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today i thought about money.
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(I KNOW. SO WEIRD.)
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have you ever had one of those times when you want to get something,
then hesitated, and contemplate a whole lot about whether or not it's worth it to make the purchase,
afraid to feel regret if you didn't,
but at the same time, afraid of what big hole your wallet will get if you bought it.
.
when are we, technically, 'encouraged' to buy things?
things, ie: new handphones, accessories, clothes, shoes, novels/any other kind of books, etc...
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there are two ways to look at this issue,
it is whether or not you could let yourself enjoy the moment, but not going too far off the (credit) limit [the optimist's way]
or you want to resist from indulging in the temporary desire/lust in order to prepare your (credit) capability to satisfy bigger,lustier obsessions that you may/may not have in the future. [the high-achiever's way]
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to me,
i'd rather spend my money on things that i want to have right now,
after clarifying with myself that 'no, i won't go bankrupt after making this particular purchase',
and complete my list of pros and cons on what getting that said object will do to my life.
because to me, my philosophy,
is that we don't know how long we will live,
nor how long our brain might stay in this state of mind where all it allows you to think about is how great it must be to own it,
so why not just get it, (if it's worth the money) and put your mind at ease so you can move on with life.
AND, i don't want to be a hungry ghost when i die. *superstitious*
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i just sounded like a shopaholic.
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but anyway,
i just don't see the point of saving too much and reducing your daily expenditures just because you want a better, more luxurious tomorrow.
yes, saving is good,
we should all have an emergency stack of moolahs just in case ,God forbid, something unfortunate happens.
but if you're on your way to a good career,
and you're built to be a hard-worker,
i'm sure you're life is pretty much set at an above-average level, no?
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perhaps my dad and i have a very different idea of how we should spend our money...
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case 1:
i subscribed to Time Magazine (cost= ~RM350).
came back home and told dad.
dad's not happy.
skeptical on why the hell must i go to a point to SUBSCRIBE it, wondering if i will read every issue of the mag down to the last word (WHICH I DO).
there were countless times when he cringe at the sight of my novels,
which most of them costs me at least 20bucks.....all the way to ~90bucks each.
it's like i'm a book criminal to him....
dad's mind: buy so many books, all so expensive, for what?
oh oh and my novels are also known as STORYBOOKS to him.
NOVELS. STORYBOOKS. *dies and goes to hell and gets slaughtered by Hades*
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case 2:
my netbook's battery died.
so we went and ordered a new one. (cost= RM300)
on our way home, he nagged endlessly on how i should take better care of my battery and how i should charge it and use it etc.
(point: HE CAN'T EVEN SWITCH ON THE PC AT HOME. and i didn't do anything wrong to my battery, i just have to use it often rather than connect the gadget to the cable. Naturally, battery becomes faulty)
then occasionally recommends to me some other brand-new netbooks (because he rather spend 800bucks to get a new one than 300bucks to replace a freakin' battery to the FREE netbook)
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case 3:
dad was very into mini cooper, so he got one, and refurbish its interior with fancy red leather seats and imports new engine for it.
mini cooper was (and still is) rarely being driven, because our family are all well-built (BIG-SIZED),
plus, the steering wheel is too heavy/hard to control.
then dad got into minibike-frenzy.
so he bought 3minibikes. each of different style,
and get them all custom-made in some of the parts of the vehicle.
each fits one person (the rider) perfectly, but is slightly uncomfortable for two person to be on it.
he goes through his daily activities riding his old Honda EX5.
dad aims to get a Vespa next, claiming it's for mum.
mum stays at home most of the time.
= ='
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i'm not gonna list down more examples, it's so frustrating i could go jump off the roof of Komtar and still feel frustration in the fragments of my dead body parts.
i just hate being penalized for getting the things that i feel that i need, just because the decision was made by myself.
'cause who knows me better than myself, no?
at least i didn't go off getting Apples, Blackberries and Burberry!
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thank Goodness i have JPA,
they give me money and let me spend it just they way i like to spend it,
because i get good grades and don't break any laws.
i like the JPA people.