Lava Flow

Quick Extract: The standard of living across all households, including those in the lower income group, has improved during 1993 to 2003, according to the latest Household Expenditure Survey. The survey is conducted once every five years to provide data for the compilation of the Consumer Price Index. .....more Singaporeans are living in four-room and larger HDB flats..... The proportion of households living in private properties also went up. In fact, housing expenditure surpassed spending on food as the most important expenditure group for households in 2003. This was followed by spending on transport and communication, with food ranked third. With the slower economic growth between 1998 and 2003 and the ageing population, more households have lost their only breadwinner. The percentage share of households with no working persons jumped from 4.5 percent in 1998 to 7.4 percent in 2003....

Excellent piece of news amist the reports of increasing employment rate, increasing GDP, increasing productivity rate etc. So it is proven statistically that we have grown wiser and fuller in the financial aspect and of course in our expenditure.

All around us, we would see familiar faces shifting residence, more often than not to a more spacious and/or prestigous place. Secondary school students and even younger ones yakking away on their mobiles phones or smsing with atrocious speed, aunties and uncles calling family members and friends on the buses and mrts, youngsters and working adults in the queue for taxis on weekends' nights and wee hours of the mornings, the MP3 players dangling down the jeans and shirts, digital cameras snapping fun shots of friends in chalets and restaurants, kids playing war or shooting games with their SGD2000/3000 PCs....... All these are so commonly seen and heard nowadays. Back in the old days, how many of us would be able to do that? All these alone would suffice to indicate our rising standard of living.

So what brings about all these? We are earning more bucks than ever? The economy is booming? Technology has creeped into our lives at an alarming rate? We are growing into "greedier" creatures? The same thing cost less now? Or the same thing costs more now? We are more exposed to more "useful" products at many more convenenient locations with easier payment and credit terms? We are more willing to purchase items to pamper ourselves than previously? We are doing our part to "contribute" to the economy? All play their respective part(role) and more of such factors are affecting and grappling us , maybe even without our awareness.

Sad to say, it's absolutely inevitable that all these would make their grand appearance to us at some stage of our life. But anything that goes up would have to come down eventually. The only qualm is when and how. But I do hope that it wouldn't come down too hard in a too short span of time, else alot of Singaporeans out there would have to accept it that hard or much harder.

You have it, flaunt it. You HAVE the wealth, FLAUNT IT. BUT please be reminded to check your remaining savings before you decide to flaunt anything.

Bear in mind that this is the Household Expenditure Survey. Not a Household Income Survey.

Perhaps I would write about the "trendy" topic of whether Singaporeans especially youngsters are pampered.