Posted on: 21-04-04 21:49:40
Quote:
Orginally posted by Chris
To tell you the truth, i'd like to live a simple life. Enjoy the company of friends... greet all comers with a hot cup of tea... read good books... spend time with my children... but i can't ! who can?
I work 12 hours a day. Jakarta is a crazy city. You can't go outside and stroll around. You're stuck in a taxi or an office all day. Why do i do this? Stress... pressure... insurance payments... house payments... the wife always moaning that she needs this appliance or that appliance.
I am extremely surprised to hear that from you Chris - living in Jakarta you are not able to enjoy simple things of life and not able to spend time outdoors.
Having lived in Jakarta myself for almost five years, I did lot of socialising, going on picnics, never had to do housework (so even after spending 12 hrs in office always had full 12 hrs for sleep and enjoyment), could afford small luxuries like eating in the best restaurents, having coffee in the luxury hotel lobbies, drive out to Puncak or Bandung almost at will for sulphur baths, weekly massage of 1.5 hrs at US$ 10 cost, bowling games at most modern alleys, and having almost every appliance including cell phones with latest models etc. etc. It was often that we used to have dinner for 15 persons at one person's place even if we decided to have it together at 6pm!! (and not having to do any work for that!)
If in Jakarta one cannot find time to enjoy life, I doubt where else one can. A place where it is normal to have two live in maids who work from dawn, and a chauffer to drive you around even at 2 am, there is no reason not to be able to do most of the enjoyment things one wants to.
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Chandresh
Advice is free – lessons I charge for!!
You're right, Chandresh, perhaps the problem is with me! but things have changed since you were here last. because of recent urban changes (the infamous "Busway", the 3 in 1 rule, frequent flooding), it is impossible to go to Puncak or anywhere outside jakarta for the weekend. As you say, there are a great number of 5 star hotels and malls, but i have been here for 8 years, and one eventually wearies of hotels and malls.
I am naive, perhaps, but i think nature, forests, fresh air should be available to everyone for free! to see a patch of green in Jakarta requires an expedition and serious effort.
Montreal, as i remember it, is almost as bad. To go to any park or island you have to pay exorbitant rates and in the end you sit on the artificial beach they have created.
soon we will completely forget what 'real life' was once like.
I guess whether it is Indonesia, Canada or India some people do live beyond their means and some do not.
It depends on each individual. Some just try to compete with others not realizing that their foolishness will cost them dearly in the future.
Irrespective of where you are you need to have a balance between personal and social life.
As we know that 'all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy'
A friend of mine is a Gujarati from Malaysia and her parents bankrupted themselves on her wedding! they had to sell their house to pay for the three week long wedding (!)... they lost everything... ! another example of people living beyond their means.
Here's a good commonsense article on financial advice and living within our means.
http://biz.yahoo.com/pfg/e05kids/
More and more things which we used to take for granted (i.e. education, health care, public services) have to be taken care of on our own, so we must be careful to prepare for old age, health problems, etc. on our own.
Quote:
Orginally posted by biomed
True and well said Jyoti
Thanks and regards.
Biomed
Thanx biomed
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A friend of mine is a Gujarati from Malaysia and her parents bankrupted themselves on her wedding! they had to sell their house to pay for the three week long wedding (!)... they lost everything... ! another example of people living beyond their means.
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Who told them to spend all they have on their daughters wedding. You make it sound like they are stupid people. Sorry to hear about their misfortune. As a friend hope you could help them out.
No they are not stupid at all. They simply underestimated the costs involved. People were invited from all over the world to attend; it was a massive event. and as you know, people have a tendancy to underestimate costs. as a result, when the final tally came out, they had to liquidate a lot of their savings.
but their children are very rich, so they won't starve, i'm sure.
i have friends in canada who have done similar things. they buy a car on a 4 year lease to own plan then realize the monthly payments are completely unrealistic. they quickly come to grief. and all for what? status? in whose eyes? canada is totally barren socially. you can't talk to a girl on a bus without her blowing her rape whistle. so who are we trying to impress by buying an overpriced car anyway? in canada no one talks to anyone anyway, so i don't see the point of these acquisitions for 'status'.
