Space

Inspired by http://spaceformeplease.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-big-house-dream.html


Many make the same mistake. Space is a psychological construct, not a physical attribute.

A bigger house seldom brings more space - in fact, quite the contrary. There are more rooms to clean, more furniture to buy, more maintenance issues to resolve.

She talks about escaping the rat race, yet cannot resist chaining herself to this dream of a "big house".

But is this really her dream, or one foisted on her which she does not have the self-confidence to resist?


Space is: serenity. The peace and quiet one only finds in the suburbs, away from the noise and bustle of the city. Out here, it's dark enough to stargaze on the porch. Or watch the rats scurrying between the telephone poles, sliding across the wires like trapeze artists.

Space is: watching Nature play out its dramas in our yard. We mostly get budgies, but the occasional raven calls and once even a pair of ducks. An eagle attacks a mother bird and she plunges from the sky! We discovered her in the driveway a few days later, feeding a colony of worms.

Space is: walking through the park on my way to work. The fresh air, the greenery, the feeling of being all alone. I get on the train and there's always an empty seat waiting in the corner, just for me.

Space is: not having anyone else to answer to. Independence may bring the burden of responsibility, but its fruits are yours alone. No one can fetter me here. The lack of familial obligations is such a boon. Ever had to bring your children to visit their grandparents after a long, exhausting week?

Space is: being able to choose what I want for myself. I choose to work less so to write more self-indulgent essays like this. I choose to spend more time with my family, to think about the topics which interest me, to question the assumptions which we live by.

Space is: living in a society which offers so many different paths to success. Being inspired by others to learn and grow and invest. Having the courage to both dream, and work towards those dreams.


Freedom is about living the life you want, not what others demand.

Blog Roll

My favorites:

The Virtues Of Vanity, Caprice and Sloth

Simple Living In Suffolk

Change As The Only Constant

Plenty of people in Australia who have left their homeland.

New Zealanders coming across the ditch.

Malaysians working in PNG.

South Africans after apartheid.

Argentinians fleeing hyper-inflation.

Brits after the fall of Thatcher.

Irish after their housing crisis.

The sorry stories of Spain and Greece.

And yes, Singaporeans.

Change is the only constant.

TBD.

Building Empires

Chinese restaurant empire building.

Others see a restaurant. I see an empire.

TBD.

Inflation: How Handouts Increase Prices

TBD

1) General theory of inflation
2) Australia - childcare grants
3) Singapore - HDB grants & CPF liberalization
4) Australia - First Home Owner Grants
5) Subsidies have to be targeted.
6) Link to universal healthcare - will be fine as long as someone else pays
7) Supply side interventions better as they tackle the problem at its source. Prices will naturally decline as availability of care increases
8) Exactly what they did - doubled budget, more beds, doubled med student intake, new hospitals

Reading List

TBD

We Were All Young Once

"Looking back at those early years, I am amazed at my youthful innocence. I watched Britain at the beginning of its experiment with the welfare state; the Atlee government started to build a society that attempted to look after its citizens from cradle to grave.

I was so impressed after the introduction of the National Health Service when I went to collect my pair of new glasses from my opticians in Cambridge to be told that no payment was due. All I had to do was to sign a form.

What a civilized society, I thought to myself. The same thing happened at the dentist and the doctor."

- Lee Kuan Yew