____T.H.E. .P.A.S.S.

____Riding The Mad Bull

Was having a conversation with my Dad a couple of days back as he drove me back to school. A very factual, image-stimulating, truth-hitting conversation. In a way, it was a conversation that made me think.

It started when I was asking him about some cars, their quality, costs and reliability. Since young, I was pretty much into cars (not racing ones though), and even though over the years when football took centre stage, this "car thing" in me never died. In fact, the interest grew again after I got my license and I have been asking about car prices whereas in the past, I was asking more on drive quality and performance.

The topic on car prices brought the conversation towards the question of standard of living and the government policies. I shan't go into politics in this entry though, and I am not as stupid as to touch on a sensitive topic that I don't know a heck about.

My Dad went on about this acquaintance he has. Probably his work acquaintance. I won't say of inferior background but this person is a company driver/labourer of some sort, earning about a $1200 a month, or so my Dad claims. Let's call him Ah Tat (No, he's not the "man with the masterplan"). Then there is his wife who goes complaining to others about how the family doesn't own a car and how pathetic that is. This is where the problem comes in. The problem about how humans, maybe to be more specific, Singaporeans fall victims to their own lifestyle expectations.

Ah Tat probably felt slightly pressurized by his wife, for he proceeded to purchase a Hyundai Matrix (a small Korean car - yes, I think it's a pretty affordable car). However, realistically speaking, at a monthly income of $1200 per month, owning a car is pretty much out of the mind. Sad as this may sound, he had to survive with bread while moving on the road for lunch thereafter. "Unhealthy" comes to mind. Ah Tat isn't the biggest of all men, yet he had to do a labouring job. Soon, he came down with a back injury.

What a predicament he, his wife's expectations and the car brought him into. How he survives now, I really don't know, but now I think of whether if it is actually worth owning a car, especially in Singapore. In fact, car "owners" are actually "renting" a car. A new car's COE expires in 10 years. In the meantime, there's taxes and maintenance of all sorts to deal with. After which, the car has to be scrapped whether or not it is in tip top condition and that may return a measly sum of money. Isn't that renting or what?

So we went on to talk about how we can't actually save up to buy stuff (stuff here means cars and houses). Another family once contemplated buying a landed property (very much earlier in the developing years of Singapore). Which is a good idea, since semi-Ds don't turn into peanuts in 10 years. In fact, they turn into much more valuable semi-Ds. So, this family started saving up to buy a say $400 000 house in 1970. 2 years later, they saved up to $50 000. Plus previous savings, that would give them $300 000. Pretty good progress? No way. The semi-D now costs $800 000. Buy now, idiots! Pay the deposit and monthly installments thereafter!!

Ok, maybe that should have come into mind in the first place. But isn't that being dragged down by "lifestyle expectations"? Let's say one earns $3000 a month and yet yearns to buy a semi-D of which installments costs up till $1000 a month. Still an affordable sum. Now what if, having paid the deposit for the house and along the way, economic crisis occurs and this person gets retrenched? Would he be able to dig in and hang on?

Singaporeans are lucky that all of them (or most of them) get a roof over their heads in the form of HDB. But if you are one who craves a high class standard of living, unless you are really a big boss, a doctor, a lawyer or someone along these lines, maybe Singapore is not the right place.

We are all merely riding on a mad bull's back. Once fallen off, the enraged bull will gorge its horns through one's intestines.

---------------------------------