And another year flies by!

It is once again that time of year when shops already have smothered their walls and ceilings with decorations, and retail executives are rubbing their hands together in corner offices in anticipation of pinging cash registers going ka-ching!

I know we all feel as if every year seems to go by faster than the previous one, but bar the speed with which it has rushed by, this year has certainly been full of twists and turns. We have witnessed the deaths of Osama bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi, while Steve Jobs has passed on to the Big Apple in the sky. We watched as the people spoke, mostly through social media platforms – resulting in political deaths and reform in Tunisia and Egypt. I foresee this massive social media force becoming stronger and stronger in the future.

We have watched horrendous riots in London and massive demonstrations in Wall Street as the youth retaliate in their own way to the economic turmoil the world is facing currently. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi stepped down amid intense pressure from financial markets and eurozone turmoil. It is all Greek to me, frankly.

On the home front, we have had our own ups and downs. South Africans voted in municipal elections that have been described as the most competitive poll since the end of apartheid in 1994; and the opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, will hope to do even better in the future now that it has Lindiwe Mazibuko as a fresh new (and black) face in its armoury.

Our boys in Green and Gold were unfairly lobbed out of the Rugby World Cup by a bunch of Aussies and a Kiwi called Bryce; and JuJu’s call of “Out, you bloody agent!” ended up rebounding on himself with his suspension as ANC Youth League president.

But along with our dear Madiba, we all seem to have made it through another year. Just as one can be guaranteed that Joburg traffic cops will continue asking for bribes, one can be sure that the new year will be filled with all sorts of new fun and games: new trials and tribulations, and new exciting prospects and memories to behold. Until then, remember:

Life is too short,

Break the rules, forgive quickly,

Kiss slowly, love truly,

Laugh uncontrollably,

And never regret anything that made you smile.

Life may not be the party we hoped for,

But while we’re here, we should dance...

Life should not be about waiting for the storm to pass, but all about learning to dance in the rain. Happy New Year to all our loyal readers!