When life gives you lemons...

For the last few months, the newspapers have been spreading nothing but gloom. Then the journalists started dishing out advice on how to survive the downturn.

Today, I see a nice change. While life has dealt the world with a whole orchard of lemons lately, the good people at TODAY (a daily tabloid) have decided to seek out and highlight the good in the news, just for today.

I read stories about how a teen's dying wish to donate her organs saved 5 lives, and how some Singaporeans stuck with debts and problems got past the despair and found something to do with their predicament. The tabloid talked about shiny happy movies like Monsters Inc and printed advertisements showing lots of smiling faces. Even in the news story about Indonesia's 7.6 magnitude quake, the focus was more on the ones who made it out alive.

The editor wants to remind us that, even in the worst of times, it is still possible to smile. I don't know about the other readers, but it makes me feel good on a Monday. The media is a powerful tool indeed.

Subconsciously, I also started to count my blessings. I am thankful that mum's MRI scan showed that her tumour cells are dying. According to the neurosurgeon, the treatment has been successful. Isn't that great news?

Like everyone, I'm trying to cope with the bad economy and have started cutting cost to ride through the bad times. I've replaced light bulbs with energy efficient ones. The rooms are much cooler and the light is easier on our eyes. Why didn't I think of that earlier?

When I'm at the supermarket, I watch my spending and make more healthy and wise choices. I've stopped buying unnecessary things to cut down on wastage. It's a good habit that I've picked up recently.

I'm also planning to bake my own cookies for Chinese New Year. It's definitely more cost effective and healthy. The boys often reminisce about their younger days when we baked our own new year goodies. They're excited I'm reviving this tradition again.

On the workfront, I'm thankful we still have loyal customers who stick with us even though the orders have reduced. Everything is humming along slowly but steadily. With proper planning and control, we'll be fine.

Afterall, life is all about balance. For now, when you get too much lemons, don't just make lemonade. Make lemon custard tarts, pies and cakes too!