Nitpicking at V-day and CNY

Valentine's Day. The day that couples await for to do something special for their other halves. As for me, well, it doesn't really concern me because it doesn't hold any special meaning to me. I do, however, wonder why there is a special day to show how much you love a person when that fact should be shown to her/him everyday without fail. In fact, many people tend to celebrate Valentine's Day because their partners have grown to expect this tradition when it is not really a huge deal. Shopping malls are always super crowded on that day that we have to postpone watching movies or even stepping outside the house because of the increased traffic.

I can't deny loving Chinese New Year, but as humans, we can always find something to cavil at so we do not commit ourselves entirely to loving something. Chinese New Year is a day for family reunions but I dislike it when any family members stare at their phones and is completely oblivious to the conversations around him or her. In my opinion, this is a rare and special day that should be spent with our families because it is not often that an entire family can come together to bond. What with the increasingly modern and busy lifestyles for the new generations, there is simply no chance for reunions to happen unless there is a special occasion to celebrate. I am also mildly disturbed by the fact that teachers seem to think that our Chinese New Year holidays last for forever, such that they give mounds of homework for us to complete. With the seemingly never ending homework, how are we, students, expected to be able to return to our hometowns with an ease of mind to celebrate happily?

Well, that is the end of my rants for this week's assignment. I really hope that this year's celebrations will become more enjoyable so that everyone would be able to relax properly and just celebrate with their family members to their heart's content. Lastly, I wish all my readers a happy Chinese New Year and may everyone have good health and fortune granted to them this year!

HISTORY #deep

I'm proud to say that I'm an October baby, born on the 3rd when so many incidences that shook the world has occurred. 

One of them that got me slack-jawed was the incident in year 2014 when JPMorgan Chase and Co. , a leading global financial services firm and one of the largest banking institutions in the United States, was hacked, exposing the personal information of 83 million bank account holders. Millions of names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and confidential details related to the users were compromised, leading to them always being wary of their surroundings because of their fear.

Another tragedy was when a vicious shipwreck that took the lives of 325 people took place in Italy in the year 2013. The only survivors, or should I say fighters, fought for their lives by grabbing to life's threads for three long hours trying to stay afloat till dawn broke. I quote the fisherman's words when he found the struggling men there in the morning, "It was a scene from a film, something you hope never to see in life." 

Next, in year 2003, Mantecore, a white tiger lunged at Roy Horn's neck in the middle of a sold-out performance of Siegfried & Roy. Horn suffered from an excessive blood lost on the journey to the hospital, got a stroke and required two surgeries. Fortunately, he survived the attack but was, however, left partially paralysed. It was later explained that the way Mantecore 'attacked' Horn was the same method as how a mother cat does with her cubs. The level of affection was too much that it almost took Horn's life.

Moving on, Japan's magnetically levitated (maglev) train broke the world speed record in year 1997 at the speed of 280.3 mph. The speed was so high that it was estimated to halve the usual time required to travel from Tokyo to Osaka. 

Last but not least, in year 1988, Lebanese kidnappers released Mithileshwar Singh who was held hostage for 30 days. He was kidnapped along with three other Americans from Beirut University College in January 1987. When he was abruptly released, President Reagan insisted that no negotiations have been carried out with the kidnappers.