Favourite Photos
Icon: LJ/sixthmile
Credits
Layout: tuesdaynight
Inspiration: DayBefore!Misery
Best viewed: Mozilla Firefox.
Resolution: 1280X800.
Sign of maturity? Or am I just a miser?
Bitched on: Thursday, July 13, 2006
Time: 7/13/2006 02:49:00 PM
The weirdest thing happened to me at the washroom of my good ol' neighbourhood community centre today. Time: 7/13/2006 02:49:00 PM
A boy (probably 14 or 15) came up to me asking for 20 cents.
He wanted to buy a pack of tissue paper from a nearby vending machine.
He asked me politely and explained that he was having a stomachache.
I was like, "huh?"
When he repeated what he said, I was still, "huh?"
I know its just 20 cents but I have never had anyone, a stranger, come up to me to 'borrow' money before (donations for flag day do not count).
And I wouldn't (in the right mind) ask a complete stranger for money.
I took a good 2 minutes (I'm not kidding, it felt like forever) to dig into my bag to reach my wallet, which was coincidentally at the very bottom of my bag. I had to empty half of my bag's content into the sink.
I was kinda worried the boy would explode and crap in his pants waiting for me.
He still had his unquivering palm outstretched.
I was secretly hoping he would say, "forget it," and go home to crap.
But no... he had to use my money.
Even when a friend of his came into the washroom.
I mean like, "halo?"
Is this for a charity?
For the Home of the Constipated or Diarrhoea-ed?
I know you must be thinking, "Forget it Shazi, its only 20 cents for goodness sake!"
Imagine, just imagine.
I'm walking down Orchard Road with 80 cents in my wallet.
I can't buy ice-cream from the ice-cream uncle.
Why? Because I've spent 20 cents on tissue paper I've never used.
How can you borrow something from someone, knowing fully well that you can't and will never return the money?
Fine.
So what if its only 20 cents.
Its still money.
I know the old Shazi won't bat an eyelid paying $200 worth of handphone bill every month.
Or the old Shazi would happily buy (minimum) a top and a pair of jeans every single time he drop by Orchard Road, even if he had dropped by the day before (and the day before...).
The old Shazi won't even care if his jeans don't fit, he would just buy another new pair, without exchanging the previous pair.
The former Shazi would laugh and tease his good (but miserly) friend about her spending habits (or lack of it).
But currently she's jetsetting around the globe (who's laughing now?).
That's the old Shazi.
A spendthrift.
Stupid stupid me...
I'm now officially broke.
I know I have been complaining about that in my previous entries. But I can't emphasize enough.
I now have to pinch and scrape when I'm out with my friends and that is beginning to get on their nerves sometimes.
I'm officially a bankrupt, guys.
Of course I have savings but that's also dwindling.
Its called savings for a reason, you know.
I'm not saying that my parents don't give a damn about me, cause they do offer me money (and I feel paise to accept money from them, though its getting easier by the day...)
I'm feeling the pinch.
I'm not making as much money as I used to in the Army (man, I'm starting to miss NS...Getting paid for nothing.)
So here I am flirting with one job and another.
Juggling two jobs at a time even.
I'm thinking of soliciting, but that's too risky...
And also business would be bad...
lol.
But what am I going to do when I'm in school again?
Dig into my savings?
Beg for money from my parents?
Some people are just so fortunate.
Not only do their parents have thick wads of cash in their bank accounts, they also have really thick skin to happily spend the money...
Like this friend of mine who berated his little sister for spending their parents' money on her 18th birthday at a local club.
Sure, he sounds noble...
...
Sure...
He got a freaking RX8 for his 21st freaking birthday!!!
Of course, there is the minority who actually earn their own money.
Just the other day, my eldest sister came home after a day of shopping with two bags.
Not just any bags.
A Gucci and an LV.
Not those tiny purses or wallets.
But handbags. Those huge handbags. Those huge handbags that would cost an average Singaporeans' monthly pay a piece.
I'm not bragging (on behalf of my sister), in fact I thought she was crazy!
Did she buy them because they were branded?
WDF?
OK, I admit, I also tend to go for brands like FCUK, Topman, Levis and Adidas.
But I'm a changed man now.
I don't care.
Its good I have realised the importance of money, at this age, this time.
I'm glad I'm feeling the pinch now rather than I face it in the future.
No more mindless spending spree for me.
I'm glad I'm not a smoker.
Neither am I a clubber (ex-clubber, nor a drinker).
I'm glad I don't drive or ride.
I'm glad I don't have any other vice.
I'm glad I'm single (erm... not really).
And I'm glad I don't drink caffeine.
Cause at $6.10 a cuppa at Starbucks, I'd rather donate it to the Home for the Constipated and Diarrhoea-ed.
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home