Alas

Yes, the end of July is near. This signals the end of the month (thank you Captain Obvious), and also means that I have to return to Melbourne soon to resume my academic adventure. But definitely, I have enjoyed my last few weeks in Malaysia, be it with friends, family or food (the 3Fs). I dare not weigh myself, fearing that if I would crush the weighing scale if I were to step onto it. Alas, I overindulged in my consumption of the fine food here.

Anyway, sometimes I wonder how many of us do actually sit down and start to appreciate the many things in life. At least we don't wake up to terrorist attacks in our neighborhood, or war in our country.

We bury ourselves in Facebook, iPads and admire them, but how many of us wake up early enough in the morning and appreciate sunrises?

We might be whining about how difficult it is to study, or how did that lazy idiot get the promotion, but at least we got a roof above our heads. When things take a turn for the worse, at the very least we got a home to take refuge in.

Alas, not many people appreciate the things in life. But perhaps the most under-appreciated 'thing' is family.

More often than not, many people spend very little time with their family. Even having meals together is becoming increasingly scarce. I believe that family is the backbone, the foundation of our lives, and if we have healthy family relationships, we can live life better.

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Frankly, I was quite disappointed with the recent World Cup final between Holland and Spain. I drudged out of bed at 2.30 am to watch the live telecast, but soon wished that I continue sleeping instead and perhaps catch the highlights later. There was a bitter taste in my mouth, the way the Dutch played, the way they pushed, shoved and even karate kicked to disrupt Spain's passing game. (Note: I was supporting the Dutch)

I was hoping to see some eye pleasing football, but got 80,000 fouls instead, wait, sorry, there was the attendance at the Final . If FIFA chooses not to use technology, at the very least they should have a rule that forces teams to play some attractive football. Alas, the World Cup was a let-down, with many teams playing defensively. The problem was that everyone was so afraid of making mistakes. Being a purist, I would definitely want more teams in the future to play more attacking football.

Besides, what happen to fair play? Like when Frank Lampard's shot went over the line and the German keeper saw it but kept quiet. Or when Luis Suarez used his hands to prevent Ghana advancing to the semi-finals. Disappointing.