On the way home from the gym this evening, we stopped by at Giant Supermarket. Mia went in to buy some stuff while I waited at the main entrance. In the lobby of the mall, there were several booths promoting a wide range of products. I was hanging around a booth selling cellphones.
I watched in amusement a kid—probably no more than 15 years old—choosing his new cellphones. He ended up with one costing well over RM1,000. His parents were against such an expensive phone, but the kid was adamant. So there they were, parents and a young teenager, negotiating which cellphone was the most suitable for the kid. I wasn't there to witness the conclusion of that negotiation, as Mia was done with her shopping.
Imagine kids these days; most of them have cellphones—and their cellphones are often much more expensive than the adults'. What could possibly be so important for them to have such hi-tech phones with so many functions? Games, mp3, organizer, camera, movie clips, internet connectivity, GPS—you name it—they're all available in a single cellphone!
This reminds me of the Interact Club installation dinner which I attended some months ago. Being the Rotarian Student Advisor to the Interact Club, I am still at a loss of what kind of advice they need from me. If I had it my way, I thought the best place to hold the installation dinner was in the school hall. But no—they threw a big party in a posh hotel, complete with a band of their own! They sold tickets and used up major portions of their savings to finance the dinner; not to mention the kind of evening gowns which you only get to see in a Paris fashion show. Then they must have spent hours in the beauty saloon to set their hair for the occasion. I was given to understand that some parents were grumbling because of such extravagant dinner; and I don't blame them!
Such cravings for glamour has got to be contained. I see a lot of young people these days spending way beyond what their pockets can sustain. I think in the not-so-far future our children will all grow up to be people saddled with debts—mountains of them! And with the financial institution "forcing" them to spend even more, a lot of them are going to become bankrupts at a very young age, as what's reported here.
But then again, I guess it's all worth it, as long as they have the glamour.
I watched in amusement a kid—probably no more than 15 years old—choosing his new cellphones. He ended up with one costing well over RM1,000. His parents were against such an expensive phone, but the kid was adamant. So there they were, parents and a young teenager, negotiating which cellphone was the most suitable for the kid. I wasn't there to witness the conclusion of that negotiation, as Mia was done with her shopping.
Imagine kids these days; most of them have cellphones—and their cellphones are often much more expensive than the adults'. What could possibly be so important for them to have such hi-tech phones with so many functions? Games, mp3, organizer, camera, movie clips, internet connectivity, GPS—you name it—they're all available in a single cellphone!
This reminds me of the Interact Club installation dinner which I attended some months ago. Being the Rotarian Student Advisor to the Interact Club, I am still at a loss of what kind of advice they need from me. If I had it my way, I thought the best place to hold the installation dinner was in the school hall. But no—they threw a big party in a posh hotel, complete with a band of their own! They sold tickets and used up major portions of their savings to finance the dinner; not to mention the kind of evening gowns which you only get to see in a Paris fashion show. Then they must have spent hours in the beauty saloon to set their hair for the occasion. I was given to understand that some parents were grumbling because of such extravagant dinner; and I don't blame them!
Such cravings for glamour has got to be contained. I see a lot of young people these days spending way beyond what their pockets can sustain. I think in the not-so-far future our children will all grow up to be people saddled with debts—mountains of them! And with the financial institution "forcing" them to spend even more, a lot of them are going to become bankrupts at a very young age, as what's reported here.
But then again, I guess it's all worth it, as long as they have the glamour.
2 comments:
interact club installation night is always the grandest of all, among all the other school activities. it's great to hav a band esp if the players are the member of the club. u r right about the money spent which i think can be used for other needs. so, maybe as an adviser, you can change things? youngsters.... i was once too but im definitely not the glamour lot
Yes, CK, I am trying to change things. I brought up this matter in our recent meeting, and I was supported by the other rotarians.
Now the only question is how to go about breaking this tradition of expensive installation dinner? I share you view that the money could be used for other purposes, e.g. donation to the flood affected village folks etc.
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