Tuesday, July 25, 2006

There are some things money just can't buy

I have been thinking a lot over the last few days. There's been a lot going through my mind which made me neglect my blog for a few days. Yeap, tumultuous to say the least. I had a fallout with my parents over things I have been planning to get but I'm not gonna talk about that.

Those who have been reading my posts diligently, I doubt there are, would know that I was planning on doing some upgrades or enhancements to my car - something I have been planning for the longest time, even before I got the keys to the car. Well, that's all up in smoke now. It's all because of the quintessential question of expenditure or over-spending. Fingers were pointed at me, specifically, calling me a "glamour boy", colloquially translated as someone who likes to spend on the latest stuff in order to be perceived as cool or "in".

Let me ask you this question then. Put an IT geek in Sim Lim Square or put gamer in a shop selling games or put an Audiophile in Sim Lim Tower or a car enthusiast in an autoshop selling all there is and what do you get? A great big smile and a wild imagination....give him a blank check and you'll see him doing cartwheels.

We as humans have our own unique interests. Most men would have an interest in either sports, cars, bikes or IT gadgets, some have an equal amount of interest in all. Same goes for women. Only thing is that for women, fashion is high on that list. We go to work, slog hard and hope to get enough money at the end of the month to be able to buy that latest football jersey or MP3 or DVD player or the cool car accessory. If we don't, we'll save up and wait till we've accumulated enough. Women do the same too, they crave for that nice, hot dress or the latest perfume or the latest shade of pink lipstick.

While some would balk at the price tag of $200 for that hot dress or $400 on the new amplifier or $600 on the latest graphics card, there are those who'd scrimp and save to be able to own such items. Deep down, everyone has that desire to own something new, instead of just hand-me-downs all their lives. Having not enough money is, more often than not, just a time-delay mechanism which only serves to slow down the process of realising that coveted dream. However, at the end of the day, being able to realise that dream is a reward far more rewarding than anything tangible.

Let me ask the wives this question. What would you give to see the look on your husbands face when you buy him that latest handphone he's been eyeing eversince it was announced? For the husband, what price would you pay to see that look upon your wife's face when you present her with a new dress or jewelry? For the parents, what price would you put for that look on your child's face when you buy him that new games console he's been pleading you to buy for him? More often than not, it's the intangible rewards that matter, be it you buy something for some you love or you buying it for yourself as a reward for your past year of hard work.

Buying new things may not always be a waste of money, no matter how pragmatic you are. Even if you think your wife is wasting her money when buying a new pair of shoes when she already has 300 pairs lying around at home, to her its the realisation of a dream she has. Same thing goes for the wives. When your husband goes out to trade-in his handphone for the latest model, even though his current handphone is working just fine, does that mean he is wasting his money when you know owning that new piece of hardware will put a smile on his face, the very smile you love to see?? Would you have the heart to deny your child his toothy grin when refusing to buy him candy or ice-cream??

Well, as with all others, I too, dreamt of the latest stuff, I dreamt of upgrading my car, dreamt of getting the new Sony Ericsson K800i and hope to go to Australia for a holiday. However, due to certain events which transpired, I have since decided that they will remain just that - dreams.

No comments: