What is new in 2011?

I was hoping I would win the $50M Max Lotto on December 31st, 2010. That would have been a very prosperous New Year, right? I didn’t but I was not really disappointed. The chance of winning that jackpot was less than being struck by a lightning.
But I was very happy for those Bell Canada employees who got it. And I am very glad that the enormous amount of money was won by a group; not just one person. That is too much money for just one to get; it would be a curse rather than a blessing.
At any rate, I did not win; so 2011 is just another year for mer. There would not be much difference than previous years. I should be thankful that I would not have the headache of managing such wealth. I can imagine how the telephone would not stop ringing and how fearful I would be that I might be harmed personally. Without that wealth, I can sleep peacefully. My worries are too petty to keep me awake.
Of course the weather is something to worry about. I get dismayed when I hear about the accidents that happen every day because of the weather. I worry when my sister does not come home on time because of the snow storm. I get nervous when I go out because of the slippery sidewalks.
I was scared the other day when the streetcar I was in had to turn back and I had to wait in the swirling snowfall for half an hour, waiting for the next streetcar.
I become anxious that the cost of vegetables and fruits would go up because California and Florida are getting snow and the crops are ruined.
But these things happen every year. They are not new. They are all part of the winter. They will pass. What are really new in 2011 that we did not have in previous years?
Well, Toronto has a new mayor, one that is expected to do the things that he promised during the campaign. There are great expectations that he would not raise taxes; that the “gravy train” at the Toronto City Hall would be stopped.
The $60 vehicle registration tax that the mayor promised to repeal is now gone but there is a proposed ten percent increase in TTC fare by the end of January. The closing of one public library, reduction of the operating hours for some bus routes by March, increase in user fees for swim classes and other recreation programs are part of the “gravy train” to be stopped.
The proposed 10 cent increase will be about sixty dollars a year. That is a lot of money for someone on a fixed income like me. But it is just a proposal; I hope it does not go through.
The proposed budget as analyzed by various journalists (Toronto Star, Tuesday January 11,2011, A section) appeared not to have the deep cuts expected and was calmly received by councilors with minor criticisms.
Despite the promises during the mayoral campaign for eliminating wastes in government spending the 2011 proposed budget is greater than the one in 2010 by 68 million. To expect a lesser budget for 2011 would be unrealistic. Salaries of government employees will go up according to agreement with unions. The population has increased and services will cost more. There is nothing new here. Promises have to be readjusted to meet the needs of the time and place.
So what is expected in Toronto of the future? Progress will come from the private sector. The housing industry is quite busy building houses and condominiums. The prices of homes are going up in spite of the recession that is not yet over. There is something new in technology being introduced very often. The 3 dimension TV is already in the market. There is a format of technology even for three year olds. A shower with television and phone was shown the other week. Do you have time for TV and television when you are taking a shower?
During the first week of January, a talk show reported that a study shows there are now more civil marriages than religious ceremonies. The talk show host was in favour of it. According to her, a marriage is just a contract and does not need the sanction of the church. This is the new outlook in marriage that makes couples easily resort to a divorce rather than working harder to keep the family together.
One of the most common resolutions in the New Year is losing weight. Fitness centers are often crowded during the first weeks of the years. In one of the television shows, a diet expert demonstrated how lessening every food we eat is enough to control the calories we take in. An apple before lunch lessens our appetite for a heavy meal at noon.
This resolution is often broken before the month ends and back we are to hamburger and chips.
For those who have vices, the New Year is usually a good time to get rid of them. During the last month of 2010, the Ministry of Health decided to approve the inclusion of a picture on cigarette packages of a woman dying of lung cancer to discourage smokers from the habit. Some addicted to smoking remarked that if you have the habit nothing can stop you from it.
I know of some casino frequenters who vowed that they would not go to this place of the one-arm bandits in the New Year. I wonder how many have kept their promises to themselves,
For men and women with anger problems, make 2011 the year to manage it.
All of us have certain fears and insecurities in our lives. Sometimes fear can be a positive thing. It can prevent us from doing reckless and senseless things in life like drinking and driving or asserting independence and walking in isolated places alone. But it can also be a negative factor in our lives preventing us from taking any step that have risks. It could just be a thing as simple as asserting our rights by speaking out or taking a new job away from home. The New Year is a time for tying to do something one has not done before. Of course, one has to weigh the pros and cons of any decision but a certain amount of courage and probably sacrifice is needed to take the risk.
Remember the saying: “Walang tubo, kung walang puhunan.”