Back when I was young, I lived in a normal family. During the weekends, my parents and I would normally go to movies, go for a short jungle trekking trip or visit some friends. Besides that I also played a lot of badminton, tennis and squash. I had a pair of shoes for each sport; every time the soles of the shoe came out, my dad would normally bring my shoe to the cobbler to get it fixed. And it would cost around $4, compared to buying a new pair of shoes $80.
Now, whenever there’s a problem with my shoe; instead of sending the shoe to the cobbler to get it fixed. My dad will just give me money to get a new pair. To a certain degree, I know that I have been spoiled by my parents. For instance, I got a $500 mobile phone; after using the phone for a year, I accidentally drop it and the screen cracks. I could have fixed the screen for $90; instead my parents got me a brand new one. And this isn’t happening to just me, but to almost everyone around me. I’m not sure about how things are in America, but this is how things are back home. I would like to hear your comments.
So my point is, if we have the wealth and capability. When something is broken, and it can fixed at a reasonably cost; should we fix it or get a new one. For instance the shoe, I asked my dad why he didn’t send it to the cobbler. Back home it’s very difficult to find a shoe cobbler. That’s one of the main reasons why he just gives money to buy a new pair. In terms of opportunity cost, time used to find a shoe cobbler, could be used to earn more money. Whenever we see it as a wise thing to save money on something that can be repaired, we shouldn’t waste that money. This way we can save the environment as well as save that money for a rainy day.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The World We Live In
There is no end to wanting - after the Ferrari and the Birkin bag, what next?
'Whilst boom time in the public sector is never as booming as in the private sector, let us not forget that boom time is eventually followed by slump time. Slump time in the public sector is always less painful compared to the private sector.' Slump time has arrived with a bang.
While I worry about the poorer Malaysians who will be hit hard, perhaps this recession has come at an opportune time for many of us. It will give us an incentive to reconsider our priorities in life. Decades of the good life have made us soft.
The wealthy especially, but also the middle class in Malaysia, have had it so good for so long, what they once considered luxuries, they now think of as necessities. A mobile phone, for instance, is now a statement about who you are, not just a piece of equipment for communication. Hence many people buy the latest model though their existing mobile phones are still in perfect working order.
A Mercedes-Benz is no longer adequate as a status symbol. For millionaires who wish to show the world they have taste, a Ferrari or a Porsche is deemed more appropriate.
The same attitude influences the choice of attire and accessories. I still find it hard to believe that there are people carrying handbags that cost more than thrice the monthly income of a bus driver, and many more times that of the foreign worker labouring in the hot sun, risking his life to construct luxury condominiums he will never have a chance to live in.
The media encourages and amplifies this ostentatious consumption.
Perhaps it is good to encourage people to spend more because this will prevent the recession from getting worse.
I am not an economist, but wasn't that the root cause of the current crisis - Americans spending more than they could afford to? I am not a particularly spiritual person. I don't believe in the supernatural and I don't think I have a soul that will survive my death. But as I view the crass materialism around me, I am reminded of what my mother once told me: 'Suffering and deprivation is good for the soul.'
Most of the world and much of Malaysia will lament the economic downturn. We have been told to tighten our belts. There will undoubtedly be suffering, which we must try our best to ameliorate. But I personally think the hard times will hold a timely lesson for many Malaysians, especially those born after 1970
who have never lived through difficult times. No matter how poor you are in Malaysia, the authorities and social groups do try to ensure you have shelter and food.
Many of those who are currently living in mansions and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle will probably still be able to do so, even if they might have to downgrade from wines costing RM30,000 a bottle to RM20,000 a bottle. They would hardly notice the difference.
Being wealthy is not a sin. It cannot be in a capitalist market economy.
Enjoying the fruits of one's own labour is one's prerogative and I have no right to chastise those who choose to live luxuriously. But if one is blinded by materialism, there would be no end to wanting and hankering.
After the Ferrari, what next? An Aston Martin? After the Hermes Birkin handbag, what can one upgrade to? Neither an Aston Martin nor an Hermes Birkin can make us truly happy or contented. They are like dust, a fog obscuring the true meaning of life, and can be blown away in the twinkling of an eye.
When the end approaches and we look back on our lives, will we regret the latest mobile phone or luxury car that we did not acquire? Or would we prefer to die at peace with ourselves, knowing that we have lived lives filled with love, friendship and goodwill, that we have helped some of our fellow voyagers along the way and that we have tried our best to leave this world a slightly better place than how we found it?
We know which is the correct choice - and it is within our power to make that choice. In this new year, burdened as it is with the problems of the year that has just ended, let us again try to choose wisely.
To a considerable degree, our happiness is within our own control, and we should not follow the herd blindly.
'Whilst boom time in the public sector is never as booming as in the private sector, let us not forget that boom time is eventually followed by slump time. Slump time in the public sector is always less painful compared to the private sector.' Slump time has arrived with a bang.
While I worry about the poorer Malaysians who will be hit hard, perhaps this recession has come at an opportune time for many of us. It will give us an incentive to reconsider our priorities in life. Decades of the good life have made us soft.
The wealthy especially, but also the middle class in Malaysia, have had it so good for so long, what they once considered luxuries, they now think of as necessities. A mobile phone, for instance, is now a statement about who you are, not just a piece of equipment for communication. Hence many people buy the latest model though their existing mobile phones are still in perfect working order.
A Mercedes-Benz is no longer adequate as a status symbol. For millionaires who wish to show the world they have taste, a Ferrari or a Porsche is deemed more appropriate.
The same attitude influences the choice of attire and accessories. I still find it hard to believe that there are people carrying handbags that cost more than thrice the monthly income of a bus driver, and many more times that of the foreign worker labouring in the hot sun, risking his life to construct luxury condominiums he will never have a chance to live in.
The media encourages and amplifies this ostentatious consumption.
Perhaps it is good to encourage people to spend more because this will prevent the recession from getting worse.
I am not an economist, but wasn't that the root cause of the current crisis - Americans spending more than they could afford to? I am not a particularly spiritual person. I don't believe in the supernatural and I don't think I have a soul that will survive my death. But as I view the crass materialism around me, I am reminded of what my mother once told me: 'Suffering and deprivation is good for the soul.'
Most of the world and much of Malaysia will lament the economic downturn. We have been told to tighten our belts. There will undoubtedly be suffering, which we must try our best to ameliorate. But I personally think the hard times will hold a timely lesson for many Malaysians, especially those born after 1970
who have never lived through difficult times. No matter how poor you are in Malaysia, the authorities and social groups do try to ensure you have shelter and food.
Many of those who are currently living in mansions and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle will probably still be able to do so, even if they might have to downgrade from wines costing RM30,000 a bottle to RM20,000 a bottle. They would hardly notice the difference.
Being wealthy is not a sin. It cannot be in a capitalist market economy.
Enjoying the fruits of one's own labour is one's prerogative and I have no right to chastise those who choose to live luxuriously. But if one is blinded by materialism, there would be no end to wanting and hankering.
After the Ferrari, what next? An Aston Martin? After the Hermes Birkin handbag, what can one upgrade to? Neither an Aston Martin nor an Hermes Birkin can make us truly happy or contented. They are like dust, a fog obscuring the true meaning of life, and can be blown away in the twinkling of an eye.
When the end approaches and we look back on our lives, will we regret the latest mobile phone or luxury car that we did not acquire? Or would we prefer to die at peace with ourselves, knowing that we have lived lives filled with love, friendship and goodwill, that we have helped some of our fellow voyagers along the way and that we have tried our best to leave this world a slightly better place than how we found it?
We know which is the correct choice - and it is within our power to make that choice. In this new year, burdened as it is with the problems of the year that has just ended, let us again try to choose wisely.
To a considerable degree, our happiness is within our own control, and we should not follow the herd blindly.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Importance of Language
I'll provide some background information. This is an issue happening in my country in Malaysia. Malaysia was colonized by the British till the 31st August 1957 when Malaysia obtained its independence. While Malaysia was under te British colony, all government schools were taught in English.
A few years after independence, the government(consisting of mostly Malays) decides to change the education system. The wanted all government school to teach everything in Malay, that includes, the sciences, math and so on. They did so, because they wanted to preserve their culture. That was until 2003, when they decided to teach the sciences in English, as they realized that Malaysians were falling behind but private schools affected. This was because, many found it difficult to look up online sources and understand them, as majority of information was written in English.
And recently, there has been a debate whether to convert back to Malay(http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/2/3/nation/3180435&sec=nation). This issue came up mainly because, the government realized that many of the Malays weren't doing well in their studies as compared to the Non-Malays. The other reason was also because many of the teachers were Malays which didn't have sufficient background in English to teach properly in English.
The result was, many graduate students were jobless becase many companies/enterprises required a good command of english. And this has led to many problems, mainly, the increase in crime rates. One of the most common crimes in Malaysia is 'Snatch thieves'. I'm sure that in other countries there are these types of crimes. But in Malaysia the snatch theives are extremist, mainly consisting of people aged between 20-30 years old. The moderate snatch thieves will either run/ ride a motorcycle and snatch things from their victims. The extreme snatch thieves, will slash their victims, take what they want and let them bleed to death,
Besides that many Malaysian scientist have migrated to other more technologically more advanced countries to pursue their careers and dreams.
A few years after independence, the government(consisting of mostly Malays) decides to change the education system. The wanted all government school to teach everything in Malay, that includes, the sciences, math and so on. They did so, because they wanted to preserve their culture. That was until 2003, when they decided to teach the sciences in English, as they realized that Malaysians were falling behind but private schools affected. This was because, many found it difficult to look up online sources and understand them, as majority of information was written in English.
And recently, there has been a debate whether to convert back to Malay(http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/2/3/nation/3180435&sec=nation). This issue came up mainly because, the government realized that many of the Malays weren't doing well in their studies as compared to the Non-Malays. The other reason was also because many of the teachers were Malays which didn't have sufficient background in English to teach properly in English.
The result was, many graduate students were jobless becase many companies/enterprises required a good command of english. And this has led to many problems, mainly, the increase in crime rates. One of the most common crimes in Malaysia is 'Snatch thieves'. I'm sure that in other countries there are these types of crimes. But in Malaysia the snatch theives are extremist, mainly consisting of people aged between 20-30 years old. The moderate snatch thieves will either run/ ride a motorcycle and snatch things from their victims. The extreme snatch thieves, will slash their victims, take what they want and let them bleed to death,
Besides that many Malaysian scientist have migrated to other more technologically more advanced countries to pursue their careers and dreams.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
What is Good Food?
I was having lunch with some of my floor mates at a Chinese restaurant. So we ordered five dishes. Once the food arrived, all of us started eating. While we were eating, one of my floor mate, Wei Loon was telling us how good the Lamb stew was. Then I was thinking, 'well, I find it okay, not Awesome'. Reason why I didn't find the Lamb stew to be good, is because the meat wasn't fresh, however the seasoning and spices used were good. So it came to my mind, 'what is good food?'.
I asked a few of my friends and majority of them gave me three different point of views. The first opinion was; for a food to be good, it has to be of good quality, mainly fresh, second would be the taste. But, to some other people, the taste of the food is the most important factor.
However, everyone seemed to agree on the fact that, if a food, has superb quality and a wonderful taste, then that dish is definitely GOOD FOOD. But come to think of it, its very rare to find a place that serves such high standard food.
I asked a few of my friends and majority of them gave me three different point of views. The first opinion was; for a food to be good, it has to be of good quality, mainly fresh, second would be the taste. But, to some other people, the taste of the food is the most important factor.
However, everyone seemed to agree on the fact that, if a food, has superb quality and a wonderful taste, then that dish is definitely GOOD FOOD. But come to think of it, its very rare to find a place that serves such high standard food.
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