8th day
of the 8th month
of the 199-8th year
For those who believe in 'lucky' triple eight-888,it should be a lucky day to-day.personally i like number 8 for its symmetrical beauty and simplicity. anyway,it is just an observation,nothing more...However,a Hong Kong millionaire paid more than a million dollars for such a number!That is one of the expensive cost of lifestyle of the rich? Malaysia is not far behind;I know of one who has 8 cars... .
(I have not check his garage yet,but I heard the number is reduced by half-due to recession; still a lot to choose)
lifestyle: individual way of lifeDo you have a lifestyle?Of course.By the above defination,we all do.The only thing is that it varies from person to person,from place to place and from time to time.
Most of us have heard and read about the lifestyles of the rich and famous.They have been written by entertainment writers to glamourise a few personalities and subsequently create juicy gossips to sell newspapers and magazines.But very few have been written about the lifestyles of hard working teachers,creative writers and dedicated research scientists/engineers etc. May be their lifestyles have got no "style" at all to appeal to the public.
I think, we do need a paradigm shift in the media to change this unbalanced and wasteful expose'.I believe, we do need more space in print and electronic media to give more coverage to these groups of people so that our young people will be aware of them and try to aspire to be like them.And not just to tell juicy gossips of actors,singers and expose scandal stories.
How about the lifestyle of ordinary people on the street?I believe everyone of us have our own lifestyle-the way we live our life.Of course,it is not as colourful as film stars,politicians and corporate figures.It depends on so many factors like culture, economy,religion etc.A few factors seem to dominate our lifestyle-our value system,where we stay and the job we do to earn our living.There are major conflicting value system between rural and urban environments, the executives and the entrepreneurs,the east and the west,the north and the south,the rich and the poor,the upper and the lower middle class,the literates and the illiterates, the young and the old,the believers and non-believers,the hawks and the doves and the list goes on.
All these factors affect and shape our lifestyle.Our lifestyle that we adopted takes into account of everything-our belief,our culture, internal and external environments etc.It is like the price of a share.The price summarises everything-all financial and economic factors,including fear and greed.
The current economic crisis in Malaysia and the Asean region has taught us a lot of lessons for the past one year.It is a wake-up call to our lifestyle.It also calls for self-analysis of our very own lifestyle.One very useful lesson is that it has shown us there had been a lot of excesses not only among the public and corporate sectors but also among ordinary men/women on the street.In the high growth rate of mid-1990's, economic demands pushed everything up including our national and personal egos.As an example,when I call an engineer for interview for a post at my consulting firm, I got the message from him via phone that he will not be coming for the interview if the offer is not at least RM 7,000 ++ per month.In less than a year,I heard the consulting firm that he works has cut everyone's salary by 30%.That,I think is more realistic pay for him!
After one year in recession,I observe that the gung-ho lifestyle has dwindled quite a lot.May be like water-it always finds its level after going through a turbulent phase.When the swollen rivers subsided,we can see a lot of carcasses, skeletons and rubbish come to surface and floating around for all to see.Greed gives away to basic needs.The government,the business people and individuals have come down to earth from lofty clouds.And I also observe more people going to mosques and less people at the hotel coffee-houses. Previously, almost everyone is too busy chasing money or thinking to make more money.I hope by now,everyone's feet are on the ground.
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It is said that for money you can have everything,but you cannot.You can buy food,but not appetite;medicine,but not health; knowledge, but not wisdom;glitter, but not beauty;fun,but not joy;acquaintances, but not friends;servants,but not faithfulness;leisure,but not peace. You can have the husk of everthing for money,but not the kernel. -Arne Garborg. 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Everyone of us has our very own lifestyle ,either we know or we do not know about it.I think, it is imperative that we take stock and see it from a distance.Sometimes,we are blinded by its very proximity.Once we know what lifestyle we are living,the next question is to decide whether we are going to live with that or to make a change.It is our choice.The latest movement in USA to-day is about leading a simple life;going back to basic.It is about what we really need to live moderately and simply.As the western society develops and prospers,things are getting more and more complicated.The people are asking do they really need all these complexities and luxuries of so called modern society?It seems that we as a nation is following the footsteps of the west in making all the mistakes that they have done on the way to becoming a developed nation-like destroying our environment,deteriorating moral and religious values,overspending and what have you ,etc.By right,we should learn from the mistakes of others;it seems that we have yet to be a learning nation.In the next decades,we will have a lot of work to clean up our acts.As an analogy and for comparison,just look at our dirty rivers... It took Sweden 30 years to clean her rivers. In fact,why should we dirty our rivers in the first place? Likewise,we have to work more(hence less time to enjoy life) in order to have a second car,second house or even second wife?
What do I do?I can't change the world,not even my own neighboorhood.But I can change my lifestyle.I will simplify it for my own good.It is my choice.It is also your choice.Do not wait until we are fifty years old,when the thirdage begins.For me,I will go for pure and simple lifestyle.
ALL ARE WELCOME TO A SIMPLE LIFESTYLE-NOT FEES ARE REQUIRED AS IN CREDIT CARD.MY FIRST TIP-THROW THE CREDIT CARD AND JUST USE CASH.
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"As you older,you'd want to make things simpler for yourself"
-Pat Liew,owner of BritishIndia fashion house.,Malaysia.