Xiao-Lung-Bao.. anyone?

It’s rough out there, as anyone within shouting distance will tell you. And make no mistake, there’s a lot of yelling going on. Politicians are barking at each other and there’s a heightened state of tension spreading throughout the world, from New York to Tokyo.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom, we must remember that the sword swings both ways. An ability to view obstacles as opportunities is the hallmark of human spirit and silver linings exist in this economic twist. The credit crunch is more pervasive than the dot.com and real estate crazes but we’ve been there and done that on both sides of the bubbles.

As the only difference between mistakes and lessons are an ability to learn from them, we would be wise to recall the past as we cast an eye towards the future. It will be a long hard road but as with any journey, it will be ripe with uphill climbs. And as always, the path that we take to get there is entirely more important than the destination we arrive at. I’ve been cautious on the big picture for quite some time. While it’s not a good idea to be a contrarian for the sake of swimming against the tide, there is certain utility in variant opinion. With a conscious nod that hope isn’t a viable investment vehicle, there still exist reasons for optimism as negativity swirls through the street.

No, it’s not going to be easy but nobody said it would be. We’ve got a long journey ahead, fraught with risk and littered with reality, but it’s the path we’ve chosen. We indeed live in interesting times. We’ve been through worse and we’ll get through this. Meanwhile...lets settle for a Xiao-Lung-Bao ! Ohh, by the way, don't just stare.. How many did she ate?