An article by http://www.GenXGenYGenZ.com

This article is a prelude to my series of articles on credit cards for beginners.

LIFE

What is life all about? That’s the zillion dollar question on every single human’s mind, at least once in their life or for some almost daily (example yours truly whenever I am unhappy). Some will find the answer to this question during their quarter life crisis (yah, now we have quarter life crisis where young people who inherited tons of money don’t know what to do with it OR spending too much and land themselves in the shit hole of debt) or mid life crisis or near their death but most will die in misery without knowing the answer.

And I’ve got good news for you, the zillion dollar answer to life is actually very simple and I have published an article on it. The reason why you and I are on planet earth is to just EAT SHIT and SLEEP. That’s all. All other actions between these 3 essential actions required for living are just for entertainment.

BUT, most humans are greedy and have desires that are not necessary for living.

1. Humans want to eat more than just simple food to survive. Most would want to satisfy their taste buds in a nice environment which is not required for living. For example, instead of eating home cooked plain rice with dishes or pasta with bottled sauce, we would instead want to go to a nice expensive restaurant to experience the ambiance and the same food prepared by assistants to an award winning chef and pay 10 times the cost. But the joke is, whatever food you EAT, prepared in whatever manner by whoever, anywhere, eventually ends up as SHIT.

2. So, many humans desire to SHIT in a nice huge toilet where there is a HIS and HERS washbasin, a Jacuzzi and a shower cubicle with pressurized overhead rain shower.

3. Besides eating and shitting, SLEEP is another very important action (yes, you need to do it or your brain will force your body to shut down) that needs to be adhered too daily as insufficient sleep/rest will cause us to hallucinate (nightmares) and go crazy. So, many humans desire a nice bedroom that is large enough to cater for a TV section, a computer section, a reading section, a walk-in wardrobe, a dressing section besides just a space to place the bed they sleep in.

Since we only need to sleep like 8 hours a day (as we get older we need less and take naps instead), we have ample time to go look for food. If you are not like your cavemen ancestors who rely on food that they hunt and gather, you would most probably work and get paid with money so that you can buy food. But simple food like plain white rice with home cooked dishes are not enough to satisfy our desire for entertainment i.e. temporary happiness i.e. “shiok sendiri”. For those who do not understand the meaning of “shiok sendiri” (also spelled by many as “syok sendiri”), it is a term used by many Malaysians, and when translated to English it means self gratification/satisfaction as no one else in this world really cares what you have or do or think.

We think we will be happy driving a Toyota Vellfire MPV when we’ve only got one child and load it with all kinds of accessories for our entertainment while stuck in a traffic jam – shiok sendiri.

We hate gardening but need a bungalow with massive land area to park our nice looking huge van ( 7/8 seater MPV) or vice-versa, so that we can brag and show off to our friends for our own entertainment – shiok sendiri.

We want the latest smartphone or other electrical gadgets when our current one is still perfectly fine for our entertainment – shiok sendiri.

We use the Apple iPad or Android Tablet with UHD to watch latest movies and KPop videos all over the place and don’t watch TV; but we need the latest 65″ 3D LED UHD TV in the living room as a decorative item to show off to our guests – shiok sendri.

Ladies shop for the latest branded fashion clothing, luxury handbags and shoes for their entertainment and wear them out when they go for entertainment thinking it will impress others – shiok sendiri.

We go to award winning restaurants with chefs wearing high hats and are proud of it and never fail to mention it during conversations with others for our entertainment – shiok sendiri

Bosses scold their workers and get to show they have power or let off their anger on their poor worker(s) because they can’t do it to their loved ones (e.g. tiger wife) or immediate boss above them – shiok sendiri.

Salarymen tell their colleagues and friends that his/her boss is stupid – shiok sendiri. If your boss is really stupid, why are you working under him/her? Don’t say no choice, you decide your own destiny.

Some go for beauty treatment and have botox injections or liposuction and other plastic surgery procedures hoping to look more beautiful – this is really shiok sendiri for old ladies where no one will even take a second look at them, hahaha.

Having power and authority – shiok sendiri because in the next millennium, no one will even care if you are now PM or President of your country.

I can go on and on and on, but by now you get my point on what I mean by entertainment or shiok sendiri which equates to TEMPORARY HAPPINESS.

And once we discover the magical power of money to buy temporary happiness, we become obsessed with wanting more money to buy more temporary happiness to satisfy our addiction to shiok sendiri sensations.

So besides eating, shitting and sleeping, we need happiness, which is never lasting; therefore, we are constantly seeking out happy moments until the day we die.

PAY NOW with CREDIT CARDS EARN LATER

The companies that are out to suck your hard earned money know that everybody wants to have the sensation of shiok sendiri and are constantly seeking temporary happiness. And this include credit card issuers like banks. For example, Citibank advertises “Get the Latest Gadget” or “Get the Latest Handbag” with their Ready Credit Plan. Previously, I’ve even seen ads by Citibank where they encourage the cardholder, who is short of cash, to spend with their credit card to get a smile on their face (happy moments). I have also heard an ad in the radio where BSN encouraged their card holders to go on a holiday when they cannot afford to otherwise, by charging it to their credit cards. However, this advertisements do not emphasize that this happy moments are not FREE and you’ll be imposed interest if you cannot afford to pay back in full when the Due Date arrives.

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