Friends during Recession
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Friends are the most important people in one's life, someone whom you can relate to, look up to, and confide to, more so when experiencing bad weathers such as this crisis.
A dry shelter and hot soup from the pouring rain warms the heart.
While everyone is affected by the doom and gloom of the recession, many faced it in varying degrees. Some are least affected, and felt more as an irritation, and some totally overwhelmed and left helpless.
For those of us who can get by, we must never abandon the seemingly helpless. While we may not have sums of money to lend, we can still afford a meal or two, a coffee or two, an ear or two to comfort and encourage.
No fellow Singaporean must be left alone in helplessness. We are a civilised society, with the building blocks being our own family, relatives and friends.
This recession was not of our making or our mistake. It came out of the blue like a Tsunami wave rushing towards all, overwhelming many.
We must each encourage one another, never to give up on hope, for the reality is that bad times, like good times, dont last. Today, some may be down, but tomorrow they will rise.
This is the natural course of journey in life. And good friends will make that journey better and more meaningful as life is shared.
I remembered during NS days, one of my collegue was sitting on the parapet of a HDB top floor corridor after booking out of camp at night. I and several friends spent 6 hours into the early morning talking him out of jumping because of a failed relationship over his grad girlfriend who ditched him for a brit foreign talent.
We failed our IPPT test a few hours later as we did not have enough sleep and was sentenced to RT training. The pain was real, but certainly not as painful compared to a friend if lost in a suicide.
There was a time when I was down and out, and abandoned by 'friends' and family. I will always remember the indian mamak who pressed a bun into my shivering hands, the chinese construction supervisor who ordered and paid for a plate of chicken rice to me when he saw me drinking plain water with a bun in a coffeeshop, and the Muslim matron who invited me to her home and had dinner with her family, amongst many who were kind to me.
I have a brain, hands and legs, courage and determination to face up and pay for my errors and knew I would succeed again, and when i did, I repaid those kind people many times over.
As much as others condemn us as kiasu people, at heart, we are kind people. And these people are my fellow citizens - Singaporeans. Flawed, imperfect, whiners, seemingly uncaring, but heart always in the right place.
Therefore, dont give up on hope or giving out hope to others. We all will ride out this recession together, stronger as a society as long as no one is suffer alone or left alone. Friendships are all the more important now, whether you are an 8 year old or 80 year old.
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ah haha i've pretty much ignored most of my "friends" by now. most of them don't stick around if you're poor
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Fair weather friends.
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Nice speech ... Good for motivation ...
I always think that in the midst of all our work ..We need to work hard to be in contact with close friends .... Give and take and constantly work on it .
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I think we shall not depend too much on friend. Imagine yr friend has their family to take care. How much can u expect from them? Time and money????
Put more faith in yr lifetime partner!
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friends during recession :
1. Pawn shops : get some money to survive
2. Sex shops : de-stress
3. library : jobless can find shelter there
4. parks : ditto
Generally, friends are friends because of some benefits or money or special interests or to take advantage of the other.
Take away these, see if you still have friends.
We live in singapore. Its all money. neighbors generally do not even say hello to each other. you die your own parsah. your suffering is my happiness. no one owes you a living. Ooops! what to do? its happened! lets close ranks and move on!
Talk to my uncuring face.
People must feel hungry.
I feel so good looking at the zeros.
5 weeks away is not as difficult as you think.
its peanuts!
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so who is going to pay for the lunch, friends or me???
When i am too good to a guy, he thought i got feeling for him, when i am too good to my own gender, she thought that i am harbouring some motives behind her.
And whenever someone is good to me on a particular day, u can be sure that at the end of the day, he/she will be asking for a loan.
As my Fuhrer, Hitler said, it's better to believe in foe than in friend
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You people have a sad view on friendship ....
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Originally posted by oldbreadstinks:
ah haha i've pretty much ignored most of my "friends" by now. most of them don't stick around if you're poor
True. Not only they don't, they say things to put one down. No money no friends.
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Originally posted by likedatosocan:
friends during recession :
1. Pawn shops : get some money to survive
2. Sex shops : de-stress
3. library : jobless can find shelter there
4. parks : ditto
Generally, friends are friends because of some benefits or money or special interests or to take advantage of the other.
Take away these, see if you still have friends.
We live in singapore. Its all money. neighbors generally do not even say hello to each other. you die your own parsah. your suffering is my happiness. no one owes you a living. Ooops! what to do? its happened! lets close ranks and move on!
Talk to my uncuring face.
People must feel hungry.
I feel so good looking at the zeros.
5 weeks away is not as difficult as you think.
its peanuts!
well said. -
Thanks for your responses. Some or rather most of it are negative views on friendship. That is espacially good. Which means those of you who posted negatively know for sure what entails in a friendship, and having that knowledge, i am sure you would not do the same to others.
Everyone needs friends, more so in these times of need. As mentioned, if we cant spare money, we could at least give encouragement or pay for a drink or two, or even invite their family or life partners along. How much can a person or persons eat or drink anyway? Money can always be earned back.
This thread is only about friendships, giving support and strength to one another during this bad times,and nothing more.
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sometimes friends are more important and more trustworthy than the person that sleeps next to you
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Originally posted by Alextoh71:
sometimes friends are more important and more trustworthy than the person that sleeps next to you
You brought up a critical point. Most intimate relationships or marriages will be put to the test in this difficult period, and more often then not, the problem is either time or money.
I am no agony uncle, so i would be of least help in this area, if i am of any help at all anyway. Others may be of better help thru sharing of their experiences.
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friend in need is friend indeed, let's cheers for brotherhood
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Originally posted by Alextoh71:
sometimes friends are more important and more trustworthy than the person that sleeps next to you
are you talking about prostitute, mate? -
Since sec sch days, I lost faith in human relations and haven't had friends since then. But I'm still doing fine all these years without friends and saved alot of money from entertaining friends (since I've none). People only befriend you when they need you. When you're really in deep trouble (like bankrupt), all your "friends" will avoid you. I didn't experience but read alot poor people being abandoned by friends (after they treated their "friends" so good in the past). I conclude, in life we don't really need friends. There is no such thing as friends. I only need helpful strangers who doesn't need my reciprocating.
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Originally posted by cyberr1981:
Since sec sch days, I lost faith in human relations and haven’t had friends since then. But I’m still doing fine all these years without friends and saved alot of money from entertaining friends (since I’ve none).
People only befriend you when they need you. When you’re really in deep trouble (like bankrupt), all your “friends” will avoid you. I didn’t experience but read alot poor people being abandoned by friends (after they treated their “friends” so good in the past).
I conclude, in life we don’t really need friends. There is no such thing as friends. I only need helpful strangers who doesn’t need my reciprocating.
Singaporeans are pragmatic people. It is ingrained. It is a sad day when we singaporeans view friendships as tools for economic, political or religious gain. Friendships are more than that.
Friendships are based on common shared grounds,sincere caring and genuine concern. A soldier obeys a commander, not because of his rank, but because his commander takes care of him ( not pamper him). The soldier's welfare is his primary concern. If the commander is uncaring, the soldier sees no need to listen, and distrust builds up.
Similarly, with friendships, where there is genuine care and concern, with plenty of patience and understanding on both sides, it lasts forever. If the other party does not care, i doubt it is a friendship at all.
I too, was once like you, betrayed several times because of my open nature. But I had not lost faith in humanity, for there are many more out there who is more deserving of your care and concern, and is reciprocative, if you open up again and dare to try.
Making mistakes is part of life, and that's how we evolve in better beings. If we don't try, we will only believe in the hubris of self and inflate our own ego to more than it actually is, never trusting, hiding in our shell thinking ourselves perfect.
Friends espacially during this recession is more crucial, for no one has the right answers to anything. We are on our own right now, in uncharted waters, and 2 heads are better than one to bounce ideas and answers off each other.
Furthermore, with regards to jobs and opportunities, having real friends whom you can relate to, and know, may just be an answer out of your predicament if you are being retrenched or paid with unsustainable wages, thru networking, with no economic gain except knowing you had help a breadwinner put bacon for his/her family.
One can go nuts alone. Or place trust on a stranger, someone whom you just know and not his/her background. Smoothtalkers and snapply-dressed individuals abound in this climate.
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A soldier obeys a commander, not because of his rank, but because his commander takes care of him ( not pamper him).
???
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This will be the time when you will know who are really your friends.
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--- Duplicate ---
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Originally posted by xtreyier:
Friends are the most important people in one's life, someone whom you can relate to, look up to, and confide to, more so when experiencing bad weathers such as this crisis.
A dry shelter and hot soup from the pouring rain warms the heart.
While everyone is affected by the doom and gloom of the recession, many faced it in varying degrees. Some are least affected, and felt more as an irritation, and some totally overwhelmed and left helpless.
For those of us who can get by, we must never abandon the seemingly helpless. While we may not have sums of money to lend, we can still afford a meal or two, a coffee or two, an ear or two to comfort and encourage.
No fellow Singaporean must be left alone in helplessness. We are a civilised society, with the building blocks being our own family, relatives and friends.
This recession was not of our making or our mistake. It came out of the blue like a Tsunami wave rushing towards all, overwhelming many.
We must each encourage one another, never to give up on hope, for the reality is that bad times, like good times, dont last. Today, some may be down, but tomorrow they will rise.
This is the natural course of journey in life. And good friends will make that journey better and more meaningful as life is shared.
I remembered during NS days, one of my collegue was sitting on the parapet of a HDB top floor corridor after booking out of camp at night. I and several friends spent 6 hours into the early morning talking him out of jumping because of a failed relationship over his grad girlfriend who ditched him for a brit foreign talent.
We failed our IPPT test a few hours later as we did not have enough sleep and was sentenced to RT training. The pain was real, but certainly not as painful compared to a friend if lost in a suicide.
There was a time when I was down and out, and abandoned by 'friends' and family. I will always remember the indian mamak who pressed a bun into my shivering hands, the chinese construction supervisor who ordered and paid for a plate of chicken rice to me when he saw me drinking plain water with a bun in a coffeeshop, and the Muslim matron who invited me to her home and had dinner with her family, amongst many who were kind to me.
I have a brain, hands and legs, courage and determination to face up and pay for my errors and knew I would succeed again, and when i did, I repaid those kind people many times over.
As much as others condemn us as kiasu people, at heart, we are kind people. And these people are my fellow citizens - Singaporeans. Flawed, imperfect, whiners, seemingly uncaring, but heart always in the right place.
Therefore, dont give up on hope or giving out hope to others. We all will ride out this recession together, stronger as a society as long as no one is suffer alone or left alone. Friendships are all the more important now, whether you are an 8 year old or 80 year old.
Most Singaporeans are not good people in reality.This is probably and very likely due to the result of bad upbringing and low discipline and strict love from parents and families.
Ask anyone from another country and they will be able to describe to you how wonderful their countries are.
Ask a Singaporean about Singapore and their minds will probably goes blank and they will probably find it difficult to describe to you how wonderful Singapore really is. Back in the mind of many Singaporeans are imbued with the many injustice, dissatisfaction. grudges, difficulties, sadness, pain, anger which they are unable to let it all go ...just because they are Singaporeans.
If you can find a Singaporean friend who can smile honestly at you with a clear conscience and laugh together with you without holding back or any refrain because they are uncomfortable, then I can tell you that this Singaporean friend is someone you can keep and live with together as your real friend for life.
Do you have such Singaporean friends in Singapore? I know you don't.
I'm proud to be a Singaporean myself and because I know there are not many worthy and good Singaporeans around nowadays, I know how important it is for me to pass on my good values to my children in the future and educate them to be better people than me.
And of course, I know I'm valuable too.
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--- Duplicate ---
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i used to have friends who made me wait for hours, who pissed my off etc..and ofcourse i still do...who doesn't...
i'm the sort who'd go through hoards of stuff for friends, liked speaking in a good and polite manner which made most of the people around me think i was foreign...
in singapore, especially now when times are getting tougher, we must constantly keep the kampong spirit alive...and the best way is through friendship and networking...
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[quote]There was a time when I was down and out, and abandoned by 'friends' and family. I will always remember the indian mamak who pressed a bun into my shivering hands, the chinese construction supervisor who ordered and paid for a plate of chicken rice to me when he saw me drinking plain water with a bun in a coffeeshop, and the Muslim matron who invited me to her home and had dinner with her family, amongst many who were kind to me.
I have a brain, hands and legs, courage and determination to face up and pay for my errors and knew I would succeed again, and when i did, I repaid those kind people many times over.[quote]
Why you so lucky one...when I no money to makan why see got good people traet me food at coffeeshop..
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Friend also can see true color when you are poor whether is true friend a not...