will never get a GF in my life. The confidence with which she told that was amazing.

So, with these warning signs in the offing, I thought it is high time, i whip my lazy ass into action. Thats when i started preparing for my B-School exams. Yes, all over again and it can become boring too. But thank God, I found two more ppl sharing the same passion. So actually it was a gr8 fun preparing for it. I could say I have done sort of better than last time round. So have to see what is there in the offing for me. Not that one is better than the other anyway.

Also had a gr8 time of the year when my parents went on a trip, leaving me alone for 25 days. What a peace. No more boring serials for 25 days, can come back from work early, can watch tv late into the night ..... The cons : have to get up early, clean up the house and have to cook. Yes, I learnt cooking. Necessity is the mother of all inventions.

The fun part of 2006 was the marriages. Lemme count....yes, 6 of my friends got married. Now that is more from my standards. So i could say it was 6 times the fun. And looking into 2007, the number of marriages are not going to come down. No wonder, my mom is so adamant on me getting married. Oh Boy...the problem just keep getting more in number.

Politics of Execution

First of all a “HAPPY NEW YEAR” to anyone who actually visits my blog. (Now dunno if there is anyone who belongs to that category. Looks more like I am writing for myself.

What a way to end the year 2006. Saddam Hussein is hanged to death in Iraq. I am more concerned about the haste in the execution and the way the trial was conducted than the sentence given. I think it was a foregone conclusion as soon as the Americans captured Saddam that he will be hanged. But the way they went about it stinks really.

Yes, Saddam was a dictator, a barbaric one as Americans may tell. But, shouldn’t he be given a proper and a fair trial when you call yourself as a free and fair state??. Let me try to recollect what happened in his so called free and fair trial. First he was given a set of lawyers who tried to implicit him rather than work for his cause. Then when he asked for a change of lawyers he was given a set of new lawyers who went about the duty properly. But they were killed by the Iraqis, this according to the American soldiers. Then the judge who was present was changed. After all this he was given a death sentence for the atrocities he had conducted. Yes, I do agree that it was a barbaric act what he had done. Killing 148 people just because a few people had tried to assassinate him is an inhuman act. Yes, it does require a death sentence. But what I am not convinced is the way in which the entire operation was carried on.

If we rewind just a bit more, was there actually a reason for US allied forces?? The reason given at that time was that Iraq was having the “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (WMD as it became famous as). So the allied forces attacked Iraq, telling it is a war against terrorism. After searching for almost a year did they find the WMD?? No. Finally the allied forces had to concede that there are no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq.

So was the main war on Iraq fought just because of WMD or was there a personal vendetta in it?? It is a known fact that Dubya had said that he wants to punish the person who tried to assassinate his father. So was this war fought for this cause and is the end of Saddam Hussein the victory that Dubya was looking after? If it is, then what is the difference between Saddam and Dubya?? Both of them killed so many innocent people just because some one tried to assassinate them.

Moreover will this help in the war against terrorism??? The answer is no. Even a child can tell what the effect of this is. The haste in the execution and the timing chosen for it can actually intimidate some of the people. There are already war cries being heard against Americans and the allied forces. So, I think this won’t in anyway help in the war against terrorism, but will rather act against it.

What is more concerning is the way the Bush administration is turning a blind eye towards Pakistan, even after it is proved that they are encouraging terrorism in India and many of the terrorists are trained here. It is also been told that Laden is in Pakistan, but Bush was more concerned in getting Saddam to the guillotine.

All in all, this execution right or wrong has asked more questions than it has answered. And yes, the allied countries are in an even more precarious situation now than ever. The final defiance of Saddam in rejecting the hood on his face may portray him more as a warrior rather than as a barbarian which the Americans wanted to portray him as.