2024 OCTOBER
iApparel Journal Quarterly Issue
FROM ANDREW SIA & IAJ TEAM
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Let's Talk About How Trade is Trending
We showcased the three conglomerates in the luxury industry in our three most recent issues. The three conglomerates—LVMH, Richemont and Kering—become where they are today only since the 1980s, and during the global pandemic, they grew from strength to strength while all the other retailers hit the dirt. These three key players became the most admirable business for the last 15 years as they are growing from strength-to-strength.
Entering into this year, customers have refrained from spending, and three of them have all missed the market expectations for the first half of the year. We have already read their financial warnings for unable to perform as the previous years. The market has been polarized between the wealthiest customers and those aspirational shoppers.
This is affecting the auctioneers like Sotheby’s and Christie’s as the secondhand market for the luxury items and arts have shrunk. Sotheby’s revenue for the first six months dropped 22% to $558.5 million. Its competitor, Christie’s also dropped 22% in auction sales for the same period.
Weaker luxury spending in China is among the factors weighing on demand of fine art.
Furthermore, China is not faring well due to their internal problems. Its economy structure is different than the rest of the world. Home consumers contribute 40% of the gross domestic product, while investments in real estate, infrastructure and factory exports contribute the rest. Unlike in other major economies, consumers contribute 50 to 75% of the gross domestic product. The situation turned severe when its property market crashed, the demand for building materials like steel and cement have dropped, and export market disappeared as everything that takes place in China is also affecting the world to a certain degree. Over relying on globalization has become a vicious circle.
China has been using planned economy, and this time because of its market which has not been able to pick up the demand it planned, it has caused an annual trade surplus of almost $900 billion, or 0.8% of the world’s gross domestic product. Because of its under-consumption and its refusal to rebalance from investment to consumption, and seek for independence and self-reliance has put China in an awkward position. What we have seen at this time for its insistence to launch its “new-trio industry”—electric vehicles, lithium-batteries and, solar photovoltaic products, and its reluctance to surrender its “old-three industry”—clothing, furniture, and appliances. This has proved that it is impervious to existing international rules. With China’s refusal to come in line with world trade, more friction is to follow unfortunately.
Now we want to talk about the relentless rise of second-hand market. The second-hand market is becoming a market of its own as it is well received by the younger generations. We can recall that it was at one time dominated by charity and thrift stores. Names like Salvation Army and Goodwill in the U.S. and Oxfam in the UK have offered second-hand clothing, books for many decades.
In the last ten years, startups like Vinted, Depop, ThredUp, are rushing into this second-hand fashion business because of the trend, while cost and environmental concerns are quoting that celebrities have used to show their awareness to get themselves closer to the younger generations.
ThredUp, a resale platform in the U.S. estimates that second-hand clothing market has grown from $141 billion from 2021 to $230 billion this year. Going at this rate, it can reach $350 billion in 2028. Its growth rate is overtaking new apparel. More than 40% of Generation Z and millennials buy a second-hand product at least every few months. They look for value and take it as an investment, and on top they consider to put a stop to waste.
Ironically, the fast-fashion brands like H&M, Zara and Shein, known for their unsustainable fast fashion, have turn to second-hand economy.
Lately, Ikea has joined the second-hand market by selling used sofas and furniture pieces. Toys like Lego blocks are available in second-hand market. This has become an economy that we can’t neglect.
Without any further delay, we bring you to our October issue which we hope will be helpful to you.
Preview all articles of this
Quarterly Issue !
About this October 2024 Issue
This general introduction for the quarterly issue has been prepared for you. We have tried to be more concise and condense in our contents. We need your response in order we can be more avant-garde and more inspiring to the fashion industry. Anyway, please enjoy reading the contents of this issue, and we welcome your thoughts and suggestions.
Special Report
Global Fashion and Exhibition Calendar - October 2024 to March 2025
| By Andrew Sia
During my career days, I used to combine trade shows and conferences with business trips of which I could also visit the customers in the area. I found that it is quite effective. But normally I would attend trade shows in the two seasons, namely, March and September.
When it is approaching yearend, I would make shorter trips if they were absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I would prefer to stay home with my family and my staff and celebrate the festival with them.
At this time, I am sharing with you for what is happening in New York, one of the fashion capitals and business centers. I hope that you can also find time to enjoy the Christmas and do some shopping for your beloved ones.
This report has brought you 28 exhibitions, and in each of the exhibition, there you can find conferences under different topics. They are also well extended in 15 different cities which can be good for you to plan your business trips as well.
We hope that this report can be useful and we will feature it in every issue, unlike the sports industry, we will only feature twice a year, and in every other issues.
The Rise and Fall of American Department Stores - Part 3
| By Terri Fisher
This time our retail correspondent, Terri, is featuring Sakes and Niemen Marcus. She rightly pointed out that information can be outdated as the retail scene of department stores changes constantly, if not monthly, but certainly yearly. But this time the two department stores that she featured have a very dynamic relationship between them that may make them different.
Saks flagship store is in New York City’s 5th Avenue between East 50th and 49th Street. It has a long history and was opened since 1867 by Andrew Saks. It will be celebrating its 160th birthday next year.
Saks is not known for discount or any bargaining, but in the 1990s, it launched its Saks Off Fifth and has been well received.
In 2013, Canadian-based Hudson’s Bay Company acquired Saks Fifth Avenue, and in July 2024, it announced the plan to acquire Neiman Marcus in a $2.65 billion merger.
This acquisition created Saks Global and it would bring some excitement to the retail world. The luxury industry players, LVMH and Kering, would not be able to take them lightly this time, although earlier they were shrew enough trying to drive customers directly to their stores.
We hope that both of them would head to a successful merger and customers would find that they have been pampered with hospitality and service and enjoy what the department store can offer.
Olympics in Paris - Part 2
| By Andrew Sia
At the writing of this article, the Paris Olympics Game is only three weeks away. We have noticed that the French organizers have put in a great deal of effort to meet with the lowest carbon emissions. It is set to follow the London’s 2012 Olympics Game standard. London originally meant to spend £3.3 billion, but ended up with £8.8 billion. And yet a report from the House of Commons said that the 2012 games had already generated £14.2 billion in economic value for the U.K. by 2014.
Paris put the budget on carbon and attentions has been given on buildings, and eco-friendly cement and wood has been used to construction accommodations for the athletes. Paris has vowed to be the host of the most green-consciousness Olympics in history. It will not only be observing financial budgeting but also strict carbon budgeting.
Paris aims to cut total emissions by half, comparing with London and Rio de Janeiro Games in 2012 and 2016 respectively.
For the food menu, food materials have been redesign to avoid emissions as well. The use of vegetables and local supply, with 80% ingredients coming from France.
In 2015 when Paris hosted the COP21 climate summit, 200 countries joined and agreed for limiting global temperature rising to keep 2° C above pre-industrial levels. That same year, Paris bid for the hosting of the Olympic games.
Wind and solar power will be used and organizers have contracted 100% renewable energy during the sport events.
Organizers have discourage the visitors to travel by air to Paris. The use of other forms of transportation are encouraged.
We are going to watch the Paris Olympic Games online and would be happy for the French if they can set up all the milestones.
Lastly, we want to quote our last paragraph in this writing and share it here:
“We wish wholeheartedly all the success to the French organizer and its government for hosting this important international sports event. May it be carried out safely and proved once again that there is hope in our world even we have experienced so many things lately.”
The Baby-Boomer Generation
| By Andrew Sia
We are the post-war baby boomer generation and among us we can find many of them. Most of us share the same value, went through the similar experiences, have the same belief, surrounded by our younger generations, repeated the same stories due to our short-memories, and have similar health issues. But we are resilient and we don’t give up easily.
This piece is about our generation and I covered the 18 years from the year that this generation started. We have to admit that those were the most significant years. When I heard on the radio about the assassination of President John F Kennedy, I was a teenager by then. And later when I heard the first man landing on the Moon, it was in 1969 already, I was twenty years old already and I can still recall the impact it brought on me.
What is remaining for this generation to achieve is perhaps very little. We have to live with our younger generations and for a change we have to be the backdrop and blend in with the bigger picture now.
The Reincarnation of Shein
| By Andrew Sia
Shein is an online fast fashion retailer based in Singapore and launched in the U.S. in 2017. If we looked back, the company was only founded in 2008 in China, and it is today a favorite brand among the youngsters in the U.S. using its trendy clothing and accessories in unbeatable low prices.
In 2021, it became the most downloaded shopping app in the U.S. surpassing Amazon and had an estimated $3.1 billion in retail sales in the U.S. market.
It was since 2022, Shein tried for its first floating IPO plan in the U.S. but the market was unfavorable because of the war in Ukraine. Since then the geopolitical situation been growing tense between the two countries, the U.S. and China, and Shein tried to move to London for its IPO. Situation doesn’t look good anymore as on July 4, the Labor Party won the election and become the ruling party of the UK. The Labor Party has always been skeptical about Shein’s labor practice in its supply chain. The journey of Shein’s go public would be a long one.
In this article we wish Shein can starts to put its acts together and to become a reliable corporation of the world. Coming from nowhere and become where it is now is almost a miracle and it is only possible with the backup from a country like China. There are more ways to look for improvements and eventually gain victory in this race for its IPO.
How to Kick the Habit of Fast Fashion
| By Andrew Sia
In this article, we walked you through the challenge between the manufacturing in the developed countries and the developing countries. Everything is more expensive in the developed industrial countries as the observation of all the ways and means of processing through the production has to be impeccable. With the production in developing countries, the control is often more lax.
For the benefit of human right, labor compliance, and environmental awareness, we can’t ignore the standards we have set for ourselves and neglect for what is taking place in the poorer countries. The need to educate our consumers and using of the QR code for telling the story of the product would be quite important in helping us to achieve this goal.
We have to admit the market is already very challenging and because of the high interest rate and high inflation, the market has moved away from non-essential products to basic products, such as food and other daily products. We have to find the way to attract the consumers back to the bricks and mortar environment and enjoy their shopping. We have to make their shopping more attractive and perhaps more meaningful and moving away from the low price to something of better value that can last longer would be the goal for us to achieve. We hope that we can gain your consensus.
Market Intelligence | By Andrew Sia
Market Intelligence Short Read - Part 1
In this writeup, we have covered the various subjects. I would like to raise the interest of the Run Clubs that have developed in different communities around the country. This have brought up the interest of the people to group together and run together along the routes. These regular runners have made it as a rule not to leave anyone behind which is something I am most touched.
This also brings the commercial activities as well, such as the sneaker brands would have the presence of their representatives to promote their new models and host some of those small and informal events. Eventually the running culture has been developed in the communities.
I would like to see many of you joining this running interactions.
Another subject I would like to draw the attention is the commitment of the Green Claims that the brands have announced. It is time to look seriously into this and make sure that we can all live up to our promises of “green washing” and make sure that it won’t become “green hushing.”
Market Intelligence Short Read - Part 2
In this writeup, we brought out challenges in the market, such as the falling of favoritism of Temu’s parent company, PDD Holding Company; tightening of the spending from the Chinese middle-class shoppers; the rise of Tmall Luxury Pavilion because of hefty discount; sweatshop operation found in luxury brands; the dark side of “daigou”; criminal activities on returns of on-line purchases; restriction of using de minimis is perhaps in sight.
They have made us believe in what goes up must come down eventually, especially the behaviors and intensions are wrong in their first place.
We must admit that the market situation is still full of challenge and for us to go back where it was before would perhaps be quite impossible. Except that we may have to make necessary adjustments and accept what is known as the new normal.
Fashion & Design
Introducing Golden Goose, the Italian Sports Brand
| By Andrew Sia
Golden Goose is an Italian brand based in Venice. It was founded in 2000. It is made out of premium Italian leather for durability and comfort. Each pair is uniquely made by hand with the purposely distressed or worn-out look. It is sought after by the young and affluent who look at sneaker as a status symbol. It can be a conversation piece for the sneakerhead.
Lately, we have found that the company’s IPO plan has been shelved. Perhaps it is time for the brand to diversified its product categories before a stronger come back.
Introducing Moncler & Canadian Goose Down-Jacket
| By Andrew Sia
We come across some smaller luxury companies with special performance like, Moncler and Canada Goose, both are sports performance-oriented company, are growing their sales with the mid-to-high teens. This is telling us if you have the right products which the marketing is looking for, then you will perform well.
In this competitive world, if you don’t have a niche market, the chance of surviving can be quite tricky. It is also because the consumer’s buying behavior and the way they spend their money has changed. This is a difficult time without question.
World's Renowned Fashion Designers - Part 1
| By Andrew Sia
When we were doing the compilations for the 30 fashion designers we came across a chart telling us the ten top fashion designers and that brought us a lot of interest to single them out. Obviously they were selected by the fashion industry from their perspectives.
With this first report, we reported the top five of them. Also we found out that they were all victims of their own success. For instance Coco Chanel was forced to remain in close relationship with a Nazi officer during WWII and she fall from grace. Christian Dior died at the age of 52 only due to the heart attack. Yves Saint Laurent suffered when he was serving the French army from bullying from the others that led him mental disorder. He resulted in heavy drinking and drug addiction. He died of brain cancer. We all remember when Gianni Versace was gunned down outside his beach house in Miami Beach. Last and not the least, Alexander McQueen couldn’t take the sorrow from the suicide of his best friend, Isabelle Blow, followed by the death of his mother. He chose to end his life by suicide.
They all ended their life tragically, but their influences in fashion designs and the brands are still among us. You can find their names in the fashion catwalks where they continue to receive praises and admirations. Their status have also bene escalated which is something they wouldn’t have expected perhaps.
Super Sneakers at the Paris Olympics
| By Andrew Sia
We continue to feature the Paris Olympics although it was closed already on August 11. I believed that everyone was enjoying it, except there was a sabotage on July 26, hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, that brought several high-speed rail lines to a halt. This sabotage could have brought by those Islamist terrorist groups, far-left terrorists or adversaries such as Russia or Iran.
Anyway, we were relieved as the games went on uneventfully, except some complains from here and there.
There was an estimate of 10,500 athletes participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics and it was the first Olympics to have equal number of male and female athletes participated in 329 events in 32 sports.
We look forward to the 2028 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, or better known as Los Angeles 2028, scheduled to take place on July 14-30, 2028.
With this writeup we brought our sports shoes that are worn by every elite athlete. We will see the continuous improvements of their designs, both aesthetic and technical, and will bring out the dynamism of those athletes. We believe that the world can be a better place if we would only compete in the Olympic Games.
Fashion Quote - Alexander McQueen
| By Andrew Sia
We are featuring Alexander McQueen as the thirtieth fashion design for the fashion quote which has been one of our featured articles. This will be our last writeup under this title.
Alexander McQueen was famous for his creative fashion designs. He combined fashion design with art and he was known for his avant-garde, and often controversial designs. His fashion shows were mostly an unforgettable experience.
He is still considered as one of the world’s top ten fashioners. He died at the age of forty and he took his life away on February 11, 2010. He entered into depression when his mother passed away on February 2, 2010, just days before his own death. It was also reported that he was using drugs like cocaine regularly which exacerbated his mental health issues.
Fashion industry is also known for its high-pressure environment. Being ahead of this competitive and demanding field, the pressure to maintain the brand at the forefront took a toll on him.
McQueen’s death at young age was a significant loss to the fashion world.
Autumn/Winter 2025-26 Trend Report
| By Genevieve Redding
This time Genevieve introduced four themes —Cherry Cola, English Garden, Denim on Demin and Spot On. It was so well-selected together with the renowned lingerie brands, they brought out the fashions that can fit into everyone’s different tastes.
As usual, Genevieve would hand-pick different styles from different brands to make her selections stronger and effective. This can also be used as the guideline for those lingerie shops when they are selecting their merchandise.
I am sure that you will find Genevieve’s selection very interesting.
Market Report | By Andrew Sia
Market Report Short Read - Part 1
In this report, what is happening in Bangladesh has caught our attention, and we reported three times as the country is playing the number two role in the global garment supply. The riots in Bangladesh were due to the social injustice as works are given to the preferred families of the veterans during the revolution in 1971. It was also the time the country’s economy went into depression that led to the high rate of unemployment especially it affected the young people. The country is waiting for an election to bail it out from this difficult time.
In fact the youth unemployment is almost everywhere—China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia. It affected the people between the age group of 15 and 24, which is also half of the global total in that age range. In Europe the situation is not better in Spain and Italy.
There were several reports about China which we would wait for you to explore. As the world’s largest manufacturing country, China is close to a third of global factory output. To see that China can come into terms with the free world and to trade on a fairer ground is many people’s wish.
Market Report Short Read - Part 2
In this writeup we have noticed that the global shipbuilding industry is led by China and followed closely by South Korea. The U.S. used to lead the international market in the 1960s but today it is holding less than 1% of the total production. It is strictly restricted to naval vessels due to national security concern.
Then we reported the threat of the trade war between the European Union and China and this was due to the surge of electric vehicle production from China. BVD, the world’s largest EV producer has already led the production and drove all other automakers out of competition.
The de minimis policy in the U.S. and the Europe’s exemption of import duty on small amount parcels would likely to happen and would damage China’s export business.
We have to know that China is still being restricted to have access to advanced technologies.
We noticed that China overtook Germany as the biggest exporter for machinery and equipment, and it produced more industrial machinery than the U.S., Germany and Japan together.
China is leading the mining and processing of rare earths in antimony and lithium.
With all these trade disputes, China has accused the Western world on the other hand for discrimination, and announced their use of its “unreliable entities” for those companies who have accused for their unreasonable accusations.
China the Giant Juggernaut - Part 20| By Andrew Sia
The keynote here is the bulk of the manufacturing in China is still the medium-to-low-end and it is concentrated in the four provinces—Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Shandong. Many cities of China earn the titles of “Renowned Electronic Capital of China”, “China’s Luggage Capital”, “China’s Guitar Industry Capital”, “China’s Capital of Playground Toys”, and “First Village of Oil Painting in the World”. In fact, it is appropriate to call all these as the capitals of the world.
China leads the productions of consumer electronic products, luggage, lighting, musical instruments, toys, oil painting, sunglasses, reading glasses, home textiles, sports shoes, underwear, and swimwear.
It is known for its competitiveness and quality.
Our writeup is not to criticize the dynamism of production in China and it earned the title as “world factory” is not without reason.
We have to learn how to embrace it as the country has the best workers in the world in order we can enjoy the advantage that it has brought to our table. It is important to put away the differences and we know that when things have meddled with politics, they tend to create conflicts which can lead to disaster eventually. We can learn from the two thousand years of history that they have repeated themselves over and over again.
I would like to dedicate the song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” to you. Hope that it will remind us where we have ever come from.
ENVIRONMENTAL & SUSTAINABILITY
Progress Report on the Paris Climate Agreement - Part 25
| By Andrew Sia
COP29 will be held this time in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11 to 25 and during which 198 countries and the European Union are expected to attend. It is already noticed that many of the countries are behind the goals they have set.
Some of the governments are very restrictive when wind turbines are applied, such as the location as well as the transmission lines are required. Its sight is also very obvious which can also attract opposition from local communities. Furthermore, its equipment is expensive and this is also part of the holding back.
We would make a full report after the Climate Change Conference (COP29) is adjourned.
SUPPLY CHAIN
Globalization Needs Reinvigorate - Part 14 | By Andrew Sia
When we first started the writing of the globalization, it was in our July 2021 issue. We were showing concerns of the supply chain during the time when the Covid pandemic was at its prime. We noticed at that time the impact would be very big. We reported the challenge of the shipping industry and we already sensed the sensibility of the primary sea route as during the time this ultra-large container ship, Ever Green, was grounded in Suez Canal, and blocked this vital 120-mile canal for a week.
The congestion also led to container ships being strained the seaports of the West Coast and East Coast. Now the dilemma of Suez Canal is yet from over as Yemen’s Houthi rebels are attacking ships crossing the Red Sea.
And then we have last year’s drought put Panama Canal under another situation that the water levels were not high enough to allow the usual numbers of ships to cross. These are not helping the globalization.
In the meantime we have seen geopolitical situation is affecting the global trade as the two great powers, the U.S. and China, are leveraging over semiconductors, electric vehicles, critical minerals, and commodities.
We can see that protectionism is coming.
Special Report - Bangladesh | By Andrew Sia
We featured the country report for Bangladesh in our January 2016 issue. Since then the country has become the world’s second largest exporter for clothing.
The country went through its election in January and its ruling party, Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, won a majority of 225 seats out of the 300 contested seats. But the country fall into its political turmoil with its university students entered into protests for its inequality in providing employment opportunities. In August 5, its Prime Minister Hasina fled the country and left the country in chaos. It is waiting for the new election to take place some time later.
We would want to point out that the clothing industry doesn’t contain too many technical elements and there is also the limitation for automation. The designs and the manufacturing of those special effects and treatments don’t allow the standardization. And in some instances, finishing with handwork is required to make the garment more outstanding and fashionable.
Anyway, we wish the country to come back to its good old days where the employment can be sufficient to meet those labor needs. This is the time to think for the value-added and more higher value production. After all there is the skillfulness and the niche that can’t be neglected.
Entrepreneurship & Business
Case Study: The Story of LVMH | By Andrew Sia
This is part of the series of stories we wrote about the luxury brands, and they are the three largest groups, namely, Kering, Richemont and LVMH. Among the three, LVMH is the largest in terms of its company’s valuation and total revenue. Its founder and chairman, Bernard Arnault, is currently the world’s richest person.
What we can learn from the three founders are stories and experiences that are both impressive and astonishing. We have not to deny that they have all been born with the silver spoons in their mouths. But what is more important is their entrepreneurship that they have brought into the business that they have founded. I feel that we have a lot to learn from them. That is why I posted these articles under the journal’s heading of “Entrepreneurship & Business” and put them under the series of the “case study.” Again, I have a strong feeling that we can learn from them.
In my January issue, I’ll combine the three cases and come up with my craziest idea, that is to form something based on their structure and launch the company similar to their formulation into a concept that can be applied in certain specific industries.
BOOK REPORT
The Fashion Business Manual
| Reported By Andrew Sia
It was in October 2016, exactly eight years ago, when our journal was reporting the book with the title of Fashionpedia. This time, after eight years we made the book report about their second book which they published in 2019.
The book gives us other perspectives in market of our fashion products. The contents are very complete that they are taking us throughout the product cycle until they are being launched in the market. I recommend you to keep this as a handbook and one day it can help you to become a successful entrepreneur.
A Personal Remarks
Made Before Sending This Issue for Publishing
I have to extend my sincere apology of delaying the publish of this October issue. Some of you might have known that we have been moving our house to a senior community. The process took longer and more challenging that we could have first anticipated. Finally, we have now more or less settled in our new home.
We would like to share with you our thoughts that came through our mind during this time and hope that this can also inspire you.
The Monaco Grand Prix circuit is considered one of the hardest race tracks because its walls are so close to the track that driving within a centimeter off-line would lead to the crash barriers. Its lap is only 2 miles, and it is hard to pass and too easy to get caught in someone’s accident. As a car freak, I consider life as the grand prix because of its competitiveness and challenge. At this stage in life, I have to say to myself, What is out there still left for me to do.
Looking back, I have conquered many things in life and finally am ending my last years by living in New Jersey. It was not by any planning but purely by making the decision to live in the United States for a change, and also by deciding to live in suburbs rather than in a big city. I have found peace and quiet for a change and accepted a slower pace in life going forward.
What happened with the peaceful riot by the students in Hong Kong in 2019, followed by the global pandemic in 2020 changed the lives of many people, and since then I am grounded. But prior to that in 2014, I launched a journal under the name of Intimate Apparel Journal and later changed it to International Apparel Journal for a larger audience. Its original idea came from the late David Morris from the De Montfort University in Leicester, where I took the technical articles with his permission to include in my journal, and I added the business part to enrich its contents.
During my tenure at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, I used the journal as part of my teaching materials and shared those technical articles with other lecturers. It lasted for four years and ended in 2018.
The journal is divided into ten sectors as the following:
Special Report
Market Intelligence
Fashion & Design
Technical & Knowledge
Market Report
Environmental & Sustainability
Supply Chain
Entrepreneurship & Business
Book Report
Academic & Education
The journal has entered its twelfth year, I have been serving the role as publisher, and since 2020 my wife took over the role of the webmaster, knowing that the journal is an e-journal. The work on the publication work has been exhausting for both of us.
Going forward, we will only release individual articles at our website and not follow any structured time frames like before. We have discovered that people’s reading habits have changed, the market has changed, business has changed, and the global political dynamics are being meddled by extremists and narcists with egoism. Attempting to apply reason to the current situation would only add to our frustrations, and I decided to refrain from doing so.
Writing short pieces and have them published in my other platform—Beacon Publication—makes it possible to publish anything I like without taking any side. It is again an electronic publication that I have developed over the years that I can do everything by myself.
I can also rewrite my memoir and make it more readable. I am even thinking about picking up playing the piano again, and try to enjoy myself in playing those pieces by Mozart perhaps. Studying of the Bible can also humble myself as I used to argue and reason about God’s behavior, but in these days I am counting all those blessings from God and have been most grateful.
So far everything is self-taught, and I can gain knowledge from almost everywhere. I find chatbot can be unbelievably helpful, and I find myself talking to artificial intelligence.
This is the new life I am entering after I have completely settled down in my new home.
We will complete the two more issues—the January 2025 and April 2025—later, and we will adopt the new approach and continue to stay in touch with the industry. We will continue to learn and explore to reach the bigger audience and hopefully can bring more interaction as we will get along.
