Tough times ahead....

Hard times are upon us. For the past months, I had been in regular contact with my cousin in Australia. She had been residing there for about 20 years and holds a job with the New South Wales government. With the current economic turmoil and financial crisis grappling almost all the countries in the world, Australia is not spared. She lamented that she lived in fear of losing her job and means of income. The NSW government is slashing jobs and downsizing left and right. Since the onset of the crisis, staff recruitment were put on hold and she had to handle double the job. She's so loaded that each morning when she saw the piles of work on her tray, she's already tired even before starting the day. It sound really depressing.

Back home, the harsh reality is sinking in fast. Even though the government reduced fuel prices several times during the last few months, the prices of most consumerables and essential items remains on the uptrend. Almost everyday, I hears sighs left and right that times are worsening. Hence, it is not surprising that we are sinking into the economic crisis, then the financial crisis and finally the employment crisis. There seems to be more doom and gloom along the way. Sigh...sigh.....