Hopes Turn Reality 2009/10

2009 started with shadows of the Great Depression but offers lessons of optimism, hopes & successes



We have come a long way since the Bunonic Plague (Black Death) of 1348, the Wall Street crash of 1929, the World Wars, the S&L crisis of 1980s, Singapore's recession 1985/86, the Asian Financial crisis of 1997/8, 9/11 @2001, SARS 2002/3... we survive and thrive because of HOPEs and perseverance

Hopes, encouragements and commitments go a long way to heal and rehabilitate


If AIG and Citigroup had been allowed to fail - (that they were saved from 'drowning' were, but, Sophie's choice) - we will be walking in the dark tunnels of financial age; blown back into pre-currency period. It may look foolhardy for the global Governments to act in unison with rescue and stimulus packages; its a choice between depression and warmongering or hopes with recovery.


The Tamil Tigers have demobilized and peace prevails & may Tiger Woods also find peace. There were hits and misses but eventually good sense and truths prevail.


Life is tough and may sometimes seems hopeless but with more selfless fellow beings, the tinge of hope will manifest into positive outcome. A little care goes a long way. Just to cite a few;


When I walked out of my clinic after attending to all my patients, I felt psychologically like a 44year old, 10 years younger than my actual age. Which medicine can make you feel 60years younger? Most importantly, I felt I had contributed, in a small way, to human welfare - Prof Lee Wei Ling


While it may not be possible to cure patients of all their ailments, we must offer them hope that tomorrow may be a better day. Life does not end when our heart stops beating or when we hit the ground after jumping off a building. It ends when hope begins to die - Dr Ang Peng Tiam


I try to help the less fortunate whenever possible; not that I am working to secure a place in Heaven nor to seek publicity but I want to make living more comfortable and light. And when everybody's life is lighter, the road forward will hopefully be smoother. 


I live my life fullest today and anyday; being able to help is my fortune.

Reality Checks

Forewarned is forearmed

Never cheat someone of his hardearned money. You are lucky if he wants the money back. If he doesn't want the money, you will pay with your life - PK
- if the money don't save his life, he buys one

Abstaining is favorable both to the head and the pocket - Horace Greeley
- its every man's best choice, rich or poor

What makes resisting temptation difficult for many people is they don't want to discourage it completely 
- Franklin P. Jones
- i can resist everything except ... temptation, cos temptation disappers as i aged
 
To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart - Donald Laird
- Warning on wrapper: you don't get hurt using your head, you will be disadvantaged using your heart
 
The one who loves least controls the relationship
- i would rather control the purse


Whenever you see a successful person you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them - Greg Evans
- we live in a make belief world

Man is the head of the family, woman the neck that turns the head
- the definitive reality of life


"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog" - General Dwight D. Eisenhower
- i fight to win; size never cowed me
 
i may be down but i am never out ... inaction is not No action - i wait my time

We Thought We Learnt Our Lessons...

The only lesson we learnt is to make the next year's problems bigger and more nerve wrecking...

2000 - Nasdaq peaks at 5049 & supersonic Concorde crash ... never to be seen again

2001 - US in recession, Enron files for Chapter 11 & US WorldTradeCentre crashed

2002 - WorldCom & Global Crossing Inc slip under

2003 - Madcow disease & SARS spread & "The number of bankruptcy petitions in Singapore hit a 55-month high in July 2003 to 568, a 52 percent surge from the same period a year ago"

2004 - Tsunami strikes & kills more than 230,000 people

2005 - Hurricane Katrina strikes New Orleans

2006 - Case-Shiller Home Price Index peaks; the harbinger of financial disaster

2007 -  Stockmarkets crash; near perfect timing as in 1987 & 1997

2008 - Lehman Bros, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, WaMu, Northern Rock, Iceland  'sang their swan song'

2009 - GM & Chrysler declare bankruptcy; Bernie Madoff 'ponzied' US$65bil

The Decade Post-2000s Is The Decade Of Superlatives - including budget deficits and stimulus packages. 

i pray that the next BIGgest thing coming is not the use of the biggest, most destructive and maddest weapon - nuclear; otherwise, i don't get to write and you'd never get to read anymore as we all perish in the greatest
exit of Mankind.


What will we see in 2010?