Bonjour 2012!

Bonjour 2012!

How will you usher in the New Year? I have been asking around for the past week.

The responses were mixed. Some would party the night away; others would sleep through it.

I had grand plans. Ingenious if I must say.

The girlfriend and I will watch New Year’s Eve on New Year’s Eve (stop that snigger!), have a late dinner, before joining the Marina Bay countdown.

But thanks to the eagerness of the cinemas to screen the blockbuster that boasts of Hollywood A-listers, the movie schedule was already waning by then. With no good timings/ cinemas,we had to go for “We bought a Zoo” instead.

From the swaggering math genius in “Good Will Hunting” to the middle age, slightly overweight single father-zoo buyer, Matt Damon still retains a certain deal of charm in his acting. And there is the single-again Scarlett Johansson who swapped her figure flattering wardrobe for the pant suit-boots ensemble, taking on the role of the vivacious zookeeper.

Besides the obvious plot of how a group of people led by Benjamin (Matt Damon) worked to set up a Zoo, there are also the sub-plots of tumultuous father-son relationship and the grieving process with the loss of a loved one.

And there is the memorable line: "All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, and I promise you something great will come of it." Cheesy but mildly inspiring. Maybe I’ll use it to overwrite my overprotective conscious mind the next time I’m paralysed by fear from making any bold decisions.

Dinner was at Café Cartel, tucking in the signature, award winning ribs. But the meal was actually a pretty uncomfortable one. It has nothing to do with the restaurant though; in fact, kudos to the poor waiters who were hassled all night by impatient diners. Rather, while savoring the dish, we were struck by the thought that we werr actually ingesting like a quarter of a pig. *Shudders* May our sins be forgiven in the new year.

Not wanting to be caught in the web of home-going crowd, we waited for the fireworks from just outside Marina Square. There was no official party; no official countdown so all of us just waited expectantly for the fireworks to burst into the skies, heralding the arrival of 2012.

May 2012 be a spectacular year for all. I’m not just referring to the fifth month… just in case.