Thursday, June 08, 2006
During this time of the year, the GREAT SINGAPORE SALE is in full swing. And i'm not too happy about that. I hate the idea of myself trying to spend beyond my means and i hate the idea of others trying to drill into me the sense that if i don't do so, i'm prehistoric. I resent that. Making a little detour from the GSS, i must say that that's what my beautician keeps goading me with. Pay for the extra packages with installment plans. Indulge in this $600 plus whitening regime. why not why not? everyone is doing it. You must be joking: on a body that is made up of dust and that will be burnt (cremation: that's the way to go) at the end of the day? please.. once my package ends at that spa, i will not pay another cent to renew it anymore. Sure i'll be spending my money at another spa and perhaps i'm really vain about this pile of dust afterall. But it's about spending within my limits and not having to put up with people who constantly don't get that.
One thing i hate about sales is not that i have to que to buy or do anything. That's fine by me but it's the delusion that you're saving money when you're actually not. Sure the topshop underwear is having a 20% sale but seriously, do i need more underwear? "Yes you do." when i actually have more than enough of it. However, the red placard with the 20% in white bold font somehow displaces all rational thought and guess what, i end up spending money that i shouldn't have in the first place. Having fallen victim to that, i do not ever want to be duped again.
So what has peeved me immensely this morning and inspired this rant is this stupid coverage of the GSS in the Straits Times. Imagine devoting a good 40 pages to advertisements and tips on how to get a good bargin. Sounds like a dream? A tactical warfare on shops to get the best bargains and emerge victorious? Well no harm in turning over the first page and just reading to see the spoils..
But as i flipped through the section, i began to feel disgusted. The same marketing ploy of spending more than what you can afford, don't think just do it mentality irked me. The piece de resistance came in the form of this iconic bimbotic singaporean girl called Ms SAL (shop-a-lot) who dispensed shopping advice to the oh-so-common dilemmas of her clones. E.g.
What should I do if I see two items on sale and I really like both? This happens to me all the time! - Sophie's Choice
Sophie, Sophie... this is a no-brainer. Get both! The test is this: Can you imagine life without either of these items ("DUH! YES!" me)? I have a friend who sometimes can imagine life without a particular item, but she still buys it anyway. She is my hero.
God please help us. The next piece of advice was even more bimbotic, stereotypical and absolutely insulting to all sensible human beings. It even dispensed advice that encourages to a large extent, anorexic individuals. E.g.
It was love at first sight: A beautiful designer dress with the right cut and the right colour - and 70 per cent off the usual price. Unforunately, it was the last piece and one size too small. My husband said I shouldn't waste money on a dress that will not fit me exactly (excellent advice. now why is it the man who can think and not the woman. *grimace*). Now two days later, I wish I had bought the dress because I can't stop thinking about it. What should I have done(change that to "do" and get a life! Oops i forgot, this is your life.)?
Dear clone,
First things...never go shopping with your husband. He will just get in the way and spoil the entire sale experience with his constant whining and saving money (By the way, the stereotypical counterpart to Ms SAL is Mr (Save-a-lot). I can go on and on how this "Ms" term enforces this psychological barrier even between married women, but i digress..). Now the answer to your question. I always say that if you see a bargain, grab it immediately. Why? Because if you do not, you will regret later. So what if the dress is one size too small? (And for a moment i thought she was going to give some wonderful advice on how and where to alter the dress so it can fit and truly save money BUT...) A size is nothing. Just skip lunch. Besides, you can always give it away as a Christmas gift. At a 70 per cent discount, that dress is as good as free!
It is no wonder that with such a mentality, we as singaporeans are voting for political parties that can efficiently give us our lift upgradings and job bonuses and progress package. Our ideals are shaped by our materialistic desires. How can one possibly build a national identity based on materialism? The government bodies hardly see this as a contradiction. With the buzz word "globalisation" lifted up as a bastion of progress, we are inadvertently losing our souls. When will someone tell "the man" that identity is not something that the cogs in this economic engine can generate? A person's identity is not meant to be a marketable commodity. We can't hold onto the dream of economic prosperity and indulgence without losing grip on our soul and humanistic qualities.
Trapped in this materialistic shell where life is merely that of constant acquisition, constant flux of desire and discontentment, i can't help but turn to the Lord for His grace to escape the confines of this rathole. I am just a pile of dust waiting to be moulded- it's just a matter of who's doing the moulding and i've set my heart on the only master that i'll serve.
1 Kings 18:21 "And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him."
Joshua 24:15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” "
1 Kings 18:36-37 "At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."Labels: inspiration
