What does a recession mean?
To politicians, it would be time to play the blame game.
To economists, it would be time to switch jobs.
To bank execs, it would be time to join soup queues.
To investors, it would be time to hide money under pillows.
To stock investors, it would be time to replay failed prediction
alogarithms.
BUT to you and me, the comman man on the street, a recession
would mean we would have to hold on to our jobs, or look for jobs,
and work harder, to provide for our love ones, and contribute
through our taxes and CPF, to the even worse off, down and outs,
disheartened, old, aged, orphans, sick, etc, and together, as a
society, help one another to get out of this crisis.
Will we survive, or will we die? Only you and me alone can
answer this question, and it will lie in our attitudes towards
life. Will we cower in fear, whine for handouts while we are still
capable to provide, or work harder, smarter, not risking it all as
we once did in 'guaranteed derivatives'and other forms of 'easy
money', to survive, not only for our own sake, but for those around
us, living simply and realistically?
Regardless of whatever political outcome, or another economist's
theoratical play on words of up, down, flat, mid term, long term,
the awful reality is that we all still need to work to meet ours
and our loved ones' needs.
Life is never a bed of roses for anyone, not for the roadsweeper
or the PM. Daily we face challenges, and it is how we overcome them
that make us special, worthy of the human race that had survive for
millions of years.
And it is most certain we will all pull through this crisis, as
our forefathers who had survived even worse calamities, as long as
we don't lose heart, and do what is necessary - get a job - and
remember to have rest as well.
You and I are all that's left to save our society - our loved
ones and thru our contributions, save others who are worse
off than us. Whomever and wherever you are, you are not alone in
this crisis. Good luck.
Actually to investors, it's time to identify fundamentally
strong and sound companies, yet have their stock prices hammered to
ridiculously low levels, and put money for investments
Allow me to poke fun at the other jobs:
To politicians, it would be time to say to citizens to tighten
their belts.
To economists, it would be time to say there are green
shoots!
To bank execs, it would be time to churn out even more analysis
that turned out to be wrong. 
Much as we have cross fires in the another thread, I would say
objectively this time round that you are sufficiently
practical.
As for me, this recession affect me little. But that's not to
say I cannot start preparing for the next recession (or the next
wave). In fact, I work 2 full-time jobs from 8am to 5.30pm, then
from 7.30pm to 10pm, 1 of which is extremely defensive (education,
in tuitioning).... 7 days a week... This is my way of preparing for
rainier days.
Furthermore, as stated earlier in this thread before it was
disrupted by Atobe, I mentioned that I put my money into defensive
dividend yielding stocks... My main aim is to increase my net
monthly cashflow so that I can survive on lower margins in my bank
savings account... Money flows to these equities, money market
funds, but little on things like clothes, etc... but I do spend a
lot on food :D
How about you? Care to share? ;)
Good luck as well :D
