Another year has passed and we are now entering into the 2nd decade of the 21st Century.  As I reflect upon 2019, it was another year full of God’s blessings and grace.

The most memorable incident was the downhill skiing trip back in March where my 2nd daughter hurt herself in the knee with meniscus tear.  Needless to say, semi-“bed bound” for almost 2 weeks with excruciating pain was no small thing for anyone, let alone a young lady. However, through the long road of recovery, she learned to be patient and trust God in the process. During those 2 weeks, she wrote a book where a Christian publisher signed a publishing contract with her!   Indeed, as the Bible said: “all things work together for good to them that love God”.

We also started an exercise program in summer where I required the younger children to have a minimum amount of aerobic exercises per week.  Since the easiest way is to finish a 1-mile run, they chose to do so once or twice a week.  Initially they all complained that they were going to die after the 10+ mins run on our long driveway.  However, after a few tries, all of them improved significantly and the “dying” feeling was no longer heard. Sadly, I still cannot run faster than 6:30 but given that I am now 43, the hope grows dimmer as the year goes by.  However, I did run occasionally with a 8-pound weight (it can go up to 40 lbs) under 7 minutes.

We also had our first try in the homeschool cross country race in end of September.  The younger ones had to run 1km and 2km whereas the older ones had to finish a 3km race in the Milne Dam Conservation Park in Markham.  The longer than usual run on uneven ground was certainly a challenge, but everyone did have fun. I came 2nd and I did have the “I am going to die” feeling as soon as I crossed the finishing line (although I did not express it verbally, of course).

One thing I was not able to accomplish was to build a greenhouse, although I did fix the chicken coop and built a second firewood shed.  For the month of December, I was busy building an ice rink for the first time.  I will update the blog as soon as it is officially completed.

In 2019, gold price passed USD $1500 and the world is forever drowned with more debt.  When will the bubble burst?  I have been waiting for 3 years now but the elites keep pulling tricks out of their hats and kicking the can down the road.  Nevertheless, the more they inflate the bubble, the louder the sound of “boom” when it bursts.

I was also surprised of the civil unrest in Hong Kong, where there is still no end in sight.  The hatred, violence, damage and polarization of the society are frightening.  I am also amazed at the rate of deterioration where rule of law on a once peacefully island could vanish overnight.

Geopolitical tensions are on the rise, and if the financial meltdown should happen this year, large scale civil riots and even regional wars will take place.  The trade war between US and China symbolizes the struggle of power balance between the East and the West.  It seems to me that the East is rising whereas the West is declining; however US will not go down without a spectacular fight.

We can expect to see wild swing in the stock markets, currency exchanges and commodities prices.  Be prepared.  It is still not too late to own gold.