Humility It can be fun and games until I found out recently how fortunate and lucky I am. A new reader to the bleeding heart's blog shared his recent retrenchment; and the shame and anguish that ensued... Glad his nightmare is over, albeit taking a 1/3 pay cut at his new job. The new reader is just one year my junior at 48; and he has 3 teenage kids. In an alternate universe, I could be him... Japan In Japan, its the senior who "screws" the youth. With their seniority based system, youth can only secure part-time positions or be temporary contract workers - do the same work as regular employees but for much lesser pay and benefits. It was meant to be a temporary arrangement until the economy recovers. But after two lost decades, you can see graduates in their 40s living at LAN shops - eat, live, shower there. Why? That's the cheapest accommodation they can find in Tokyo. Too ashamed and too proud to return back to their hometowns. To dull their dreary existence - no, they did not seek financial freedom through investing or trading - they pursued their favourite idol groups and stars. I know. I have a bit of otaku blood in me. Don't judge. We all have our own opiate. Singapore In Singapore, notice there's a difference? It's youth that triumphs over seniority! Those of you who are in your late 40s or early 50s, you constantly worry right? All of sudden, those fat annual increments you have gained in the past now work against you. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that younger employee sitting next to you is able to do the same job as you for less pay and benefits. So when a company needs to shed some excess fat, where do you think they will target? And you probably thought as a "senior" or "old bird", you can relax a bit... What's the opiate of choice for weary middle-aged executives in Singapore? Yup, you've guessed it! What we decide, we become We can't choose where we are born. But we can make our own decisions in other aspects of our lives: Where to live and work Work for others or for ourselves Whether to get married or stay single Have children or not What to spend money on What to save money on And so on. Luck important or not? You bet you!!! But no harm in giving Lady Luck a helping hand by making it easier for her to find us. You think why in my profile pic I'm stretching my arms wide wide (slip in a bit of Singlish for spice) with palms facing up? To catch stardust, it helps to spread ourselves as wide as possible!

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Singapore Man of Leisure (welcome to my blog; just google it!)