2010. THE WAY WE ARE NOW. THIS WORLD THAT SHOULDN'T BE.

DARN IT ….

A BRAND NEW YEAR IS HERE!

So soon?

What’s the hell am I thinking?

Reflecting on 2009, the year that was …..

those roller coasting events that beastily threw me up in the air precariously

and in delirium, brought me down firmly on my own two feet.

Did I look at truth the way I should?

Guess not.

LIFE IS BRUTAL and REALITY BITES, right?

Oh yeah …..

We all drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much and pray too seldom.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life.

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

YES, WE ARE IN DEEP SHIT.

IS THIS WHAT A REAL LIFE IS ALL ABOUT?

There’s a saving grace though.

RE-INVENT OURSELVES.

Just like an old home that needs a new coat of paint, each and everyone of us needs a new “interior”, from time to time.

Check this out.

Make this our new year resolution, chum.

STREETS of LONDON. How Can You Say You're LONELY? And that the SUN doesn't SHINE?

LONDON?

Ah, during late Autumn or Winter, this numbing feeling can be abysmal.

Shorter days, longer nights.

And the intense chill and frost bites blending well with the cheerless mood.

You might have hummed along with the classic hit called STREETS OF LONDON.

Lovely!

Eons ago, I discovered this tearful song that never fails to instil an absolute sense of tingling foreboding in me.

There's this old world charm about the lyrics that'd probably touch a zillion souls.

Something about life and loneliness entwined, of poverty, reminding us to treasure whatever material wealth we may have now, no matter how frugal we should be, to count our blessings.

In this forlorn world, there'll many who are deprived of company, warmth and food, if we look hard enough.

The STREETS OF LONDON is a song with a soul, beckoning you to incite healing in this cold, dreary world ....

Let me run the meaningful lyrics for you here:

Have you seen the old man
In the closed-down market
Kicking up the paper,
with his worn out shoes?
In his eyes you see no pride
Hand held loosely at his side
Yesterday's paper telling yesterday's news

Chorus: So how can you tell me you're lonely,
And say for you that the sun don't shine?
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I'll show you something to make you change your mind

Have you seen the old girl
Who walks the streets of London
Dirt in her hair and her clothes in rags?
She's no time for talking,
She just keeps right on walking
Carrying her home in two carrier bags.

Chorus

In the all night cafe
At a quarter past eleven,
Same old man is sitting there on his own
Looking at the world
Over the rim of his tea-cup,
Each tea lasts an hour
Then he wanders home alone

Chorus

Have you seen the old man
Outside the Seaman's Mission
Memory fading with the medal ribbons that he wears
In our winter city,
The rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero
And a world that doesn't care

POVERTY doesn't just exist in third world countries, it's rampant everywhere..

Due to the escalating costs of living, lack of goverment support sometimes, and a poor job market, the current global crunch, many are finding it even harder to support themselves & their families - circumstances forcing them to become homeless or live out on the streets.

And not just the men and women, but also CHILDREN and the DISABLED.

We are going through a global recession now.

Avoid overindulgence.

Go easy on the bank credit and live within your means.

Save money for a rainy day.

You never know when the storm will come.

Get wise, be prepared.

Prevention is better than cure.

Life's full of unexpected surprises that will come aknocking when you least expect them.

Smile, render a kind deed.

If each of us does one part to cheer this trouble world and maintain the harmony, then the entire planet would be a joyous place to live in.

TRY IT!

Let's borrow a line from the evergreen MY FAIR LADY musical -

" WOULD IT BE LOVERLY " .....

Right?

WORLD without WOES.

THE WORLD IS GETTING TO BE ONE HELL OF A ROTTEN PLACE TO LIVE IN.

GLOBAL warming, conflicts, political strife, inflations, economic recessions, power struggles, terrorism, civil wars, greed, cruelty....

HEADLINES like these scream for attention, from the media and internet every day, making us quiver with disbelief.

We go to temples and churches to preach our sermons, and then leave afterwards to plunder our own mankind, thus creating a paradox of ideals.

Will the world end one day?

It's anybody's guess.

Anyway, let's do our part to infuse some cheer in this senseless world of slaughter and mayhem.

SO MANY GODS,

SO MANY CREEDS,

SO MANY PATHS THAT WIND AND WIND.

WHEN THE ACT OF BEING KIND,

IS ALL THIS SAD WORLD NEEDS.

Maybe there's a kinder world up there, over the rainbow...A WORLD WITHOUT WOES.

Only time can tell.

A LOOK at the ASIAN FILM LANDSCAPE amid the throes of RECESSION.

RECESSION.

IT'S ONE BIG UGLY WORD.

It's this economic tsunami that is mercilessly crippling many thousands of industries and businesses all over the world now.

It's crunch time, the bubble has burst - and if you have contingency plans in your stead to weather this storm, then God bless you.

If you've faithfully taken your mother's advice "to save for a rainy day", then you're pretty much in safe hands.

Because this smart belief is a good bailout, albeit a viable turnaround plan.

An old friend once told me that "to live life happily does not require a lot, but I wouldn't want to worry about money".

You need to hoard some spare cash away somewhere.

It's useful in a time like this.

But what if you're the type whose expenditure always exceed your earnings?

Then woe betides you.

Every lifestyle has a number. What's YOURS?

I have read reports from the USA that this one's going to be one of the worst recessions ever.

Maybe.

Just be mentally prepared.

AND WHAT of the ENTERTAINMENT industry?

In the past, recessionary times used to spell good news for the movies.

But times have changed.

Let's take a close look at the ASIAN FILM LANDSCAPE amid the throes of RECESSION.

No doubt about it, as far as film production is concerned, ASIA TINSEL TOWN is going to tighten its belt in the face of this global economic meltdown.

Firstly, it's common sense that cinema goers prefer to hold on to their hard-earned cash.

Secondly, corporate backers or investors will look for guaranteed returns for their money.

As one of my producer friends has pointed out, you do not produce films to tank at the box office - and then have them converted into DVDs to sit pretty amongst your library collections.

Movie making is a business and a damn risky one, at best, even during the good times.

It's a fact that many corporates had suffered huge losses and are reeling from the cash crunch now.

Coupled with the recession, the practices of paying unjustified prices to A-lister stars and producers and of trading in films are likely to come to an end.

According to marketers, the key factor for film makers to stay afloat in these times is to explore and focus on other inexpensive avenues to reach the mass audience.

The focus will now shift to new technologies like mobiles, broadband networking, DVDs, watching television and videos on websites such as YouTube.com, playing online games, and the new entrant DTH.

In the past, you didn't have all this new technology and distractions for the simple movie goer.

Well, circumstances are different.

THE INTERNET IS FAST CHANGING THE SHAPE AND SIZE OF THINGS TO COME.

And this phenomenon has assailed all forms of media in entertainment, information technology and advertising.

ASIAN FILM MAKERS seem to show vulnerability to RECESSION.

The sum of it all is that consumers are more discerning and are likely to check out less expensive forms of entertainment now than ever before.

Especially in the face of a global economic slowdown.

AND THIS ONE IS FOR REAL.

Feeling blue? The Recession getting you down? No worries. Let the charismatic voice of JUDY COLLINS soothes you with her famous cover of a once-upon-a-time hit BOTH SIDES NOW. All these years, and this song never fails to leave an indelible impression on me. It may even bring a tear or two with these lyrics:

BOWS AND FLOWS OF ANGEL HAIR,

AND ICE CREAM CASTLES IN THE AIR,

AND FEATHERED CANYONS EVERYWHERE,

I'VE LOOKED AT CLOUDS THAT WAY.

BUT NOW THEY ONLY BLOCK THE SUN,

THEY RAIN AND SNOW ON EVERYONE,

SO MANY THINGS I WOULD HAVE DONE.

BUT CLOUDS GOT IN MY WAY

I'VE LOOKED AT CLOUDS FROM BOTH SIDES NOW,

FROM UPS AND DOWNS, AND STILL SOMEHOW,

IT'S CLOUD ILLUSIONS, I RECALL,

I REALLY DON'T KNOW CLOUDS AT ALL.

MOONS AND JUNES AND FERRIS WHEELS,

THE DIZZY DANCING WAY YOU FEEL,

WHEN EVERY FAIRY TALE COMES REAL,

I'VE LOOKED AT LOVE THAT WAY.

BUT NOW IT'S JUST ANOTHER SHOW,

YOU LEAVE THEM LAUGHING WHEN YOU GO,

AND IF YOU CARE, DON'T LET THEM KNOW,

DON'T GIVE YOURSELF AWAY.

I'VE LOOKED AT LOVE FROM BOTH SIDES NOW,

FROM WIN AND LOSE, AND STILL SOMEHOW,

IT'S LOVE ILLUSIONS, I RECALL,

I REALLY DON'T KNOW LOVE AT ALL ......

TEARS AND FEARS AND FEELING PROUD,

TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" RIGHT OUT LOUD,

DREAMS AND SCHEMES AND CIRCUS CROWDS,

I'VE LOOKED AT LIFE THAT WAY -

BUT NOW OLD FRIENDS ARE ACTING STRANGE,

THEY SHAKE THEIR HEADS, THEY SAY I'VE CHANGED,

WELL, SOMETHING'S LOST, BUT SOMETHING'S GAINED.

IN LIVING EVERYDAY,

I'VE LOOKED AT LIFE FROM BOTH SIDES NOW,

FROM WIN AND LOSE AND STILL SOMEHOW,

IT'S LIFE ILLUSIONS, I RECALL,

I REALLY DON'T KNOW LIFE AT ALL -

IF you've come this far, let me say this:

Beautiful lines that can fill your heart with hopes or maybe, disdain!

The YEAR is 2009. Political UNREST. Economic SLOWDOWN. Recession BLUES. Awesome. NOW, WHAT'S NEXT?

TODAY, I am dishing out something thought-provoking.

My RANTS about our plights in the current economic crisis, from a LAYMAN's point of view:

RECESSION.

Never let this one rears its ugly head.

It's one big horrific word all economists fear.

Imagine this big picture of global FINANCIAL gloom that pundits profess to seize mankind "once-in-every-ten-years."

It's like CANCER, spreading its tentacles to your neck, stifling you gently at first, then harder and then some.

Amen.

The last foreboding DEPRESSION took place in 1997.

It's 2009 now, a little more than ten years after.

Well, the RECESSION has arrived at our shores again, threatening to ruin more lives and bankrupt more businesses.

The HEADLINES are now shouting:

- RECESSION fears drive world markets down. ASIAN stocks suffer dizzying losses.

- ASIAN stocks tumble as concerns about the worsening global economy played on investors, despite continued efforts by governments to ease the financial crisis.

- RECESSION-BATTERED EMLOYERS in USA eliminated 598,000 jobs in January 2009, the most since 1974.

-EUROPEAN SHARE MARKETS spooked by sharp falls in ASIA.

-The IMPACT of the worst financial conditions in 80 years is felt sharply in GERMANY, Europe's largest economy.

-JAPAN slides into its first recession in seven years in the third quarter of 2008.

-CHINA industry (everyone is of the opinion that this dynamic dragon is recession-proof) has dropped to its lowest in 7 years. Southern China has always enjoyed an export-driven boom in recent years supplying the world with cheap toys, gadgets and clothes. But amid the downturn in the global economy, coupled with rising labor costs, expensive raw materials and the appreciation of the Chinese currency, factories have found it difficult to make ends meet. Thousands of laid off workers rioted in Dongguan, one of Guangdong's major export hubs, amid a dispute over severance pay, smashing offices of a toy factory and clashing with police.

This situation took a further plunge before the CHINESE NEW YEAR 2009, with a record of 20 million migrant workers reportedly out of work.

FORESEEABLE SIDE EFFECTS that will shape the lifestyle of an average WAGE EARNER who forms the CORE of the world populace:

- ADVERTISERS will cut back on A & P budgets and focus on other less expensive disciplines such as the internet or new media. Good luck to those big boy agencies who are pressurizing clients for the hefty buck spending to maintain their billings.

-ALL OVER THE GLOBE there'll be massive layoffs as businesses take a plunge into doleful depths.

-CONSUMERS are more price conscious and will hold tight to their purse strings.

- IN ASIA, FAMILIES will dine out less often and eat at home. It's a lot cheaper.

-CONSUMER EXTRAVAGANCE on luxurious items such as fashion products and entertainment will be curtailed. Visits to the cinema and foreign concerts charging exorbitant prices will see a sharp drop in attendees.

- Shopping for beauty products will be secondary option as "filling one's stomach" will score top priority

- As consumer confidence ebbs, tourism falter, thus reducing tourist arrivals and that significant demand for corporate travel. No money, no travel.

-AND HOT FROM THE PRESS! Taiwanese families, in order to stay afloat of the recession blues are abandoning their bigger furry pets. Hundreds of golden retrievers, siberian huskies, german shepherds and other pedigrees are joining the homeless strays roaming the streets scavenging for foods. Good grief, for this mindless brutality.

-PROFESSIONALS who taking home big fact pay checks will face the brunt of having substantial pay cuts or lose their jobs.

The LIST goes on, a la merry-go-round.

THINGS AND CIRCUMSTANCES FOLLOW A DOMINO EFFECT.

It's the name of the game.

It's one thing to deal with political unrest.

Now we have to contend with this thing called RECESSION.

Or ECONOMY SLOWDOWN, if you wish.

Be SMART.

SAVE and INVEST WISELY.

Watch what you spend.

The fear bubble has burst.

Pray - NOW HOW FAST CAN WE ALL RUN?