The Wood Snake 2025: A year of personal and economic growth
As the Dragon 2024 loses its fire and makes a not-so graceful exit, the Wood Snake 2025 sneaks in at exactly midnight on Jan. 29, Wednesday, slithering away on the eve of Feb. 16, 2026.
What does the Wood Snake—known for its charm and wisdom, instinctive and adaptive nature—bring?
This year, guests were lucky to be invited to a preview of Chinese New Year 2025 at three hotels: New World Makati, Solaire Resort North, and Conrad Manila.
Conrad Hotels’ CNY launch at China blue
At Conrad’s Chinese New Year launch, Steven Tan, SM Supermalls president, predicts a bullish year for SM Supermalls, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. “Supermalls started in 1985,” recounts the dynamic, hard-working Steven. “But the brand SM, which started as a small shoe store, is 67 years old.”
Jonjon San Agustin, SM executive vice president for marketing, agrees it’ll be a good year for SM. “For one thing, the basic fundamentals of the company are very strong, very sound, like the passion to create new experiences for our customers. And by opening new malls, we’re sprucing up the entire economy.”
SM Supermalls’ ruby year sparkles in the Year of the Wood Snake as it opens three more big malls in Laoag, La Unio, and Zamboanga.
Steven’s own success story is one for the books. “I joined SM 21 years ago as mall manager at The Podium,” he relates. “One thing led to another and before I knew it, I was already president of the company.”
The young Steven learned from the best, his mentor no less than Tatang, Henry Sy Sr., himself. “The best lesson he taught me was, 'There’s an opportunity in everything you see. Look for that opportunity'.”
Steven further relates, “When we opened Mall of Asia, Tatang was already retired and he would come come here every afternoon to share stories, make kwento over coffee. He was so obsessed about people, observing how they moved, how they behaved. That was how he learned about people. And he did not make them feel he was a big, high and mighty businessman. He was a very kind person with a soft heart. Traits his children Hans Sy and Tessie Sy-Coson inherited from their late father.”
Steven asserts, “I apply those learnings in what I do today.”
He adds, “I also feel that if you do something, it has to have a purpose. My purpose is to grow the business because I know that by doing so, I’d be able to help others, provide employment, help SMMEs (small, medium, and micro enterprises), those selling in kiosks and carts, those working in restaurants.”
But it’s not all work and no play for Steven. “You work hard, but when it’s time to enjoy, enjoy your life. What I really enjoy is Sunday lunch, no miss, with my 90-year-old mother—Sunday is Mama’s day.”
Steven certainly enjoyed the tossing of the lucky noodles at the pre-Chinese New Year lunch held recently at Conrad Manila. It is believed that the higher you toss the noodles, the more luck and prosperity you will have in the coming year. The symbolic toss represents good health and wealth.
At Conrad’s China Blue’s CNY launch, the lucky guests feasted on a la carte offerings fit for an emperor: double-boiled coconut soup with winter melon and seafood, stir-fried sliced beef tenderloin with fresh bamboo shoots and assorted fresh mushrooms in garlic XO sauce, steamed cod fillet with black olives, garlic and golden signature sauce plus peach sorbet with guava jelly and peach gum for dessert.
‘Pathways to prosperity’ at Solaire North
“The economic environment in 2025 presents both challenges and opportunities,” EastWest Bank chief investment officer Bede Gomez paints a picture of the country’s economic landscape at Solaire North’s “Pathways to Prosperity in the Year of the Snake” economic outlook and feng shui talk. “By staying informed and proactive, we can turn headwinds (conditions that inhibit progress) into avenues for growth and success.”
Bullish on the country’s economy, Gomez notes that the convergence of favorable factors, such as lower BSP policy rates and reduced borrowing costs, provides a climate that’s conducive to business investment and expansion. Higher corporate earnings are expected across key sectors such as retail, technology, power/energy, and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).
Further fueling the robust economy are the increased demand for consumer loans and property investments.
So, what are the lucky businesses in the Year of the Wood Snake?
Patrick Lim Fernandez, who learned feng shui at a young age, says, “The businesses that are luckier this year have to do with water and metal.”
He enumerates them, as follows: water industries—hospitality/travel, beverage/supermarket, trading/logistics, sales, aquatics, hygiene, analytics; metal industries—banking/finance, automobile, mining/machinery, jewelry, armed forces, skin care/beauty products, medical/dental.
For 2024-2043, the lucky industries have to do with technology, AI/virtual; aviation, communication, energy, entertainment, events, food, politics.
Patrick assures us, “AI (artificial intelligence) won’t replace your job. The person who knows AI will replace your job. If you know how to use it, you’ll be way ahead, be more efficient and more accurate. It’s a matter of knowing how to use the tool.”
On the minus side, there’s a strong fire energy in the next 20 years. “This is a fire period, there will be fire in different forms, all sorts of fire-related incidents,” Patrick warns. “Knowing that, we should be prepared—know how to get the right insurance and have an evacuation plan.”
The sickness energy is also one of the prominent energies for this year. Take care of your health because health is wealth.
New World Hotel’s lucky menu
At New World Makati, our lucky table groaned with mouthwatering delights such as roasted suckling pig, braised winter melon broth, red auspicious sweet sour prawns, stir-fried scallops, steamed garoupa, roasted duck, poached chicken with Sichuan chili vinaigrette, crispy seafood taro puff, braised abalone mushrooms, dried oyster, shiitake, sea moss, greens and, for dessert, sweetened red bean soup with glutinous rice balls.
And so, this Chinese New Year, may our hearts and tables always be full!
