2009 - What will it be?

Let me be frank. I worry and therefore I pray. I was at Kuan Yin temple just before lunch time to offer my prayers and wish for a stable and good 2009. So what do I think of 2009? Business climate has cooled. It is global cooling! There are many factors. Easiest to blame is the financial crisis. High oil and commodity prices that can drop faster than water going down the Niagara Falls. Oil price drop from a high of more than US$150/barrel to now US$47/barrel in less than 3 months. Other commodities price has suffered as demand drop precipitously. Right now there are so much uncertainty. We have plenty of economists giving their opinions in Channel News Asia. They gave very gray overview. They are the same people who calculated and estimated very optimistic views before the crisis. Hindsight is 20/20. Now there are lots of opinion that the danger signs were there before but ignored.
Governments in the huge economy are scrambling to come up with fiscal stimulus and financial policies that will respond to the crisis.
In time of change and uncertainty, we have to stay to use white water rafting terminology which is very good description of our current environment, bouyant. Bouyancy is staying afloat and letting the water carry us to where it may be. The key is to do minor adjustments as we roll and roil in turbulent water hitting into obstacles and rocks in out-of-control manner. The strategy is react furiously as we get near to rocks that threaten our survival. There may be period of calm but it is only very short time and hopefully catch our breaths before tumbling into white water again. This remind me of my time in Canada. A plant shutdown puts more than C$20million business that I was responsible for at risk. We called it the Brantford Project. Not only did I survived, I became a hero and had a standing ovation in the National Sales Meeting when I was called up for recognition. I was both embarrassed and exhilarated by the feelings that the sales team had such strong appreciation for me.
2009 - we will survived!