As mentioned in my previous post, “A New Perspective on Asia“, things look very promising here in Southeast Asia. While trying to figure out what my next steps are, I have come across many great words of wisdom. Given the current trend of people migrating to Asia, I am sure many are facing the same current situation that I am in. The following quotations have been a great source of inspirations for me, and I hope they can be yours too.
About a month ago, I decided to quit my job at a Bay Area, California startup and took a plunge to explore Asia. Here I am in Singapore giving an update. After spending some time in Indonesia and China, I have convinced myself that it was not a bad decision after all. In fact, there could not be a better time to be back.
Economic growth has shifted from the West to the East. The United States is still trying to recover from its bruised economy, while Europe is currently swimming towards a financial storm. The destabilization of the European Union’s economy due to the PIIGS countries (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain) would further dampen the already low economic growth of the western world. According to the April 2010 World Economic Outlook by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Europe and the United States is projected to grow on average about 2%, while Asia will grow at least three times as fast.
2009 has been proclaimed by experts – economists, businesses, politicians, you name it – to be a dismal year. Many have associated their fate to that forecast; many are thankful that their situations do not deteriorate too badly. Just when everyone seems to have given up on 2009, an unemployed and unmarried 47 year-old woman shows us the ray of hope.