New Year, New Hopes

the fluidity of water ~ aquarius ...

January and February are the months of hopes
New year, new resolutions, new start... almost everything is new
The truth is only the Year 新年 is new, the rest follows
Your job, home, wife, car, friends, especially habits remained
But, the power of 'feeling new' is enough to move mountains
Faith can bend minds

This year bloats with turbulence ; as turbulent as the stock markets/DJIA's swings
The once confrontational North/South Koreas enter the year with a joint participation & friendliness
The US enters the new year with almost a second executive closure for lack of funds
SG begins the year with closure of CHC case & deferred prosecution of another ~ forgiveness reigns
There is calm & a semblance of order

The speed of change & change itself was phenomenal
Interest rate hikes begin and rebalancing portfolio becomes a necessity
Our economy is dead stuck yet peppered with impending rise in costs of operations and taxes
Higher underemployment and unemployment seem to be a norm (nobody challenges this assumption)
En-bloc sales boosted our property prices when all was 'down & almost out'

I am of the opinion that time will be rougher and tougher but ...
If we care to adopt, adapt and adjust, life gets lighter
But, not all can be deflected; the incessant introduction of layered insurance-type compulsory policies will pile onto us further burdens sprinkled with further tax increases & you are 'dead'
There was hope; now, its almost hopeless
If there is no avenues for ventilation, I'm afraid it may implode

Nonetheless, humans are highly adaptable
Go with the flow & survive to await the next upswing
The rich cannot live in 'a sea of poors'; the turbulent past passed & so will this difficult era
No man's an island
Like a new year, there is still HOPEs
 

留得青山在不怕没柴烧
Change shall come
But, change must start with you