I was reading the article in New York Times about how studies confirm the sometimes counter-intuitive perception that cold symptoms don't make us sick. Somehow, I don't find it that hard to believe. While cold symptoms are unpleasant, what with all the running nose and sore throat, but your body almost always wins in the end. And you won't get sick for quite some time, since your body has produced antibody to last you for quite some time.
But there's more. The finding indicates that, since it's good to let your body fight the good fight (and win in the end), it's a bad thing to take all those herbal supplements and vitamins to try to protect your body from coming down with colds. This one might be harder to believe, but somehow, I buy that too.
I remember when I was going up, my mother used to tell us this: If you have a temperature (low grade fever), that's ok; because you're going to grow an inch or two after that. Her saying has stuck with me for a very long time, and I truly believed it. My secret wish to get sick (and have a fever) is solely cosmetic. I was rather skinny and slim-built when I was growing up, and I've always, always wished that I could grow taller. The myth that my mother told me somehow gave me this hope that I could perhaps get another inch or two, should I get sick more often. I know it sounds rather perverse, and the logic is all backwards; but don't argue that with a 7-year-old.
And there's more: If I get sick, mom would let me stay home, in bed all day, and do nothing but drink soup, or have congee, or rice noodle in soup. I'm born a soup/congee/noodle person, and that means heaven to me, no matter that I might be suffering from unpleasant symptoms. I didn't consider those things, because in my mind, the goods outweigh the bads. So, that's that.
But I never really get my wish fulfilled. You'd think it's relatively easy to come true, coming down with colds every darn winter. That might well be true in these days. But back then, this was not so for me. From when I was born, until I'm well into my early adulthood, I hardly get sick. For as far as my memory can serve me, I can only remember myself coming down with slight temperature twice. Both times, I got my wish and my fill of soup/congee/noodle; although the grow-a-few-inch part never materialized. (I would have to wait until puberty before I get my growth spurt.)
Resources were very limited back then, and we never have all the seemingly modern-day luxury like annual checkup, or going to see the doctor when you're sick, which has now become national obsession in this country, given all the debates for healthcare reform. Being old-fashioned mother as she is, mom somehow did all the right things. Let your body fight the fight. Eat well, sleep well. Balance diet. Exercise, and playing. Back then, if someone is reeeally sick (diarrhea was probably the worse that I can recall) , you get over-the-counter medicine. Believe it or not, they still work their wonders for me these days.
But you know, I know deep down there's something more than just doing the right things by my mom that kept us healthy. I know it has to be something more. Even these days, when my kids might come down sick, contagious with all the cold or flu symptoms or all sorts of virus, I somehow almost always am the last one standing (since my husband almost always gets infected too). In the household, we do all the routines together. In fact, my kids are much more active in outdoor activities than I am now. My husband does his exercise frequently too. So, I know it has to be something else.
And then, I remember the food that my mom made.
We didn't have alot of money back then. Mom is a stay-home mother, and dad is forever working long hours to get enough money to feed the family. So, mom watches the household finance extremely carefully, and we're reeeeeally frugal. (Oh, you'd think getting food stamps, or soup kitchen, or not having Christmas presents is frugal? Those are luxuries, because there's still someone lending a helping hand - be it the government, or charitable organizations.) When we were young, there was no such thing as eating-out. You watch every penny. You don't have any - and I mean, any - money to buy anything extra, other than food or pay the rent. We didn't have a TV until I was 12.
You might think, gosh, I feel bad for you. Or, I'm really sorry to hear the tight situation in the household. But don't be. That's because we never felt poor. Mom did a tremendously marvelous job in keeping the household going. With the very little money, she would get sometimes cast-out food from the fresh food market, like tomatoes or oranges or fruits that people throw out by the hawkers because they are 1/3 or half rotten. She's an expert in cutting out the rotten parts, and we eat only the good parts. For that, we have fresh food in every meal, and fruits everyday. She would cook our meals fresh, everyday. She would walk us to school. She would make sure everything in the household is clean. In our spare times, we would make up our own games and play. Or, I would draw pictures. I like drawing pictures.
I'm not an anomaly in my family, because my parents and my siblings rarely get sick either. As I get older, I'm beginning to attribute the good health that my mom imbues in us, through those rotten food that she bought. I would get much stronger stomach than my husband or kids because I can take almost any kind of food, even those not in the best condition. In the back of my mind, I've also believed that, being exposed in a controlled dose of bad stuffs (eg. virus) can somehow make you stronger. This was way before I come to realize how alot of vaccines are made, which are essentially dead or even live virus in low dosage. Somehow, we have to learn let your body how to fight a fight. To a certain extent, the study in this article confirms that belief of mine.
But I know, if I am to tell people, try to get rotten food, trim the bad parts, and eat them, it's going to major heresy. No one in the modern days is going to take me seriously on that. Afterall, there's always modern medicine to help you when you get sick. And good food is aplenty. No one is going to go out and seek out rotten food in supermarkets, not even those on food stamps who complain that they don't have money to buy food. In a rich, developed country like this, no one would accept that as modus operandi. I guess, if I were to have the seriously limited resources like my parents have had back then, I would have adopted those practices without second thoughts. But if one has money in the pocket, it's hard to suggest them (me included) to go get rotten food.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
On sex survey and the reality...
Yes, it's one of those times when people publish survey results about sex, this time it's about contemporary sexual behavior. I don't normally pay much attention to this kind of results, since they are mostly just silly, and nothing much. This latest one claims to find interesting shifts in contemporary Americans, after a survey of 6000 adults. (Although, no doubt, the margin of errors must be huge, given a small sample size of 6000 adults, with no inkling on how they are selected and other details like demographics. So, it's likely that it's just one of those surveys that make big claims and nothing else.)
So, this survey says it found "surprising" results about the high number of masturbation, among men, even after they're in their adulthood. I don't know who in their right mind should be surprised by that. Do other women really get offended when they find their husbands/boyfriends masturbate, even though they have an active sex life? Well, I just know that I don't.
And then there's this finding that women are faking their orgasm more often than men. The study's conclusion is that, there needs to be more communication to overcome this perceived "problem." I don't know about you, but I don't see how letting my husband know that I almost never get an orgasm in sex is going to help. It's the famous "it's not you, it's all in me" type of thing. If I can't get orgasm from normal intercourse with my partner, how is it going to help by telling him every time that he fails, when he has tried so hard to please me?
Oh, and then there's the masturbation about women, which the study breezes over without touching on much. But I can tell the surveyor that at least I can get an orgasm much easier by masturbation than by normal intercourse. And when I'm by myself, I don't have to fake it to please anyone. If I don't get it, I don't get it. That in itself is liberating.
And then, there's the surprise about condom use. Perhaps my husband is one of those new age guy, condom use is never even a question. It's one of those things that we need to use. Period. I would think, too, that we're not an anomaly in that. Many modern couples would use condom, if they have a little bit of commonsense.
Last but not least, is the subject on anal sex. The study finds it more widely practiced in bedrooms, than was previously thought. If we correlate this finding with the other result, that women fake their orgasm more often, I would imagine the sex life is getting even more torturous and painful for women than one would imagine. But would anyone be surprised that women have to fake orgasm if they're practicing anal sex more often? I don't know about you, but I can't stand anal sex. Let's be honest with ourselves, that guys do like to come from behind sometimes. Way back when, we gave anal sex a try, but it's so painful that I almost literally jumped right out of our bed. We figure out a compromise. He can come from behind, but it has to go through the normal intercourse's channel.
From what I see it, these kind of sex surveys don't do much, except garnering some attention in women/girls' magazine, in sex revelation...which is to say, it's like gazing crystal ball to see your future (more myth than reality).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talks on sex are never a question or topic in traditional Asian families. I remember my mother never feels comfortable touching on anything related to sex when I was growing up. It's only after I got married, that she probably thinks I'm old enough now, that she can even bring herself to dance on this subject.
About the only time(s) that my mother talks about it, was how some husbands would demand it (ie. sex) so often that it can become a torture. The Chinese word she uses to describe it was synonymous to jumping on you, or crawling all over, and some such, none of which evokes anything pleasant. I guess it's like a duty or chore for wives, even to this day.
This is not to say that sex can be such torture. My husband is a gentle person in the bedroom, even to the point of respectful gentleman, and he won't do anything that doesn't please me. It can be fun at times. But I can empathize those women whose husbands are anything less than that.
So, this survey says it found "surprising" results about the high number of masturbation, among men, even after they're in their adulthood. I don't know who in their right mind should be surprised by that. Do other women really get offended when they find their husbands/boyfriends masturbate, even though they have an active sex life? Well, I just know that I don't.
And then there's this finding that women are faking their orgasm more often than men. The study's conclusion is that, there needs to be more communication to overcome this perceived "problem." I don't know about you, but I don't see how letting my husband know that I almost never get an orgasm in sex is going to help. It's the famous "it's not you, it's all in me" type of thing. If I can't get orgasm from normal intercourse with my partner, how is it going to help by telling him every time that he fails, when he has tried so hard to please me?
Oh, and then there's the masturbation about women, which the study breezes over without touching on much. But I can tell the surveyor that at least I can get an orgasm much easier by masturbation than by normal intercourse. And when I'm by myself, I don't have to fake it to please anyone. If I don't get it, I don't get it. That in itself is liberating.
And then, there's the surprise about condom use. Perhaps my husband is one of those new age guy, condom use is never even a question. It's one of those things that we need to use. Period. I would think, too, that we're not an anomaly in that. Many modern couples would use condom, if they have a little bit of commonsense.
Last but not least, is the subject on anal sex. The study finds it more widely practiced in bedrooms, than was previously thought. If we correlate this finding with the other result, that women fake their orgasm more often, I would imagine the sex life is getting even more torturous and painful for women than one would imagine. But would anyone be surprised that women have to fake orgasm if they're practicing anal sex more often? I don't know about you, but I can't stand anal sex. Let's be honest with ourselves, that guys do like to come from behind sometimes. Way back when, we gave anal sex a try, but it's so painful that I almost literally jumped right out of our bed. We figure out a compromise. He can come from behind, but it has to go through the normal intercourse's channel.
From what I see it, these kind of sex surveys don't do much, except garnering some attention in women/girls' magazine, in sex revelation...which is to say, it's like gazing crystal ball to see your future (more myth than reality).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talks on sex are never a question or topic in traditional Asian families. I remember my mother never feels comfortable touching on anything related to sex when I was growing up. It's only after I got married, that she probably thinks I'm old enough now, that she can even bring herself to dance on this subject.
About the only time(s) that my mother talks about it, was how some husbands would demand it (ie. sex) so often that it can become a torture. The Chinese word she uses to describe it was synonymous to jumping on you, or crawling all over, and some such, none of which evokes anything pleasant. I guess it's like a duty or chore for wives, even to this day.
This is not to say that sex can be such torture. My husband is a gentle person in the bedroom, even to the point of respectful gentleman, and he won't do anything that doesn't please me. It can be fun at times. But I can empathize those women whose husbands are anything less than that.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
On cyber bullying and cluelessness of the young...
I read, with disgust, the Rutger student who committed suicide by jumping to his death due to his roommate's streaming his making out with another guy. The extent of vulgarity and cluelessness of this roommate is beyond belief. Afterall, they are not 5-year-olds, but 18. One would expect them to have learnt a bit of civility and respect to another human being. And for his friend's coming to his rescue, claiming that this roommate is just being "open-minded" in exposing someone else, be it a gay or a girl, is no excuse at all at the extent of his crime. Why is it that the teens and younger generations these days think it's so cool to expose someone else, and that spying on someone else is no big deal? The extent of cluelessness is astounding. I hope this roommate, and the female accomplice who helps him along, will do jail time.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Has writing become a dying art form?
The other day, I read an article on Sydney Morning Herald, about a million-dollar pen in pen-and-stationery stop in Sydney. I was interested, not of how much a pen can get - or even the question of whether anyone would care to put up that kind of money for a pen - but how writing has become so vintage that this store has become part of this cottage industry and niche.
In a way, I'm saddened by it. I like pens and stationery. I like reading. This is despite the fact that my writing is quite terrible, and I'm no calligrapher at all. As a matter of fact, I hardly need to write for a very long time now, since I work exclusively with just my laptop. I haven't even needed to use my printer either, so there goes anything that's remotely related to papers.
All these are well and good, very environmental-friendly. I'm sure I've helped saved alot of trees due to that, plus it frees up so much space at home (since I telecommute). Recently, I applied for another mortgage, and I was able to use all soft-copy of documents exclusively. All 2Gb worth of documents, which would otherwise have required reams of papers, ink and printing, they are now all on a tiny thumb drive that I can put away in my safebox. Isn't that sweet?
Having said all that, I still miss my pens. I have some really nice pens, some of them I used to use very often, including a Mont Blanc and a Parker that I used in my college days. You have no idea how much I long to use them again. I have tried to put them on my desk, so that I can get to use them, should the chance allow it. But they only get to gather dust, and I have to put them away in the drawer. The word vintage quite nicely describes the fond memory that good pens, but an old, broken-down leather bag, is valuable and, as such, should be treasured.
My only hope is, I might still get to use it from time to time. Hence, they are still in my drawer, rather than in my safebox. If that should become reality one day, I would be very sad. :)
In a way, I'm saddened by it. I like pens and stationery. I like reading. This is despite the fact that my writing is quite terrible, and I'm no calligrapher at all. As a matter of fact, I hardly need to write for a very long time now, since I work exclusively with just my laptop. I haven't even needed to use my printer either, so there goes anything that's remotely related to papers.
All these are well and good, very environmental-friendly. I'm sure I've helped saved alot of trees due to that, plus it frees up so much space at home (since I telecommute). Recently, I applied for another mortgage, and I was able to use all soft-copy of documents exclusively. All 2Gb worth of documents, which would otherwise have required reams of papers, ink and printing, they are now all on a tiny thumb drive that I can put away in my safebox. Isn't that sweet?
Having said all that, I still miss my pens. I have some really nice pens, some of them I used to use very often, including a Mont Blanc and a Parker that I used in my college days. You have no idea how much I long to use them again. I have tried to put them on my desk, so that I can get to use them, should the chance allow it. But they only get to gather dust, and I have to put them away in the drawer. The word vintage quite nicely describes the fond memory that good pens, but an old, broken-down leather bag, is valuable and, as such, should be treasured.
My only hope is, I might still get to use it from time to time. Hence, they are still in my drawer, rather than in my safebox. If that should become reality one day, I would be very sad. :)
From horror show on runway to wearable fashion on streets...
Since flying back from the summer trip to Asia, I've been so busy catching up on everything, including kids starting school, work and all, I can barely find time to even think of my journal, even though I have so much on my mind that I wish I could just do a brain-dump of them all.
So, these past few days, I read a few fashion-related articles, which have addressed some of my long-standing questions or feelings in general, one way or another.
One of the article is on a fashion column whose columnist obviously glows over Vera Wang, in particular, her latest runway show and collection, with pictures of a couple of runway clothes to boot. Not that I think Vera Wang's designs are all bad. Quite far from it, I see designs from her, from time to time, which looks very cute and pretty. But, by jove, how big a disconnect between fashion columnists (and their big opinions), and their readers; likewise to a fashion industry's near-obsession to use models that can only be described as death becomes her, and the loud, larger-than-life clothing that is totally unwearable, and the market audience's loathe of it. The article best illustrates these disconnects, particularly in the near-universal refute of how horrid-looking the clothing and models are, as expressed by almost all the readers' comments to the article.
So, there goes one of those things that has stayed at the back of my mind, and now I know I'm not alone in seeing how hateful the audience feels, towards all these supposedly contributions from the fashion industry.
But then, how does it justify the fashion industry going so strong, year after year, with runway shows still a yearly mainstay?
The second mystery was quite neatly addressed by another article I read, which illustrates how a seemingly outrageous runway design of a Donna Karan shirt is transformed from runway to become store-salable merchandise for everyday women. It's indeed a quite fascinating read for me, since I'm not in the industry, and obviously have no inkling of what goes on behind the scene to try to relate the runway to our fashion on sidewalk. For that, it shows how extravagant or exaggerating details of the runway design are trimmed, modified, eliminated or replaced, in order to make it a wearable clothing for an average woman.
All those are good to know for me, because I've come to loathe this whole fashion industry which is nothing but narcissistic to me. I've come to wonder how many designers it would take to translate those outrageous clothings from the likes of Marc Jacob or Jean-Paul Gaultier, into something that we can wear. But what more curiously is, at which point has this whole fashion industry moved out of steps from the classic designs of Chanel, in which every woman would dream of having "that exact same dress on the runway," into something on the runway in which we can really relate to? At what point has these runway fashion shows become just a show?
So, these past few days, I read a few fashion-related articles, which have addressed some of my long-standing questions or feelings in general, one way or another.
One of the article is on a fashion column whose columnist obviously glows over Vera Wang, in particular, her latest runway show and collection, with pictures of a couple of runway clothes to boot. Not that I think Vera Wang's designs are all bad. Quite far from it, I see designs from her, from time to time, which looks very cute and pretty. But, by jove, how big a disconnect between fashion columnists (and their big opinions), and their readers; likewise to a fashion industry's near-obsession to use models that can only be described as death becomes her, and the loud, larger-than-life clothing that is totally unwearable, and the market audience's loathe of it. The article best illustrates these disconnects, particularly in the near-universal refute of how horrid-looking the clothing and models are, as expressed by almost all the readers' comments to the article.
So, there goes one of those things that has stayed at the back of my mind, and now I know I'm not alone in seeing how hateful the audience feels, towards all these supposedly contributions from the fashion industry.
But then, how does it justify the fashion industry going so strong, year after year, with runway shows still a yearly mainstay?
The second mystery was quite neatly addressed by another article I read, which illustrates how a seemingly outrageous runway design of a Donna Karan shirt is transformed from runway to become store-salable merchandise for everyday women. It's indeed a quite fascinating read for me, since I'm not in the industry, and obviously have no inkling of what goes on behind the scene to try to relate the runway to our fashion on sidewalk. For that, it shows how extravagant or exaggerating details of the runway design are trimmed, modified, eliminated or replaced, in order to make it a wearable clothing for an average woman.
All those are good to know for me, because I've come to loathe this whole fashion industry which is nothing but narcissistic to me. I've come to wonder how many designers it would take to translate those outrageous clothings from the likes of Marc Jacob or Jean-Paul Gaultier, into something that we can wear. But what more curiously is, at which point has this whole fashion industry moved out of steps from the classic designs of Chanel, in which every woman would dream of having "that exact same dress on the runway," into something on the runway in which we can really relate to? At what point has these runway fashion shows become just a show?
Friday, August 13, 2010
New money in China, and its effect overseas...
I haven't been writing in my journal for a couple of months now, mostly because our family has taken a couple of months to travel to Asia during the summer. Between kids' activities, gatherings with friends, work and family engagements, there isn't much time left for anything else. Now that the summer vacation is winding down, it might be a good time to jog down some thoughts:
- One would think that, since I grew up in Hong Kong, I should be accustomed to its heat and humidity. I'm still amazed by how much it gets to me, every time I travel back to my hometown. The constant sweating and stickiness can be quite unpleasant. It's no wonder why everyone (no exception) seeks out A/C treatment, even for however brief a moment. We're never big on A/C, but I'm almost saddened, to have to say that we can't sleep without the A/C on. How ironic it is, for a city that is actively promoting going green.
- On going green, Hong Kong has come a long way. But whatever it is, the most powerful behavior changer is always with money. These days, with all supermarkets and convenience stores charging an extra HK$0.50 for a plastic bag, almost everyone brings their own shopping bag. While HK$0.50 might not be much, it can quickly add up, with multiple trips to grocers. I'm impressed by how pervasive the behavior has changed among all walks of life, judging by BYOB ("bring your own bag") is practiced by most everyone, including the very old. When I was going up, my mom used to use her own wicker basket to buy grocery in the wet market. I'm glad that people are reverting to the old tradition.
The success of other green measures though, is less than stellar. One of which is the half-hearted measure of recycle bins. There are groups of recycle bins for metal, plastic, papers, but alas - no glass! They are strategically placed at busy intersections in busy residential areas (but almost none to be found at commercial districts like Central). Very, very rarely would you see any overflowing recycle bins, most likely because you can still easily see the recyclables like plastic bottles and cans being dumped as trash. By jove, in our condo building in US, the recycle bins 50% bigger than the ones used in Hong Kong would have been filled up within two days after they are cleared. I'd say, if the Hong Kong government has really wanted to increase the level of recycling, they can easily have put out coin machine where each can or plastic or glass bottle is reimbursed by just HK$0.50 or even HK$0.10. I can bet ya, it'll overwhelm the system with recyclables within days. - Hong Kong is forever changing, sometimes to my dismay. There seems to be less and less interest among the locals to value history, like old style restaurants or historic buildings. In the past, Hong Kong government has made it more of a point to promote its history (eg. floating an old-style fishing boat in Victoria Harbor that signifies the fishing root of Hong Kong more than a century ago). That's because western tourists appreciate its uniqueness. These days, with an overwhelming majority of tourists in Hong Kong coming from mainland China, no one seems to care. (Afterall, mainland China has been busy shedding its own history, racing to pull down historic districts, replacing them with skyscrappers.) One time, when I was walking into this really old teahouse style of restaurant in Central, I overhead a few mainland Chinese tourists thrashing this restaurant, saying that they have "lots of these" dingy restaurants in their hometown in China. When they come to Hong Kong, they want to see new things, buy new clothes and jewelry. They have no interests, whatsoever, in seeking out the history of Hong Kong which makes it so unique. That makes me both angry and sad, all at once.
- Which brings my thought to the new wealth from those mainland Chinese, alot of them tourists, but with an increasing number of them coming to Hong Kong just to shop, invest, and move/park their monies. For this, you would have to be physically in Hong Kong to truly experience these new wealth coming from China. In the olden days, you would identify mainland Chinese by how backward-looking they dress. These days, you can quite easily pick out those who are from China by how they look too, but now, it's those who go shopping with their luggage (on trolley wheels), and by counting all the incredibly expensive brands that you can't possibly imagine, all on a single body, from eyeglasses, to earrings, to necklace, watches, rings and bracelets, clothes, handbags, and shoes, most of which in very loud colors. The kind of gawdiness can blind you instantly. The ones that tops it all, were one young couple (in late teens to their early 20s) I saw on a bus on the Hong Kong island. The boy dressed in the most asexual way, with full collections in Prada and Louis Vuitton. The girl dressed likewise, but with a blinding diamond necklace and bracelet that would make evening gown look dim. To top it all, he was picking her ears...publicly on a double-decker bus.
- And yes, that brings me to another thought, of how uncivilized the mainland Chinese can behave. Apart from the ear-picking episode on bus, I've also seen another young couple scratching and picking each other's feet while waiting for a cross-harbor ferry. Even my youong kids are flabbergasted when they see it; how can it be that these young adults can be so oblivious of how terrible that looks in public? Do they do the same in China too???
- The other thing that you won't believe it, is the amount of wealth that these mainland Chinese bring to Hong Kong (for shopping and investment). It's not uncommon to see outrageously priced luxury condo being bought by mainland Chinese, or the jewelry and skin care products...all in cash. One time, I was in this watch shop in Causeway Bay browsing. The sales assistant in the shop was trying to entertain a small group of unruly mainland Chinese. They were asking "which are the most expensive watches?" to which the shopkeeper points out the Vacheron Constantin to them. These mainland Chinese men were suitably impressed by the price tags (upward of HK$200k), but one of them thrashing them, saying"Cons-si-what?" in Chinese.
- One has to ask, where does all these wealth come from? One would not imagine that they come from the monthly savings from salary of regular workers. The consensus answer comes from government stimulus. When the government turns on the spigot, monies flow left, right, and center, to officials and those businessmen who pay to get results from these officials. Everyone worries about the possibilitiy of collapse of this not-so-invisible bubble in China, even the thought of a slowdown sends shudder around the world now.
While there's no doubt about the red-hotness in the Chinese economy, one has to wonder, how real is the statistics put out by government. How much of those 8-9% GDP growth have ended up in private pockets, rather than going towards public good, like the social safety net for healthcare? - Beneath the almighty China lies the small but dynamic Hong Kong which is famous for reinventing itself. I've slowly come to the realization that Hong Kong is losing its own uniqueness, while trying to mimic itself as another Chinese city like Shanghai or Beijing. With its gradual loss of grip in manufacturing and potential financial sector, would it one day have lost its way in reinventing itself with a new sector? Its education system has been on shaky grounds since its handover back to China in 1997, with shifting focus from English to Mandarin, then to dual language, then back to try to hold onto English, with a lost generation of teachers having the capability to teach English. The mass production of graduates from the many universities (promoted from little more than community colleges or technical institutes) with depreciating level of competitiveness, offers little comfort. To be sure, I emphasize with the younger generations these days, whose starting salary of graduates is on par with my starting salary 20 years ago. How they survive, with higher inflation and cost of living, is quite beyond my imagination.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
On debt-related stress and America's new-found frugality...
There are times when I feel peeved, even unsettled, after reading news of what's happening around us. Lately, one of the latest topics is debt-related stress "suffered" by Americans.
I double-quoted the word "suffered" because alot of those cases sound more like whining to me, longing for the good 'ole days when bank credits were free-flowing, and everyone - literally everyone, even your dogs - could get huge loans and live large. Some has made it sound like it's a birth right that all Americans should have. The thinking goes like this: If my neighbor can afford to live in a big mansion, why can't I? Why shouldn't I? The banks are stupid enough to lend me the money afterall. Now that the property market has crashed, and prices has stopped rising (in most cases, it's still falling, albeit at slower clip), these same people complain that they can't repay the loans, or that the government does not step in to help them out. Stories after stories like this abound, when people are almost bragging about going into foreclosure, and let the stupid banks suffered, until the banks come begging these free-riders to just stay in the goddamned properties, for free.
That's the point when it makes my blood boil. When the times were good, no one was complaining about banks stuffing loans to their hands, as if they were free money. No one was complaining about government (like George W. Bush's push for the notion of ownership nation). No one was complaining about too much fineprints in the contracts that the borrowers did not bother to read, because they were always counting on the next guy to prop up the property market, and they just kaching their property (with no money down) like a personal piggybank or private ATM.
Alot of people compare the current recession (dubbed the Great Recession) with the Great Depression in 1929. But there's simply no comparison, of the generations that grew up under the Great Depression, their frugal ways of living, and steeliness towards life and any hardship that might ensue. Our generation now only complains about not getting help when they don't get to sustain the good way of living, shifting blame wherever they can find, even to the farfetched corners of currency valuation of Chinese Yuan. This is just so very pathetic, totally.
I double-quoted the word "suffered" because alot of those cases sound more like whining to me, longing for the good 'ole days when bank credits were free-flowing, and everyone - literally everyone, even your dogs - could get huge loans and live large. Some has made it sound like it's a birth right that all Americans should have. The thinking goes like this: If my neighbor can afford to live in a big mansion, why can't I? Why shouldn't I? The banks are stupid enough to lend me the money afterall. Now that the property market has crashed, and prices has stopped rising (in most cases, it's still falling, albeit at slower clip), these same people complain that they can't repay the loans, or that the government does not step in to help them out. Stories after stories like this abound, when people are almost bragging about going into foreclosure, and let the stupid banks suffered, until the banks come begging these free-riders to just stay in the goddamned properties, for free.
That's the point when it makes my blood boil. When the times were good, no one was complaining about banks stuffing loans to their hands, as if they were free money. No one was complaining about government (like George W. Bush's push for the notion of ownership nation). No one was complaining about too much fineprints in the contracts that the borrowers did not bother to read, because they were always counting on the next guy to prop up the property market, and they just kaching their property (with no money down) like a personal piggybank or private ATM.
Alot of people compare the current recession (dubbed the Great Recession) with the Great Depression in 1929. But there's simply no comparison, of the generations that grew up under the Great Depression, their frugal ways of living, and steeliness towards life and any hardship that might ensue. Our generation now only complains about not getting help when they don't get to sustain the good way of living, shifting blame wherever they can find, even to the farfetched corners of currency valuation of Chinese Yuan. This is just so very pathetic, totally.
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