Young, successful - and in search of a dream

[Trigger99]

My thots:

What sort of lifestyle do you want?

If you want to stay in a HDB and have sufficient savings for neccessities and have more time for family, then go for it.

If you aim to stay in a landed property and live life luxuriously, then work hard for it.

Some people can enjoy life only when they have $$ to spend with their loved ones.

Some others can enjoy life even in poverty with loved ones......

So complicated.... maybe it is late and my mnd is not thinking well.

You should still be able to spend time with family while climbing up the corporate ladder. With the $$ you earn, you can go for holidays with family and pay off loans earlier and buy toys for your children. It does not mean that you have to neglect your family to do well in your career.

You can work hard Mon - sat but make it a point ot spend quality time with your family and friends on sunday.

In short, I feel that we can do well in our career and aslo live life to the fullest at the same time and that is why we have our marine hobbies

[acedophin]

Hi,

One will never understand the true meaning of life until you have seen death of someone close and you will stop and pause to reflect on yourself. I would say that Singapore gives a better living standard than many country around. It is just that we are to used to material gain. Why buy landed property which cost millions which you slog like hell just to purchase it and hand it over to your children who might just sell it for a quick gain in future. A 3 room or 4 room flat would be sufficient.

For transport wise, get a van instead of a car as it is cheaper to purchase and low operating cost. Diesel, flat rate road tax. If you are concious about image, than pay the price for it. Anyway who bother about what car you drive anyway, and I can't believe that people tell me that car have scrap value and not van. Where does your scrap value come from? From the 120% taxes you paid. Van only attracts 5% tax.

I never appreciate my country until I am was station oversea for business on a regular basis. I bought a new Wagon R for S$12,000 which is mine for next 15 years and paid S$200+ for life time roadtax in the state I am in. Back home(S'pore),you willl always see me washing my van every few days. Here in India, I don't even wash my car because road is dusty so I don't really bother about washing. But in S'pore, why am I so concious about washing even though our road is good and not dusty?? Maybe because it cost near to 3 times the price here and I became am a slave to my van.

Daily wages here is around S$2-$4. People can still live on it, the don't have the necessary luxuary thing that we enjoy back home but you always see smiles on their faces. They basically live from day-to-day. Government is corrupted to the core over here. Only the rich get things done in their own way. Few days back, there was a heavy flood on the road just outside my apartment, can you imagine children swimming on the road?? For fun, of course.

So I really treasure the time I spent with my family once I get back home each time after touchdown in Changi airport. Spend more time with your family because it is not going to be there forever, you and I will be an orphan at a particular stage of life, just that don't neglect your loves ones and treasure every moment.

[Melvyn Tan]

Good one

[ervine]

Government is corrupted to the core over here. Only the rich get things done in their own way.

yes that's one of the better things about singapore.. low almost non-existent corruption... almost everywhere you go in the region there's corruption and it's so entwined in everyday life that everyone just takes it as the norm and lives with it...

[dreamzcape]

I think that's a very good writeup. Even now as an undergrad I have no idea what I want out of life because of the very fact that the things I want out of life cannot be done due to reasons of impracticality.

Which is why I envy those who find joy in what they are doing and are being paid to do it coz ultimately you're being paid to do what you like. Then comes the factor of being burned out. Assuming one is being paid to maybe do tank setups (something more related to our forums), even if you DID truly enjoy doing setups for people or yourself, after a while i think because it becomes a job so you can pay the bills and blah, it soon dies down as what you ultimately love. I think in the end it's just one big cycle whether or not we are being paid for what we like to do.

EARN>>>SPEND ON CURRENT HAPPINESS(tank upgrades?)>>>FACTORS OVER A PERIOD(CO nag, spending more than we should)>>>CURRENT HAPPINESS NOT VERY HAPPY>>>SWITCH TO SOMETHING ELSE.

So even when we earn from what we do out of interest and happiness, ultimately we still slog to upkeep and then it becomes a burden somewhat.

Perhaps happiness not found in the things we buy but the intangibles that come along with each item. Maybe that's why we're into marine, we pour money into the hobby and it can be straining but sometimes looking at the beauty of the ocean in your own personal space, i think it's somewhat priceless, sometimes just stare at tank for hours.

few cents worth of rambling

[rainbowdarter]

Maybe we can read a book by Robert T Kiyosaki.

The Financial Guru.

He wrote a book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, The CashFlow Quadrant,Guide to Investing, If you want to Rich and Happy etc..etc.

Only Passive income will give you an option. Freedom of life.

[Lester]

hmmmm ... thinking back.. wat do i readi wans in life ??? woman ? frame ? status? money ?? happiness ?