The holidays are at an end

What did you do during the holidays?

I, together with my friends, at last went on a long-anticipated Africa trip. I will share with you my recollections, but first I would like to make clear the road map of the next few months.

The holidays came one after the other.

First came New Year's. And soon after we had the Feast of the Sacrifice. If we add the intervening few days, we can say that most people spent the last month in a holiday mood. To tell you the truth, when the holidays come one after the other like they did this year, no one wants to get out of the mood.

In terms of days off, we are world leaders. Moreover, we are very happy about this fact. We have no intention of changing things. However, we also need to take a look at the work we need to do. Even if we don't, others are working and waiting for us.

We'll be very busy over the next few months.

There are the Davos meetings this weekend. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend them and will hold a series of meetings. He will get together with leaders in international economy and finance. He will tell them about the great opportunities in Turkey and will invite foreign investors to the country. We shouldn't forget the fact that the only way foreign investment will flock to Turkey is by eliminating bureaucratic wrangling and enacting comprehensive judicial reform. It doesn't matter how convincing Erdoğan is. If every foreign investor soon comes to regret his decision, Turkey will find it impossible to attract more.

And then comes the formation of the Turkish delegation that will conduct the accession negotiations with the European Union.

Turkey is not yet ready for the accession negotiations that will start on Oct. 3. Appointing a chief negotiator and his assistants is not enough. Certain legal steps that need to be taken and policies that must be pursued during the negotiations should be resolved. These necessitate detailed studies. In April the EU will agree on what it wants Turkey to do in the negotiations and will present it to Turkey.

Among the other topics on the agenda are the elections in Iraq and post-election developments. As Iraq becomes more unstable, we will become more nervous. If things are settled, everybody will breathe a sigh of relief.

Another matter that will be talked about will be the Republican People's Party (CHP) extraordinary congress and the state of the party after it.

In other words, the holidays are at an end.

It's time to work.

Istanbul was like a slaughterhouse:

During the Feast of the Sacrifice, Istanbul once again became a slaughterhouse. We have never been able to organize this mess.

The stench emanating from several animal sales areas set up in various parts of the city was overpowering. All this happened despite the precautions taken.

Once again, we were not able to rid ourselves of the smell.

In the past, animals were slaughtered in back yards. Thank God, we got rid of that in most places. There were a few here slaughtering in their yards, but they were too few to constitute a nuisance.

In the next few years, we definitely need to change the way animals are sold in the city. The only way to resolve this matter is to set up sales centers outside the city.

Istanbul should be treated better.

The only world-class city we have shouldn't be abused this way.

Enough is enough, the League should start:

I don't know about you, but I'm bored. Since the break in soccer play, our weekends have been entertainment-free. Previously, we used to argue and bet about the matches throughout the week.

When we lost, we mercilessly criticized the coach, the players and ultimately the management. When we won, we made fun of the other team. It was really enjoyable.

For weeks, we've had nothing to do. Fortunately, soon the matches will start once again. Let's see who will be happy at the end of the season. I can't wait.