2025 draws to an end and can you believe it, we’re almost 6 years from the start of the devastating pandemic. I remember practically celebrating with “revenge travel” in 2022. We all thought the worst was over. Alas, the last couple of years have seen my humble fortunes shrink. Business has never been this bad. If COVID was fast, furious and dramatic, I now see things slowly and painfully withering away like accelerated aging. Friends in the private sector have reported the same predicament. If there was any post-COVID recovery, it must have been so fleeting that I didn’t notice it. Is this another manifestation of “long COVID”? Or is there something else nibbling away and eating us alive? And to think that Trump tariffs scared so many people sleepless back in GE2024.
In a way, 2025 is a year of stagnation. That’s because a lot seems to have happened and yet not much has changed. Trump’s grand peace plans for Gaza and Cambodia in 2025 were touted as feats deserving a Nobel Peace Prize but the simmering tensions flared up again soon after they had popped the champagne. While Trump has certainly been more decisive about getting things in order than Biden or Harris, he probably knew that he couldn’t have removed an old stain with a gentle wipe. With the intifada being globalised, the Bondi Beach shooting incident followed. Folks who think with their butts were a bit quieter this time. Some of their brains could have gone up to the right place, but there are still many butt brains out there – like this guy who said that the shooting was “instigated” by Islamophobia.
Some people still call Israel a terrorist state and Hamas freedom fighters. The world has been turned upside down by TikTok and other platforms that drive brains inferiorly and posteriorly.
Meanwhile, the pro-Palestinian protests go on and this time, Greta Thunberg was arrested without the loud objection from Malaysian influencers and Singaporean politicians like Lim Tean. It’s about time the opportunists get exposed. You won’t find their butts down there. Only their fans and followers have butt brains. But I predict that the woke will linger. The fighting should go on well into 2026 whether it’s in Gaza or Cambodia that has adopted the same Gaza playbook of maximising casualties, playing victim and claiming genocide only to have one of their embedded stooges strike Thailand from within. Believe me, this won’t be the last we see of Greta Thunberg, though she may pivot to fight for the next trendy cause in 2026.
Not much is going to change between Russia and Ukraine in 2026. There is no concrete peace plan mainly because of Moscow’s demands:
- Recognition of territorial gains
- Crimea permanently Russian.
- Annexed eastern/southern regions recognised or frozen under Russian control.
- No NATO membership for Ukraine, no foreign bases.
- Demilitarisation – Limits on Ukraine’s armed forces and weapons.
- Sanctions relief – rolling back Western sanctions.
- Regime legitimacy – de facto recognition of Russia’s wartime actions.
In other words, Russia not only wants peace without losing what it had seized by force, it wants no punishment and it also wants Ukraine to be less capable of defending itself so it can come back another day and seize some more. Feel free to curse and swear. I don’t blame you if you do, but believe it or not, there are folks who expect Zelensky to accept Russia’s terms. Like I said, power has shifted. The trend of admiring dictators, criminals and sympathising with terrorists began not too long ago. It’s definitely going to continue into 2026. Woke is not dead and it won’t die any time soon.
Back home, the thing that really caught my attention was the brave statement from Japan’s no nonsense PM Sanae Takaichi. That caused quite a stir. PM Wong supported Takaichi’s view. But what really troubles me are fellow Singaporeans who stand with China instead of with PM Wong! For a while, it seemed as if the Sinophiles had relatively quiet in 2025. Well, Japan’s statement brought them out in full force. Not only that, a couple of my friends who had never been fans of the PRC started helping PRC media spread anti-Japanese posts!
I’ve identified several categories of the pro-China folks in the following video. It’s amazing how their numbers have suddenly swelled with the latest epidemic of anti-Japanese rhetoric and boycott. Interestingly, YouTube’s algorithm decided not to show my video after it quickly gained 141 views. Perhaps, it had something to do with the 五毛.
But perhaps, the most important question to ask, regardless of the atrocities committed by the grandparents or the great grandparents of our contemporary Japanese friends, is whether China will invade Taiwan. Make no mistake, Takaichi is absolutely right! And war against Taiwan will not only affect Japan but will also have very grave consequences for the whole of Asia.
Will China invade? Some folks think that Chinese people are pragmatic and will never go to war over something as nebulous as pride. That shows they don’t understand China’s leadership. These folks are not businessmen and the security of their party takes precedence over the security of the country.
Then, there are the ridiculous types who somehow believe China’s propaganda – that the US and Japan are bringing China closer to war. Really? Where’s their common sense? Will China be more motivated to invade a defenceless Taiwan or will they be more motivated by a Taiwan armed to the teeth? Will having more locks and a surveillance system make your home more likely to be burgled? Which country would give up its weapons for the sake of peace and not get invaded. Just look at Ukraine. Arming Taiwan is a deterrent, not an instigation which would much better describe China’s military exercise and hostile manoeuvres near Taiwan. And I thought almost half of our population had military training.
There’s nothing wrong with alternative views, as long as they are logical. It’s OK to be unaware or even ignorant but when people are illogical or in denial, it’s best not to waste time on them. Sadly, their numbers seem to be increasing by the day towards the end of 2025.
Then, we’ve got news of Hainan Free Port. Chinese official media may not be blowing the trumpet so loudly, but their social media is bragging non-stop and mocking Singapore, saying that our days of earning easy money are over. Since when has it ever been easy for plebeian to earn money in Singapore?
Hainan now has a new customs regime. Do we need to cower in fear and beg for forgiveness as the Sinophiles suggest? Perhaps if it’s 2008 and China had just dazzled the world with the Beijing Olympics, giving the impression that the system works like any advanced country.
Not now. China’s latest “performance” has taught the world a painful lesson. We have our shortcomings but Singapore’s greatest strength lies in our rule of law. As long as shipments are legal, companies have no risk of the government detaining shipments because of political reasons. The same can’t be said of Hainan.
A newly updated U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has drawn sharp reactions from Beijing after provisions calling for the public disclosure of CCP leadership wealth were reported to be included. The development has also fuelled renewed online speculation surrounding Politburo member Ma Xingrui — an intensifying rumour cycle that some commentators claim involves massive alleged graft and, by extension, China’s first lady Peng Liyuan.
Not surprisingly , the Sinophiles and CCP stooges are up in arms, defending the right of their dear leaders to stash their wealth in the US while their RMB accounts are restricted in China. America’s vulnerability lies in its gullibility. Will China hit back and freeze US pension funds invested in China? No, the supporters don’t think will their butts. They’re just hooligans.
I have no resolutions for 2026. Those who know me know that I’m no slacker. In life, I’m already doing my level best to live a full and meaningful life. But effort doesn’t always lead to results. I have no resolutions; only wishes that my efforts pay off.
My planned retirement in 2025 is already deep in jeopardy. How many days a week do I still need to work to be able to afford to travel around? Do I need to keep working just to be able to put food on the table? When can I finally call it a day and focus on unprofitable passions? Will I get an answer in 2026? Only time will tell.