3/31/2013

The Big Thing in Sin City





In this small little island of millionaires, everything is big. Even a small little nimrod will think very big and imagining that it is the most desirable big thing and women will beg to have it in their mouths. I think we are going to be the biggest customers of the US in the purchase of the most sophisticated aircraft of the future. It is flying but will only be ready in the future as it is not flying right yet. The thing big about this aircraft is the price tag.

I just read an advert that someone paid $147k for a Porsche 911. The Sinkies are so rich that they would not want to buy anything on the cheap. They would pay for a piece of worthless paper called COE for $100k to give them the privilege to plonk down another half a million for the same car. Why would they do that, I dunno. It must be a dignity thing. Things must have a big price tag to be good. Oh, they just raise the tuition fees for universities and polytechnics to make them better. The more expensive the better the quality.

Yes, the Big Thing in Sin City is the price tag. Everything has to be priced big to be good and saleable. A public housing flat with a 99 year lease, very likely less than 90 or 80 years left, was selling like hot cakes at $1m or more. And the millionaire Sinkies, I supposed, would congratulate themselves for such a good buy. The guy who bought the Porsche would probably get 2 or 3 landed freehold properties for the same price of one public housing flat. Across the Causeway one could buy several landed properties too, for that price tag.

And many will save a life time for that final visit to the hospital to empty their life savings. It must be a final charitable act, to donate everything to the hospitals and to tip the staff for the good service, or is it the hospital price tag?

And the citizens are so generous that they are happily paying their political leaders millions to keep them from corruption. Of course the leaders are the most dignified and talented people on earth, or at least in the island. Their forte is to learn from other countries, what other people are doing before applying what they learnt to the island. And if they failed to learn anything, they will pay for expert consultants to do the job. Or they may even ask the people, the ordinary men in the street for answers. The price tag for the ministers is not only big, but very big. Obama would have faint if the Americans decide to pay him half the amount being paid to his counterpart here.

Paying big, buying big, getting big pay are the norms here. The thought of how much to pay for the things we paid here can drive many people elsewhere crazy. Imagine how many life times will one need to earn a $100k in many countries. Here it is only good enough to buy a certificate only to be entitled to buy a car with a bigger price tag.

That is how big our money has become.

13 comments:

  1. The order of things are about to be change! Thanks to JC and Easter! Cheers!

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  2. The only things that count here are those that can be counted and the easier it is to count the more it is to be counted and nothing is easier to count than money.
    And our PM is an idiot for subscribing to the above, ignoring what Albert Einstein said long ago, "Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted."


    Saycheese

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  3. I drive a car since Iii was 18 whether overseas or in sin city. I can not live without a car so I don't have a choice but to pay 100,000 for a piece of paper. It's a car tax.

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  4. Frankly whether its custom duty, parf fee, gst or Coe, there are just taxes in different names, make no diff to me

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  5. Its keeping up with the jonses, so you have heard that someone has bought their own private jet?

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  6. As I read, my heart bleeds with anguish feelings of how everything in this country is going! Just like Fish, we are screaming deep inside, helpless and suffocating.
    Can the rest of the 60% wake up from their slumberland.

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  7. What is the wealth distribution like in this millionaire's paradise? Is it 80% of the wealth in the hands of 10% of the people?
    Almost every morning I go to Yakun shop at IMM( free parking for first 3 hours)for my morning kopi-o kow fix. I saw this old lady cleaning tables and clearing the trays. She told me that she is more than 80 years old, I asked her why she needed to work, She said "Bo Biang"
    Well, she is lucky. She can still work and there is work for her.
    BTW before I sip my coffee, I make sure I click on a few adverts so that RB can have his coffee too!

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  8. Government will meet citizens' needs, aspirations: Shanmugam

    http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/responsibility-government-meet-both-needs-and-aspirations-citizens-sha

    Talk so big.
    After 50 years.
    Still cannot meet our aspirations of owning an affordable home.

    After 50 years.
    Still talking about meeting our aspirations.

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  9. Thnak you oldhorse and everyone for your kopi. I always remember you people when I am having mine in the morning. And thanks for remembering me.

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  10. 11.21 private jet no parf, Coe and erp right?

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  11. This world is full of lies. Sing died the day she was divorced from Malaya due to the evil plot of an evil person being exposed. Singers from that date became slaves for 99 years rental flats, coe, gst, ultra stessful school system, useless jobs, poor retirement condition, exploiting healthcare system etc. If not for this scumbag, arrogant dickhead, cunning asshole, singers would have ended up with proper nice houses with garden, private cars, proper family, better air quality. Everytime, this old scumbag still selling himself as 'guru' and many stupids still taken in by him. How many people already destroyed by him? When will they ever learn? He is not a hero, he is a bastard.

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  12. The government still thinking of increasing population for growth. This deadly sure die formula must be put to an end. The population must be reduced to less than 5m with lower cost of living, more living space for everyone.

    The Sinkies must stop the madness before it is too late. May Day is only the begining to stop this self destruction.

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  13. The dumbest thing anyone can do -- especially in a place like Singapore is to go into debt out of fear of "losing face".

    That is what suspect many Singaporeans do: they have this weird twisted MENTALLY UNHEALTHY idea to "put on a front" which is all totally money-based.

    It's all very well if you can actually afford such "lifestyle" if you pay for it forward in CASH, but I suspect the vast majority are in debt to their eyeballs.

    Our grandparents would freak out if they looked at the amount of debt the average Jo and Jane carry.

    Like it or not, being financially and economically "sound" so that you have adequate reserves and are debt-free makes good sense, and I can tell you from anecdotal experience that you'll have less worries and sleep very soundly at night.

    If you care less about what people might be thinking of you because you think they "judge you as inferior" just because you don't display expensive trinkets, it will cost you less in the long run, and you will have a clearer, less cluttered mind you can use to focus on the things that really matter -- like having a pleasant life which actually means something not just to you, but to everyone you have chosen to share yourself with.

    The debt I am referring to here is consumption-based debt : car loans, credit cards, lines of credit, home mortgages-- personal debt. I am not talking about debt used to finance positive cash flow and high rate of return assets, where the revenue generated far exceeds the amount of leverage commitments.

    One thing I am damn scared of, (and I don't scare easily), is USURY. If you borrow, sooner or later you will kena the debilitating effects of USURY as the lenders screw your ass for late fees, refinances and the dreaded COMPOUND INTEREST.

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