New Year Musings...2010

After having gone through realms and realms of what went by in 2009, the 'best and worst of 2009' in every newspaper or magazine that you open and seeing the same images, new and events that went by and whats-the-phrase..."shaped up 2009"...we're finally in the new year. This was incidentally the first Christmas, new year's eve and new year day of my nine years of professional life that I have had to report to work and work till late. There was no such thing as a year-end holiday for me this time around, let alone planning for one and then being in a limbo. The firm that I work for now does not have year-end holidays. Yet, for some strange reason, I am not cribbing. As long as we have work, we're good. Holidays can always come at a later stage, when they're well earned.

As far as 2010 is concerned, I would like to see my beloved Mumbai get some better infrastructure. This is ofcourse a wishlist and i don't expect things to move at blazing speeds this side of the world, but here's what I want to see...

• A new airport on the outskirts of Mumbai 
• An airport express train that connects some key city and suburban hubs (with a city check-in) at places preferably like Nariman Point, Breach Candy, Dadar, Bandra, Ghatkopar, Thane, Andheri, Borivali, Panvel and then straight to the airport. Just the way it is in Hong Kong and soon-to-be in New Delhi. You check in your lugguage at any of these city check-in counters at any time of the day and get rid of your lugguage, then roam around the city or do whatever you want, then finally catch the airport express train in evening or night, reach the airport, show your boarding pass and board the aircraft, that's it. 
• The trans-harbour link that eases the connectivity between the island city with the mainland
• Fasttrack the metro projects. And please, the world-over, metro means underground, not overground. 
• Upgrade our zoo and aquarium to international standards. We Indians have not yet developed a culture of taking care of our animals and wildlife, poaching still goes on a mass scale, neighbours lock up their pets and go off to work, schools and colleges leaving their poor pets to cry the whole day in loneliness....we need to start taking care of our wildlife.
• I don't think road widening is possible. Can we think of alternatives please? I was stunned to see miles and miles of roads built underground in Washington D.C. last year, that runs beneath tall buildings and crowded areas. Of course, you need government will to do all that! 
• I want to see citizens respect our cities and surroundings. It's fashionable to blame the governments for everything wrong that happens in our society, but don't we citizens have any responsibility? First class local train passengers put their feet up on seats and squat. Brand new local trains that Mumbai got recently are all RED, hell...elevators are RED. Railway stations, roads, even elevators are not spared.
• Do I really care how many points people earn in Farmville on Facebook? WTF....
• ...but Twitter sounds exciting. I might become a twitteratti in 2010. 
• Last, but not the least, I want to click more pictures. 

A zillion other things possible, but I have to go for my breakfast now.....More later....