Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Me vs Them

I drive a perodua.
Some of the trainees drive a mini, merc, honda civic, or some other super duper space age sports car with a million horse powered twin turbo engine plus an exhaust pipe the size of a baby head to boot.. not to mention the other cars that they OWN.

I wear a beat up swatch watch.
Some of the trainees are wearing rolexes .

I'm wearing shirts which don't fit well and are either 5 years old, or just bought at the recent megasale at a discount.
Some of the trainees are wearing sharp, crisp, wrinkle-free shirts which fit them like second skin and requires CUFFLINKS that costs at least a few hundred bucks more.

I own ONE full suit I bought from parkson at a megasale.
Some of the trainees are wearing custom made designer suits.

I mostly have my makans at mamak stalls and similar-priced stalls.
Some of the trainees talk about eating at hotels, and pishy poshy places with names that you can't even pronounce.

I'm 27. With all the pretty paper qualifications and about 6 years of full-time work experience under my belt.
Some of the trainees are at most 23 years old. 0 years of work experience.

....

Study hard mum said. Get all your As. Get a good job. Work hard. You'll make it, mum said.

It seems like she was wrong. It seems like working hard all my life got me nowhere.

It seems like the only way to be able to MAKE IT in this country is
a) to be born into a rich family or
b) marry into one.

It seems like this rat race is just one big fucking scam, and I'm the last one to know about it.

LIES. ALL LIES.

Today, I feel like giving up.

57 comments:

  1. *HUGS*
    I once read 'to feel rich, write down all the things you have that money can't buy'.
    Hope that makes you feel better. :)

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  2. well you're blessed with good friends, witty personality and sharp tongue. To quote from the movie 'Rushmore"...
    "You guys have it real easy. I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore.
    Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and your going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you."

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  3. u can always scratch their cars when they are not around...

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  4. It is call modern feudalism. Because too much wealth are concentrate by few which little is putting back to the society. All tax rebate, relief, etc are enrich rich people further compare to middle income class(and lower income group can only dream about it).

    One of the long term solution for this are inheritance tax(or estate tax, death duty). All rich people don't like inheritance tax. But people like Warren Buffet think otherwise, he want the inheritance tax, because wealth inheritance become a "food stamp" and promote rent-seeker.

    Country like US easily get US$30 Billions (RM 105 billions) annually from inheritance tax. And it make Petronas 2004 gross RM59bils earning like chicken feeds.

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  5. I don't care if anyone inherits their money, provided their ancestors worked for it.
    What I do care about are people who get rich without their working for it. I care about being given a fair shake at making money.
    And we all know that in Malaysia that is a pipe dream.

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  6. World was never fair, just don't give up that fight for fairness.

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  7. time to join the scammers crowd. Free registration. But i mean u can register for free but still charging u the membership fee.

    Muahaha~
    Yeap. its hell a rat race & those u see, are born with silver spoon. believe me. I know.

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  8. As you said, it's luck. Read someone with the same sentiment http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/, and if you have the money & time, buy the damn book and read.

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  9. world is never made fair, but that's what makes each of us so special... and u r special

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  10. so... i shouldn't study anymore? okay.

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  11. I feel a sense of dread while reading your post.
    I think I can resonate with what you say to an extent, but not totally, since I am the majority here in Sporeland.

    *sigh*

    *HUGZ 4 U*

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  12. i feel like giving up everyday

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  13. banana chocolate milkshake. spa. beach holiday. cheers.

    hmm... okies, maybe add a good dose of vodka to the milkshake.

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  14. i have been saying it allllll these while....

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  15. The secret in life is NOT to be the best, it's to be an idiot.

    Look at life - Your teachers were idiots, your University lecturers were idiots, you bosses are all idiots! Some cop pulls you over -idiot!
    The secret is be an idiot and keep being an idiot! They'll promote you just to put you somewhere you can't do any more harm!!!!

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  16. I feel for you. My ex-classmates who didnt do half as well as I did in class/uni are earning LOTS more than I am. I drive a battered 8 year old Proton, I figure out every month how to scrap on by, make ends meet, and they, sigh, they think about where to shop for the latest designer togs, where to club. I need to find a better paying job, but like you not too long ago, Im bonded to this (#%U@#(%#%#)%#%)# )#I%)# company. :(

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  17. KY's rich. That's why he's got so many girls living with him, a different one every night. :-)

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  18. Personally I feel it doesnt really matter how much they have or own or earn or make, just as long as they're good people who DON'T think they live a few clouds above the rest of the 'common folk'.

    There ARE some of them unworthy ones who deserve to be shot seriously, but that's life, it ain't fair, not everyone's equal but it's what one person does that sets them apart from another. Let's hope like some deserving few, they actually learn humility, something that cant be bought.

    It's not so bad if they're nice people, you just dont need to keep comparing yourselves with them...

    ....just what I keep telling myself whenever I'm somewhat somewhere in your shoes mentioned above.

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  19. when you think you got it wrong, that's when you're right :P

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  20. hi FA, the only advice i can give is don't compare. there're always ppl richer than you but there are always ppl poorer than you (loosely derived from a chinese saying)

    in my case, i am not poor but i earn meagerly as a freelance writer say compared to my younger sis who is a corporate lawyer in HK - she earns about 15 times more than me so she can afford to have all kinds of designer clothes/bags/shoes that cost a few thousand ringgit each while i shop at Vincci or Nose.. and she goes to Japan and Australia for holiday while i go to Bali and Thailand. on the other hand though she's bogged down with commitments and kids while i'm carefree....

    maybe this comparison is different to your scenario but what i'm trying to say is happiness and meaning of life should not derive from material things, as some of your commentators rightly pointed out. while it's natural to be demoted sometimes, why not just count our blessings? ie u're a famous blogger but are `they'? ;)

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  21. relax, wat goes around comes around......... believe in the karma of life... ;)

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  22. Not luck lah! Sure, those people own pretty watches, pretty cars and whatnot BUT somebody else owns their debt. Sure, you could wear money and drive fast cars but then The Bank would own you. That's not fun. Drive your car, wear your swatch and your five year old shirts. At least FA can be happy.

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  23. more tulan one:
    you ask ur friend's boyfriend what does he do, he give u his namecard and the title says "managing director"
    then he says "i'm quite busy lately, trying to list my company & stuff like that.....what about you?"

    i say "fuck you and your name card too"

    "by the way, no wonder lately your girlfriend has been keeping me very busy too"

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  24. yea man the rat race IS one big fucking scam to keep us bz bz bz. Somebody's got to be the rat right? That is why pigs are not dumb at all. They're smart as hell.

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  25. you give too much credit to material things.

    FA: You're right. I really should stop. But having a lot of money would REALLY rock it.

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  26. Don't you just hate the sight of a freshie at work driving a merc or a bmw?

    When he's only making the odd 2.5k a month something doesn't make sense. Unless of course he sold his organs twice and a gallon of his blood.

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  27. Swatch rocks.

    And I just spent the whole of yesterday at the movies in the name of 'work'. Envy me more, please. :D

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  28. U are probably in the wrong line. Go be a salesperson or investment banker or oil broker. Thats mostly how your trainees' parents got rich.

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  29. Who the hell wants all that stupid shit? The Perodua gets you where you're going. Stall food tastes better than the hotels.

    The only reason people spend all their money on ostentatious consumption is because they don't feel worthwhile inside so they need to create some external benchmark to compare themselves against others. Don't fall into the trap. It's a waste of time. None of it means anything unless you let it.

    Here are the good things about money:

    1) You can use it to help those you love.

    2) It gives you the freedom to spend your time as you please.

    The rest is a lie. And, as someone else alluded to above, you'd be surprised at how many of the 23-year-olds driving BMWs are already ass-deep in debt, ruining the rest of their lives because they wanted random strangers to think they're a big shot.

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  30. don't get me started on the "to be born rich" part.

    @.@

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  31. its not easy to break out of the rat race, do something different. with all this energy you have channel it into something that you love to do and that can make $$ on the side as well. and when you find that opportunity don't stop to think about the #'s and whether or not its feasible, just do it, make it work, be your own boss.

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  32. i have already advised many younger fellas - get into what u like to do instead of thinking of the $$$$ sign that will bring u nowhere.

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  33. The fact is everyone has to pay their dues at some point of their lives. One way or the other. I'm sure you will be successful in due time. Don't let the young yuppies and their lifestyle through you off. They are living off their future earnings and it will come back and bite them at some point.
    You'll probably have to slog like mad, but you'll end up with less debt or debt free and be a much happier FA.

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  34. A Honda Civic is considered a luxury car in Malaysia? Wow.

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  35. don't worrylah. We still love you with your perodua and whatever you are wearing!

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  36. hmm...i think you need drinks!! can i buy you a grey goose cranberry? hahaha... chill... life is too short to be upset about it.

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  37. "If I was a rich girl, nanananananananananananananana!"

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  38. Go marry one of the trainees lah.
    :)

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  39. I'm 25 and most of my seniors are younger than me. Sigh. I joined the workforce late, and feel fucking low self esteem compared to the younger seniors. Fuck. Talk about fucked up.

    I can envision being 30 years old and working for a boss who's 25, or being 35 years old and having just saved my first million while my boss, being 30 years old, has just made his first billion.

    Life sucks.

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  40. Being rich is not the elixir of happiness. People from rich families have to worry about siblings messing up the wills, putting on a show to get Mummy or Daddy's favour, or fear not meeting up to astronomical expectations. Some of them live dangerously, betting zillions of dollars on crazy money markets because they feel pressured to get even richer than they were before. Imagine the pressure of owing 110x more than you actually own, even if you own a lot. And they get less satisfaction from tooling around in a Maserati or a Merc than you or I might, because once you achieve something, it loses its kick.. So having a lot more money MIGHT very likely make me 'happy', but what I have - a Perodua Kancil, no house (and no debts - yet), and a postgrad degree (which, fingers crossed, will lead to a little more pay soon..) on the way keeps me pretty satisfied too..

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  41. I totally you agree with you about that:
    "It seems like the only way to be able to MAKE IT in this country is
    a) to be born into a rich family or
    b) marry into one."

    I was always telling my friends that I want to stay back in the states for as long as I can because that's the way back in Malaysia. T-T. *emo*

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  42. magnee's reference to Nassim Nicholas Taleb is right on. Pick up Taleb's book of the same name (Fooled By Randomness), it's an eye-opener.

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  43. chill dear...i drive a perodua too and feel the same at times..but hey..life is 2 short to be spent worrying on these petty things...:)

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  44. I has ur Kar Keys!!! I Drve

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  45. Nah nah Fire dont' go crying there! Mama is going to be upset with you for quiting the rat race as the journey is only begining. I will see U at the end of the race.

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  46. material wealth that is, that's all!

    as long as you live a comfortable life without worrying who's gonna rob you at every corner, why complain? ;)

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  47. Should have accepted my offer to work as an assistant manager...he he he

    Nolah its not that bad, really. The secret is to switch company often; on average every 1.5 to 2 years. Learn all you can and move up one position in the new company.

    And also, save as much as you can and open your own small business when you're in your early 30s. Take part-time course to continue enriching and updating your knowledge. This will not only get you promoted faster in your current company, but also help get better job in the next companie.

    If all else fails, remember, you are a young and attractive woman. Bury your pride and USE IT! :P

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  48. boys and girls. instead of complaining or consoling yourselves that the world isnt fair or only a selected group of people can ever be rich, why not strive to be rich instead?? Educate yourselves with financial literature. read some books. Trust me, if a lower middle class penang-kia can make it (well, not really.. how about on my way there? :P ) then i supposed everyone else can make it as well. No sudden inheritance or luck, just plain determination and ability to work smart. Btw, i'm only 25. key is to start early and be optimistic! good luck y'all

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  49. I buy all my clothes at megasale. Like my D'urban pants. RM 140 original price, the price I got it at the raya sale?

    RM30. DISCOUNT OF RM110. Is that cheap or what? (then again, I only buy dress pants like once a year, and I've got pants that I still wear from 6 years ago...)

    ...also, you buy clothes at Parkson? If you want cheap, you gotta be willing to shop around. I checked Parkson, Carrefour, Tesco (well, actually, the Tesco was because I was getting the Tesco coke

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  50. wow, fact of life.... studying hard and getting good results means cramming and knowing only what you read, while getting a stable jobs working 9-5, not getting rich but retire off with something in bank. Mixing with people and establishing contacts and networking are the only way to get rich. Ask the late Lim GT,LohBS, the ever enterprising YeohTL, VincentT, etc.

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  51. Once i had nothing and I become one of them, only then u realize the happiest moment you can obtain cost you nothing.

    It is a smile from your love one and a warm hug from a sincere friend.

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