of Bikes & Babies
I started working for this company because I needed a loan to finish studying, plus I needed a job anyway. So upon the recommendation and introduction of people, I met my future boss. He gave me a cheque, and I gave him my first 3 years of working life. Kind of win-win really if you think about it. But I did it because I felt I had no other choice. This was the opportunity that lay before me, and at the time, there was nothing more important that finishing my education.You must be wondering why I say all this. I have a new colleague recently... well, not so new.. He's been around since August last year. He JUST married, JUST had a new born son, and JUST took an interest free loan of RM20,000 from my boss.... to BUY A BIKE. Not just any bike, but a fancy 250cc Kawasaki race bike, complete with full crash helmet and cool looking jacket & gloves.
His reasoning? Well, he was about to move into some other place that was on the other side of the city.... (You see, my boss put our office 5 minutes from his home, so everyone travels quite a bit to office except him, but hey, his the boss)..... so travelling to office would be long, frustrating, and expensive what will all the jams and tolls Malaysia is so fond of. Yes, it is inconvenient on a bike, with rain, smoke etc plus you can't carry many things...makes sense to drive a bike.
But here's my bone of contention.... Does it have to be a RM20,0000 bike? Why can't you just get a 'normal' bike that everyone else uses? It cost 4 times less! Oh right... its not that comfortable... and you might just end up looking like a Mat Rempit.... plus it has always been your dream? I don't know about you... but to me.. all those reasons hardly justify making such a financial decision. A bike is a bike.. A RM5000 car will give you 4 wheels, air conditioning and a roof.. a RM20,000 bike still has only 2 wheels and no roof.
To each his own I guess.... I took a loan to get educated.. he took a loan to get his dream bike. Said something to me about this being his last and only chance and living this dream of his. Said that now that he has a baby boy, this would probably be the last thing he spends on himself. I don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry. Its almost like he resigns his fate for the next 2o years of no spending for himself but for his family. What ever happened to financial planning?
This from the same colleague who told me he wants SIX (yes, six) children.. simply because "my wife and I both like kids"... I was completely baffled. Now, normally (correct me if I am wrong) when a young persons intents to start a family, he / she thinks about the income they make, the expenditure they are going to need, food, cloths, bills and mostly their childrens education... When you add it up, it's a lot of money. That is why a lot of Chinese families in Malaysia actually choose to have just 2 or 3 children.. Raising kids COST MONEY.. sending them to university cost even more. So how do you just say you want six kids because 'my wife and I like kids"? I pointed the same questions to him and his answer was... "My dad was just a normal officer, and my mother was a house wife. I have 6 siblings... and we all turned out just fine.. In that sense, don't worry too much, things will work out.". ....Brave words for a guy who needed to take a loan to buy a bike as his last act of 'self gratification'. Is that blind faith or deliberate ignorance? From where I am standing, its just baffling how he thinks everything will magically solve itself. I still scratching my head thinking how I'm supposed to raise the money to get married.. and this guy wants six kids for the kick of it.
posted by Compulsive Blogger @ 11:50 pm
Comments: 1
