Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronnie44052/3151568446/

First of all, sorry for the lack of the update. Some of us could not access Volgotimes at all while others were experiencing crawling speed while loading the site about 10 days ago. Then, Volgotimes was hosted in a Malaysian server, and I am not entirely sure but I suspect it has something to do with Streamyx (the date fits) or perhaps it was the host’s problem itself.

I have since migrated Volgotimes to a US server, the downtime was not pleasant but the final outcome is not all disastrous, though. Throughout the ordeal, I learnt to migrate the whole Volgotimes site and now it is faster than ever. Previously I was unable to burn Volgotimes feeds using FeedBurner but on this server, the process of feed burning is as smooth as it ever could be. This also means that you could now subscribe to Volgotimes feeds through email or RSS reader of your choice, so that you would never miss a single update anymore. I shall provide tutorials on how to subscribe either via email or any RSS reader in another post.

I don’t know how the year has been for all of you but if I were to describe my year 2008, then it was mostly uneventful, exciting at times with some balanced ups and downs. However, I am extremely glad and grateful that nothing really unfortunate befell my family and friends and to have learnt many things throughout the year.

Reflecting on a wider scale, I believe the proposal to have summer practical session has brought us all together under the banner of Malaysian Student Association of Volgograd (MSA), it was the first time we have an issue which concerns everyone and which we all contributed in one way or another to solve the problem. Hopefully MSA will continue to be strong and active in looking after our welfare for many years to come.

Back at home, there is massive political upheaval throughout the year but hopefully peace and our unity could be preserved and good things will come from the recent political developments. No doubt, inflations is a serious problem following the unstable world price of oil but I am sure the people has learnt to cope with the inflations and price of commodity now.  I think it is also worth mentioning Datuk Lee Chong Wei has come closest to the feat of winning a first Olympic Gold Medal for Malaysia in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Just when it seemed that all troubles have been left behind, we were shocked by the news of the terrible landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa. There were less than 10 deaths and some property loss but at least the authorities are paying attention to the danger of landslides now and would not blatantly approve hillside development proposals anymore.

There was also much news about United States of America in year 2008 (or should I say in every single year?). Firstly, US finally have an elected colored President, many have said that this is good development and a testimonial to the success of democracy in US, where in a free society, all races are equal and even immigrant race could benefit from it. Lastly the Mumbai terrorist attack at the end of November seemed to be the worst speck in the history of 2008 and best be deplored and may terrorism be wiped from the faced of earth, forever.

So what to expect in 2009, the year of the Ox?

I think this will be my longest rant on Volgotimes, don’t worry because it will rarely happen again unless I have something really important to convey. As I am writing this sub header, I feel like a fortune teller, like Lilian Too.

Well, I am not a fortune teller (yet?) but I am going to speculate, from what little that I have read or heard about the fortunes in 2009. There is already news that more than a few companies will be retrenching their staffs in first quarter of 2009. This is usually what happens during a recession. Some people will be out of their jobs but people who are working with multinational companies should not worry too much because salary for Malaysian employee is relatively low compared to their peers in the region, and a regional executive is more likely to be given the boot rather than a supervisor or secretary in Kuala Lumpur branch.

Year 2009, the year of the Ox will be tough, but people who make the extra effort or work as hard as the Ox should have no problem sailing through it. Although recession is not something to be happy about, it does give us a chance to assess our current lifestyle and get our priorities right. Chinese believe that whenever there is danger, there is also opportunity to be found. So instead of lamenting about your fortunes in 2009 and whining continuously, be ready to improvise and snatch the opportunities when they are present. Do not take success or failure too seriously, for one closed door may lead to another larger open doorway, as long as you are determined, fortunes will not desert you.

Wish you and your family a happy, healthy and prosperous year ahead

“Happy New Year 2009″