2016 Dec 27
by Vandana Hiranand
In a nutshell, 2016 has been a real roller-coaster ride. On an international level, people all over the world agree that 2016 has been one of the most confusing and challenging years of all. As we near the last few days of the year, it is only appropriate that we roundup all the good, bad, and terribly confusing things that happened this year!
1. Donald Trump was elected as the new president of the United States
Undoubtedly, at the top of the list, is the appointment of the new president-elect of America, (yes, the man in the above photo) Donald Trump. A man who doesn’t believe in global warming will be given access to America’s nuclear codes. And if we are lucky, he will decide not to tweet about it. Whatever said and done, we can say that 2017 is going to be “YUGE”!
2. Hillary Clinton did not win the presidential election
This may sound like the same thing as the first, but it’s not. Once again, America lost the opportunity to elect a strong female president and change the course of history. Yup, Hillary. We don’t believe it either.
3. The death of Harambe, the gorilla
The controversial shooting of the Cincinnati zoo gorilla made national news…and has been up there for about six months now. The world is not letting go of Harambe, who has literally become a worldwide sensation. Once again, the Internet unites and surprises us all. By this, I mean the internet has no chill whatsoever.
4. Sri Lanka built the World’s Tallest Christmas Tree
If you have driven past Galle Face anytime recently, you cannot have missed the Christmas tree which caused much controversy over the past few months. Although, there is still much speculation about what the particular Christmas tree actually resembles (the most popular notions being rocket and spaceship), so far it is deemed as the World’s Largest Christmas Tree and has been on countless news bulletins.
5. A rat found in a certain supermarket
A rat was found amongst the seafood section in the supermarket. This news gave us all quite a turn, especially when the employees got rid of the rat and simply carried on as though this was a regular occurrence. Exactly how often does this happen to them? And no, I would prefer if my seafood didn’t taste of rat.
6. The deaths of Alan Rickman, Christina Grimmie, George Michael, Leonard Cohen, Prince, David Bowie, Muhammad Ali.
2016 has truly been a somber year, and we have lost many beloved celebrities, actors, idols and icons who many in this generation look up to. Let’s hope 2017 does not carry on in this saddening tone.
7. Brexit happened
Brexit was one of the first international scale weird things to happened in 2016 and Britain certainly set the tone for America to follow. Many who were shocked believed that Brexit was the worst thing that could possibly happen this year, until America decided to give Britain a run for their money.
8. The giant panda is no longer endangered
Easily one of the happiest things to take place this year, the giant panda species is no longer at risk of extinction. The happy phenomenon proved that wildlife can indeed be saved if we all work together, using an integrated approach and of course, a whole lot of cuteness.
9. Pokémon Go took over the world
This one is easily one of the biggest phenomenons of 2016 as we know that Pokémon Go was all the rage. Even when it was not available in Sri Lanka and other parts of the world, there were illegal downloads happening all over the place. Unfortunately, the rage seems to have completely died down and no one seems to want to walk many kilometres just to hatch an imaginary egg.
10. Sri Lanka topped the Google search list for sex
This is hardly a new phenomenon, yet it is quite as embarrassing and disappointing to Sri Lankans all over the world of course. Clearly, what Sri Lanka needs in 2017 is some sex ed lessons and less sexually deprived teenagers.
11. Christmas Carol service accidentally prints 2pac’s ‘Hail Mary’ lyrics
In the most bizarre and recent turn of events, the brochure for the service at Colombo’s Nelum Pokuna theatre had printed lines from the rapper’s music. What a wonderful way to end this bizarre year.
2016 has been one hell of a year! With its many ups and downs, most people are eagerly awaiting the start of 2017, no matter what it may bring. Here’s hoping that the New Year is filled with much more positive, rather than unfortunate absurdity.
Stay tuned to read a full round up of 2016!
