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Only
We Know
31 DEC 08
For
a LONG time now, the number 1 problem for MOST Singaporeans have
always been about money… or the lack of it. Rising costs,
GST, ERPs.. every single last one of you know how bad it is. Hey,
even the Evil Bunny have his own share of financial problems too.
From borrowing money from friends to pay phone bills to staying
home cause my EZ link card ran out of value.. but thanks be to God,
me and my family manage to get by month after month. However I know
times are getting harder and I don’t have to look up for statistics
in the papers (if they publish any) to know bad it is.. you just
gotta get out and walk down the street… |
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of things I noticed that changed drastically is the increase of
people asking for alms. I can still remember a few months back
when a Malay Makcik approached me and pleaded me to buy phone
cards from her. She even showed me the value of the cards at a
nearby public phone, just to assure me that she is not ripping
me off. The problem is I don’t have the need for a phone
card but its hard to turn her down when you can see the desperation
in her eyes. Another time is when a Chinese Uncle looked at me
and ask for $2 at point blank. And yet another incident involved
a Eurasian uncle who sat across me when I was eating at a coffeeshop
at Bugis. We made small talk and he asked me for some money for
bus fare home. |
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*You
can check the balance. Ther still $10 worth. Do buy one.
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To
me, I do not have any problems with people asking for help.
I give what I can and if they ask too high I give what I can
afford at that time. Even if they snatch the money from your
hand and not say thank you, you should not take things too personally
because you have to understand their situation.. No one likes
to beg and usually it is done out of desperation.
Besides
beggars, this cash strapped society can also be felt when I
engage some professional help. I remember way back, my toilet
bowl can’t flush and I called a plumber in. Over the phone,
he refuses to give an estimate because he wants to review the
problem first. But unfortunately, when he came and quote me
too high of a price, he practically sat on the bedroom floor
refusing to budge so much so, that I have to coax him to leave.
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Still
how could I blame him? I live in the exact system for 20 over
years. I know Singaporeans are riddled with debt. But what makes
this problem uniquely Singapore is how well it is hidden. The
ignorant is always quick to judge a book by its cover. From tourists
to the foreign worker who just had his PR status, everybody seem
to be dazzled by clean streets and shiny buildings. Even foreign
politicians, are fooled by Singapore’s success and quick
to make us as their model worthy of emulation. But they are ignorant
that this “success” comes with a costly price of one
suicide per day. |
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that’s what’s make Singapore dangerous. We are going
through hardships but it’s not apparent to the rest of the
world. We are dealing with problems only we know. I mean if I live
in Indonesia and speak up on poverty, everybody knows I’m
talking sense but if I talk about how crappy Singapore is to foreigners,
a debate ensues like as if its subjective.
This may sound like
a big downer but things are gonna get worse with the coming of
2009 and the collapse of the American economy. I suggest everybody
hang on tight cause this is gonna be a rough ride.
Happy New Year?
Evil Bunny
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