I forgot who told me this, but a friend said that to survive in your occupation, you must love two out of this three options: the works, the money, or the friends. Being worked in non profit oriented agencies, I do have several standard of number in mind on the money part. So far, I think people in this area are more into the works or the friends part. In terms of money, I think they will spend five million if you give five million, however also able to survive with five hundred if it’s all that they have. After four years of working, I sometime forgot where I was studying. In a college where accounting is one of its specialty. Where actually, most of my friends from college were end up as accountants or auditors, in which has totally different standard of the thing called bling bling.
Several weeks ago, I met a dear friend from college. She is younger than me from the same department. After a long chit chat with her and my other friends, the conversation leads to the digits. There were five of us, four were working in develop
ment issue and this dear friend working in one of the top oil company in the world that is difficult to spell. Every month, she receives around three times of planning grant that my institution gave to community for three or four months project. You can check on the website of the place that I work with. The number maybe only around one-tenth of our salary, plus minus something. That not to mention the bonus that were spreading around the oil rigs.
Then the conversation run on the workload, on her surroundings, on the environment, until the six million dollar question, ’so what is your purpose in life?’. What I found so ironic, especially for my self, this is the part where I now the exact meaning of money can’t buy happiness. I thought I will have my jaw drop so wide and directly daydreaming if I do have that much of money. But instead, me and my other three friends were directly lift our hand and thank to God, ‘Thank you for giving us our current job.’ And my friend who works at the oil company also agree with us and planning to join the other means of work that might not provide much cash but more life.
At the moment, I was so bankrupt after impromptu decision to go on visiting to ASEAN countries. Even based on my recent calculation, I still have to allocate my next two months salaries to pay the bills. But I am so content, I even think that I went nuts since I laugh a lot to see my debts and my bills. While when I ask my friend, what are the things that could makes her happy during her work, she said the only option is go to town and buy Baskin and Robbins
Ah ya, that is the paradox in life that mostly happen. It’s either you have money but you don’t have life, or you are content but you don’t have money. So, let’s just aim for have money and have a life!! Hihihih.. The important thing for me is believing that everything is gonna be alright (read: the bills will be paid somehow):)
