Tsunami New Year's Eve

It is a rainy New Year's Eve in Singapore. Clouds of gloom hang over the nation as she is still in grief over the incident when tsunami waves struck the region on Boxing Day destroying homes, resorts and lives. The government has urged the public to tone down on the new year celebrations as a mark of respect and many event organisers are taking the cue.

The year 2004 has been like a tsunami tide with numerous highs and lows especially where the world is concerned. This is the year of several notable world events like the Olympics which was held in Athens, back in its original birth place. A new era is sweeping past us as world leadership had shifted during this year. George Washington Bush was re-elected as the president of the United States of America (USA) in a widely publicised event on November 2 and John Howard was also re-elected as Prime Minister of Australia on October 9. India had a new Prime Minister when Dr. Manmohan Singh was sworn in on May 19. In Asia, Dato Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi succeeded Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad as Prime Minister of Malaysia on October 31 and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono defeated incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri to be the President of Indonesia. At home, Lee Hsien Loong took over the reins from Goh Chok Tong as Prime Minister of Singapore on August 12. People around the world hope for better times in the coming year as the world slowly climbs out of the economic downturn in the past few years.

For the tsunami tragedy to strike during the festive period, it has drawn mixed feelings from the public -- the swirling emotions of whether to be happy or sad. I was having lunch with a client recently when he commented that the tsunami news had made him changed his perspective on life. The 40-odd year old man said that if it were to happen that the tsunami had taken away his loved ones while they were on holiday, he would be so lost. All his hard work to make money would amount to nothing for all that he holds dearly would have been washed away. He resolved to lead a more meaningful life.

Nobody knows what the future holds but I guess we will all try to stay afloat amidst the tough tides.