Streetwise: Mantra of the day: 'Be optimistic'

Domestically, it looks imminent that many could lose jobs as exports are falling sharply while consumers at home are tightening belts.

Yet coins always have two sides. Amid the bad times that drive many to the brink of mental instability, being optimistic is a way to keep emotional equilibrium.

Amid the crisis, Singapore is asking its citizens to be prudent. In speeches, pamphlets and ads, the government is advising people to switch to cheaper frozen meats, take shorter showers and skip the top-of-the-line mobile phone. In a way, if this crisis continues for a long time, the citizens will see a sharp rise in savings, if they still hold on to their employment.

Some American taxpayers may grumble over outgoing US President George W Bush's plan to pay, at the expense of the taxpayers, over $300,000 a year for his post-presidency office in Dallas. Yet this may be good for the sagging property market.

In good news for those who own some gold, independent precious-metals consultancy GFMS said the metal could hit record highs again in the first half of 2009 as investors sought to protect their money in the face of the worst economic downturn in years.

While other parts of the world are battered severely, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva manages to remain an optimist to the bone. He insisted that the world's 10th largest economy would grow 4 per cent this year. Certainly, he did not waste a thought on recession.

In Thailand, though many fret about losing jobs, those who are employed will be given Bt2,000, presumably in April. Hopefully they will spend all the money, and also hopefully their spending will create jobs for others.

It is sad that people of several hill provinces are crying for more blankets as the temperature is lower than usual. Yet it is good to know that laundries in Uttaradit are witnessing more business, as residents are having their thick blankets, long stored in boxes, washed.

Some politicians are grumbling over the launch of DTV by anti-government protesters, but Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban considers it a channel through which people in distress can find release.

Yes, it cannot be healthy to keep bad thoughts in your mind for too long.