Waking up to the year's first day

No matter how artificial the construct it is, waking up to a new year is all about hope and renewal. To not be moved by January 1, you have to be a professional cynic of the highest order.

If you caught dawn today, you'll have given it an extra pizzazz. In return, the sun of the first day of the new year - whether covered in clouds or haze or not - will also have given you a certain pizzazz. Endless possibilities and a clean slate - take it as it comes.

The air, no matter what the AQI is, is charged with a palpable optimism. It's a time to reflect on the journey travelled, the lessons learnt and the growth achieved. The ticking of the clock becomes a rhythmic reminder that time, like an artist's brushstroke, continues to craft the masterpiece of our existence.


Waking up to a new year is like tearing the wrapper off a gift from the cosmos, each day an opportunity to unwrap new experiences, embrace fresh perspectives. In the quietude of the first morning, there's a connection with all things alive and supposedly inanimate.