Frustrations Of Tomorrow

Money

Everything needs money. Basically food, education, clothes, petrol, miscellaneous maintenance fees, entertainment to keep your sanity from worrying about paying for all these and even the water you use to flush away your poop needs to be billed (unless you're a regular patron of public amenities ie. the drain). We have not included income tax, interest to the bank when you take a loan for your house/car because obviously you don't have much in cash, your once in a lifetime wedding which has to be as great as possible, diapers and milk for your kids (RM50 for a pack), their education, medical bills, whims and the unpredictable.

Money becomes a problem if we expect it to be the solution to everything. It becomes a fear that the lack of it will render us helpless and desperate. Therefore, the cycle of making money lasts till the day we die. Hopefully, by that time we do not realize that we have spent our lives enslaving ourselves to something static for the sake of survival.

Money is like God on earth. You have problems, you seek it, you pray for/to it to help you, it drives you nuts when it's unavailable, more problems arise and you become emotionally dependent on it. This makes me realize that I'm wavering in my belief and religion that God will provide for many things.

When I'm sick or get into an accident, I don't pray for healing. I dig out my wallet to pay a doctor for treatment.

When I need money for whatsoever reason, I enslave my services to my boss just for the security and guarantee of seeing a paycheck come my way every month.

When you're girlfriend/wife is upset, all the consoling in the world is ineffective as compared to the appearance of diamonds or an iphone. Money makes or breaks a relationship. Girls wanna marry rich and have a good life while guys want to feel that they can make providence for their families which boosts their overall self esteem and confidence.

Maybe I got in trouble with the authorities? Just having cash in my pocket works wonders.

Honoring my parents is one of the 10 great commandments of life. To make them happy and proud of me, the greatest gift is to be a outstanding human being reflecting their upbringing of you; and that is inevitably measured by your capabilities in society; your networth and the digits of your paycheck. Because, it determines where you stand in society. The level of respect, the number of opportunities you'll get relies on the 'bullets' packed up your arsenal.

(IMO, I want my kids to grow up being kind, respectful and dignified. But I can't bear to see them starving on the streets or have no education.)

Realistically, money IS the solution to everything. I can't seem to think of anything that operates on its own in this money centered world.

Everyone must have believe that at some point of life, it is (probably) possible to be happy even without a tonne of money.

Yes, it is possible.

Give up the rat race and retire in a monastery/nunnery. Don't marry or have kids. Taking care of only yourself cuts out the burden of taking care of another 2 people at least (husband and 1 child). Do good through charity and charity will give back to you. You're heart is at peace because you're doing something for the less fortunate than you and you just stop coveting luxuries which becomes an obsession that has to be constantly fed. You'll learn to appreciate the little things in life by having less. Since you don't have money, you can sift out who are your real friends (since there's nothing to be envious of or leech off you anyways). People will respect you from the point of your core values, the charity you do becomes the focus of your character and not your paycheck.

Food for thought.

Resolution 2009

1. I will stop peeling my face. I will stop peeling my face. I will stop peeling my face. I will stop harassing my blackheads/whiteheads and tearing off my scabs and any other form of breaking my skin on my face. I will treat my face with utmost respect and give it the most professional level of treatment it deserves. I will refrain from even touching it unless I'm washing it.

2. I will be frugal with my money and practice the belief of delayed gratification. The super wealthy become wealthy because they suffer first and enjoy the fruits of their labour in mass amounts. That is because they do not waste their potential capital on branded handbags, big cars and items which will give off the 'look' that they're rich.

Don't be fooled by appearances!

I've met people who own branded wallets but when they open them they only have a few ringgit inside. I've also met people who have money to eat birdnest (the blood type sommore) and abalone but no money to send their kids to school. And then they complain that they have no money and get jealous of the wealthy people and throw their dissatisfaction against every opposing factor in the universe but themselves.

Notice that the ones wearing polo shirts and khaki shorts are often the one who have the motherload. I heard of a dude who wore a straw hat, normal shirt, pants and rubber black boots who walked into a Ferrari showroom (and got peisi-ed by the salespeople there). He owns a agricultural empire in Asia. Dudes wearing branded costumes, Rolex watches, designer shoes (as in 24 hours a day)? Highly possible someone who is out to con your money or sell you to a whore house.

People laugh at the efforts of others who work harder than themselves because comforts their egos. The reason why the 10% of rich people are rich in this world is because they do not have the mindsets of the rest of the 90%. There are the stories of dirt poor uneducated people becoming rich, so it's not a matter of who's born rich and money suddenly appearing out of thin air (that's bullshit).

Okay, that was just from my perspective. Nobody is compelled to follow.

Being a girl who loves shopping just as much as any normal female, it is justified to own pretty things, and lots of them. Why, you might just die tomorrow and not be able to enjoy one of life's greatest joys. Fair? But unless daddy gave you 5 unlimited credit cards and you have a decent pay to support your own lifestlye, please be careful to not live beyond your means and end up with a life with debt. What I learnt from Jo; don't wear a hat that is too big for your head. You won't feel comfortable, you'll look like an idiot, you'll probably trip and die in the process.

The universal fact is, that if you want certain things bad enough, other things must take a back seat and you have to make huge sacrifices. The classic example:-

a) If you want to marry a rich dude, you must be carefully selective of the people you fall in love with. You might come to the point where you might need to sacrifice your one true love (who's poor, undereducated, pa and ma hates him to bits even though he's a lovely boy). Be prepared to fight your way through against all the girls (pretty/uglier/smarter/bitchier than you alike) who are all aiming at this instant ticket to wealth. And considering the supply of Prince Charmings is scarce and the global amount of Cinderellas (even the rich want to marry the rich). Rich dudes naturally can afford to have exquisite tastes and think they deserve it. Having to have sucessfully secured one, you'd need to commit your life into being super high maintenance on yourself in fear of the fact that there's always gonna be someone who might steal him away.

b) Vice versa, if you choose to marry middle class/poor dude instead, be prepared to live your life humbly without all the fame, status (and the high class treatment that comes with it), big house/car/private jet/luxury cruiser, branded stuff and the fancy holidays. If that's not worst case scenario enough, pa and ma might even want to severe ties with you or get a heart attack from your 'unfilial piety'. And let's say this sweet boy happens to be a farmer, you might even end up being Mrs. McDonald feeding pigs, rearing ducks or scooping horse poop. But as long as you're with the one you love and he's true to you, who cares? (I think)

Either way, to be truly happy with what you want, you cannot escape from making BIG sacrifices.

Howsoever, life is not a dead end as it seems. Sometimes, we should not be blinded by the circumstances right in front of us and make judgements so easily. There're stories of the rich who fall because of their foolishness and have their families exile them and the poor who rise from the slums and are now living happily and comfortably with the ones they love. Likewise, not all rich guys are bastards and not all poor guys are out there to drag you down with them. It could very well be the opposite too.

Generally, most people are not comfortable at making this kind of gamble, because they want what is in front of them and instant gratification.

I believe life is about making the decision which is right for you at that moment and not the perfect decision (because there is no such thing). The economy changes, what more people? It is more fulfilling to live based on your personal principles and not by what the society's standard is. Don't aim for something just because the rest of the society is aiming for it.

You want love, go for it.
You want money, go for it.
You want love and money, go for it.
As long as you can afford to pay the price and not regret it even if the outcome does not end up what you wanted, go for it.