GENERAL PREDICTIONS
It will be a year that is more eventful and more convoluted than the previous year.
To grasp the outlook of the New Year better, we have to recall the descriptions I had used for the previous
year for comparison. In the corresponding feature that I had written for this space a year ago, I had used
the terms Peak Performance to describe the year of the Pig. It has aptly described the underlying force that
has created scorching new heights in stock markets and real estate markets in 2007.
This will not be repeated in the year of the Rat. Rather, it may take some time for the stock markets
to recover from the impact of the ensuing fall after scaling the optimal peaks - as predicted previously.
Any new financial ground gained in the year of the Rat will not be as sensational. Though many will still be
reaping the fruits created in the yesteryear of the Pig in the months ahead, the trends in the New Year could be
very treacherous for those who are too carried away.
The year of the Rat will be especially competitive, with more people vying for lucrative opportunities and
resources that are scarce.
The first three Lunar months will be the most difficult (up to 4 May 2008) for the
stock markets. The first two months will experience the culmination of competitions while the third month will
present severe clashes that may ruin the economy for the year. If it survives the first three Lunar months
unscathed, then we can all afford to breathe easier, because the bitterness of intense competitions may not be
as intolerable until the period from 7 November 2008 to 4 January 2009 (the 10th and 11th Lunar months).
In between, it appears to be very coincidental that the months of wealth draining (from 7 August to 7 October)
will see the Games of the XXIX Olympiad - Beijing 2008 being held.
In order to stay on top of the keen competitions in 2008, one has to expand
his/her social circle and be proactive in interpersonal relationships. The more one interacts with others,
the more one will be rewarded in the year of the Rat. However, it is not only a simple case where one just needs
to eat-drink-and-be-merry; honesty, sincerity and integrity are also the necessary qualities to win hearts and
deals. In 2008, those who seek short-cuts or smart solutions instead of putting in hard work will quickly face
defeat.
It is a year that being too smart will ironically bring bad outcomes - one will stand to regret a decision
that is based more on plotting than on sheer common sense. It is also a year that Taohua - Peach Blossom
luck that attracts the opposite gender - comes in abundance. Although it will bring great romance to some,
it may also cause detestable consequences for others. In general, it is a year that liver problems will dominate
health issues.
The world will usher in the lunar Year of the Pig on February 18, 2007. However, the actual marker of a Chinese
new year, the first day of Spring, will arrive on February 4, specifically at 1:18pm. It will be a year
characterised by optimal strength. The new year always offers new hope, though for one who is familiar with
Chinese philosophy would know that the description of optimal strength may not be the most desirable because the
Chinese way of life is about striking a balance.
Optimal strength does suggest peak performances but it also implies that a downhill slide would follow. The year
of the Fire Pig shall provide euphoria and a great sense of satisfaction two third of the time, until the arrival
of the 8th Lunar month in September. Then, the superb energy of the year will begin its disintegration, though
the real threats of the year come later in the 10th and 11th Lunar months, from November, 2007 to early January,
2008.
The year of the Fire Pig provides auspicious energy and great fortune particularly for people who are born under
the animal signs Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse and Monkey. The rest shall begin the year with a lower base, with
the animal signs of Goat and Dog picking things up quicker than the Ox, Rabbit, Snake, Rooster and the Pig.
People born under the last five signs will need to exercise more diligence to emerge unscathed.
The year of the Pig is also characterised by many arguments and verbal disputes all round and it will take the
effort of everyone to make it a peaceful year.
