Putting up with life I
I was travelling on the bus when I started to think. It seems that I've been putting up with too many things in life and it sucks big time. I've managed to narrow down the root cause to one single factor - my apparent lack of monetary wealth, or simply put, poverty.
No, no, I'm not below poverty line. Neither am I reduced to begging in the streets or waiting for handouts from charity organizations. Howver, my life could be much better if I have more money. Below is a list of what I've been putting up with and their respective duration:
Noisy neighbours: About 5 years
From wailing babies to loud yellings, I've heard it all. If I'm rich, I'd sue them for whatever reasons - my lawyer will take care of that - and get even. Of course, you might think I should just walk over and tell them to tone down or bear with it but hell, why should I be a "considerate" neighbour when they aren't so goody-two-shoes in the first place?
Lousy living environment: Since I was born; about 23 years
Don't get me wrong; I like where I live - the train station is near, it's accessible by various buses and there's a decent number of food outlets that serve delicious food. But the thing is, I'd really prefer to stay in a condominium apartment, rather than a HDB flat. For non-Singaporeans out there and Singaporeans who are in the dark, HDB flats are public housing units that the government "sells" to you but you are only a "homeowner" for 99 years, after which the unit will be rescinded. Sounds more like a lease than an ownership, if you ask me. Oh, by the way, your name will be shown under the "leasee" field in the title deed.
Anyway, a condominium apartment is seldom, if not never, a corridor unit and I would not have to put up with people walking past my window. Or crying babies. Or frustrated parents hurling abusives at their uncontrollable kids.
Unreliable public transport: Ever since I started taking public transport; about 19 years
OK, so the local public transport system has been lauded as "world-class". It sure is "world-class" in their world but in my world? It's merely befitting of a developing country. Irregular bus timings, ever-increasing fares, a public transport council which should fight for consumer rights but actually sides with the transport companies, feel like sardines even during the off-peak hours, blah, blah, blah... The list goes on. Say, wouldn't it be great if I owned a car? I can go to anywhere, anytime. Absolute freedom. Jams and poor traffic conditions aside, a form of private transport beats public transport hands-down.
Some might say, "Yeah right. When you get a car, then you will be griping on high petrol costs, road tax, insurance and other related costs." My counter would be: If I can afford a car, why on earth would I not be able to afford the costs that comes with it?
Spoilt daily peripherals: variable
For starters, the legs of my PC table has gone weak and it is now slanted and leaning against the wall. Though it is pretty stable for the past 3 - 4 years, it has been an eyesore. Speaking of eyesore, my monitor is really causing that.
As with all CRT monitors, mine is afflicted with the incurable "discolouration cancer". For the past 3 - 5 years, the display will change every now and then and looks as if someone has placed a blue piece of translucent film over the glass screen. Yes, the entire viewable display area is shrouded with a blue hue. Strangely, a few well-placed hits to the top of the monitor somehow fixes the problem, albeit, temporarily. Oh, anyone who knows the proper term for this problem, do leave me mail or comment. Thanks.
I have a pair of speakers sitting on my slanted PC table, somewhat faulty but capable of producing scratchy sounds. At least, that's what I hope it can still do; I've have not used them for a couple of years. I've have the luxury of having a TV set in my room but the sad thing is, there is no remote control. Well, I could go buy an universal remote control, if I have the money, that is. How long have I been reaching out to press the TV buttons that partially damaged? In the ballpark of 5 years.
Above is just a few items that I care to list; in fact, there's a lot more to it and I can whine about it all day. Some say taking steps to rectify things is better than whining and I can't agree less. So, what can I do? Hmmm... I could take on a part time job to increase wealth. Or I can do some investments. Or perhaps I can try to start my own business. I'm not stupid; I know what I have to do. It's just that I like to complain about mundane things like these once in a while. Who wouldn't?
Anyway, the bottomline is: It sucks to be poor, as in not being able to fulfil your wants and having to put up with life.
No, no, I'm not below poverty line. Neither am I reduced to begging in the streets or waiting for handouts from charity organizations. Howver, my life could be much better if I have more money. Below is a list of what I've been putting up with and their respective duration:
Noisy neighbours: About 5 years
From wailing babies to loud yellings, I've heard it all. If I'm rich, I'd sue them for whatever reasons - my lawyer will take care of that - and get even. Of course, you might think I should just walk over and tell them to tone down or bear with it but hell, why should I be a "considerate" neighbour when they aren't so goody-two-shoes in the first place?
Lousy living environment: Since I was born; about 23 years
Don't get me wrong; I like where I live - the train station is near, it's accessible by various buses and there's a decent number of food outlets that serve delicious food. But the thing is, I'd really prefer to stay in a condominium apartment, rather than a HDB flat. For non-Singaporeans out there and Singaporeans who are in the dark, HDB flats are public housing units that the government "sells" to you but you are only a "homeowner" for 99 years, after which the unit will be rescinded. Sounds more like a lease than an ownership, if you ask me. Oh, by the way, your name will be shown under the "leasee" field in the title deed.
Anyway, a condominium apartment is seldom, if not never, a corridor unit and I would not have to put up with people walking past my window. Or crying babies. Or frustrated parents hurling abusives at their uncontrollable kids.
Unreliable public transport: Ever since I started taking public transport; about 19 years
OK, so the local public transport system has been lauded as "world-class". It sure is "world-class" in their world but in my world? It's merely befitting of a developing country. Irregular bus timings, ever-increasing fares, a public transport council which should fight for consumer rights but actually sides with the transport companies, feel like sardines even during the off-peak hours, blah, blah, blah... The list goes on. Say, wouldn't it be great if I owned a car? I can go to anywhere, anytime. Absolute freedom. Jams and poor traffic conditions aside, a form of private transport beats public transport hands-down.
Some might say, "Yeah right. When you get a car, then you will be griping on high petrol costs, road tax, insurance and other related costs." My counter would be: If I can afford a car, why on earth would I not be able to afford the costs that comes with it?
Spoilt daily peripherals: variable
For starters, the legs of my PC table has gone weak and it is now slanted and leaning against the wall. Though it is pretty stable for the past 3 - 4 years, it has been an eyesore. Speaking of eyesore, my monitor is really causing that.
As with all CRT monitors, mine is afflicted with the incurable "discolouration cancer". For the past 3 - 5 years, the display will change every now and then and looks as if someone has placed a blue piece of translucent film over the glass screen. Yes, the entire viewable display area is shrouded with a blue hue. Strangely, a few well-placed hits to the top of the monitor somehow fixes the problem, albeit, temporarily. Oh, anyone who knows the proper term for this problem, do leave me mail or comment. Thanks.
I have a pair of speakers sitting on my slanted PC table, somewhat faulty but capable of producing scratchy sounds. At least, that's what I hope it can still do; I've have not used them for a couple of years. I've have the luxury of having a TV set in my room but the sad thing is, there is no remote control. Well, I could go buy an universal remote control, if I have the money, that is. How long have I been reaching out to press the TV buttons that partially damaged? In the ballpark of 5 years.
Above is just a few items that I care to list; in fact, there's a lot more to it and I can whine about it all day. Some say taking steps to rectify things is better than whining and I can't agree less. So, what can I do? Hmmm... I could take on a part time job to increase wealth. Or I can do some investments. Or perhaps I can try to start my own business. I'm not stupid; I know what I have to do. It's just that I like to complain about mundane things like these once in a while. Who wouldn't?
Anyway, the bottomline is: It sucks to be poor, as in not being able to fulfil your wants and having to put up with life.
posted by hg @ 20:19
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