Scattered thoughts

.Got to wonder about the the range of emotions Barack Obama is feeling right now. From the elation of a tremendous campaign in Iowa to the sadness and anxiety over the tragedy that is happening in his father's homeland....I keep my fingers crossed but if US go from Bush to Obama, the sheer contrast in personality and style might just be too much to adjust to for the rest of the world. And yet, the rest of the world will welcome all of that adjustment with open arms in a heartbeat.

.Ringing new year's with the right menu is not nearly as important as with the right people. A good laugh beats a good bubbly anytime. A good bubbly surely helps though.

.You know have gotten old when you keep repeating that Eminem is still the best MC around and that you keep skipping songs on your ipod until you hit Lolo sy ny tariny, G. Brassens or Otis Redding.

.Used to be that I got annoyed when my grandmother would force us to shut up everyday around 1 PM so she could listen to "tantara mitohy", a daily radio drama by Victor Solo (who passed away this year). Now I am hoping that the RTM have saved the complete audio archives and that they will be available on the web someday. Radio drama is at the core of the Malagasy culture.

.You got to embrace the unexpected. 2 years ago, I could not tell you what a blog was. Now, with the help of many, we are trying to spread the word on citizen journalism back home and its many potential benefits in developing countries.



.Being far away from home for almost a decade, I certainly miss being around the family. More than that, I miss the routine we had. I miss playing cards on week-ends with my aunts and uncles. I miss hanging out and being silly with the gang. More than anything, I miss going to Anjanahary. A small group of us would visit the one from the group who left too soon. We would just stand there, clean up a bit around his grave and leave shortly after. No words were ever said but we were not sad either. It was just a vow to never forget. At 15, I remember foolishly promising myself to do all I can to prevent unexplained deaths among my folks. The silliness of youth....

. A new year does not mean much. One can start fresh anytime with a reasonable hope to be better ( yep, I am drinking the Obama kool-aid). Were Paris Hilton to announce today that she will invest $500,000 in micro-credits for women empowerment in ressource-limited regions, she would be on my short-list of the 2008 person of the year. I evidently will not hold my breath waiting for it. The point is, all of us are one good decision away from turning things around in the right direction.

. My new year resolution is not have one ( and to NOT write bullet-points blog posts anymore)

. Here's wishing you health and happiness for 08 and beyond.