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Hello, Poverty Line
March 23, 2007What has two weeks of faking knowledge at poker brought me? $33. But of course, I exaggerate. If I add up all the hours I spent researching and writing, I'm sure I still won't get a full 24 hours. In fact, I finished seven of the fourteen articles that represent my two-week workload only today. That's $15 for a total wordcount of 2,738 done in three hours, inclusive of the minutes spent researching, eating chips, logging into Friendster, and making numerous trips to the bathroom.
If I did something lucrative with every second of my time, I'm certain I'd soon usurp Lucio Tan's place in Forbes Magazine's Asia's Wealthiest. Okay, okay, that's another gross exaggeration. A more realistic picture would be this: I lose P1,291.68 each day I do not report for work. However, given the choice between reporting for work for five days and taking five days off to go traveling, you can just tell, can't you, which option I'd pick.
It's a pity wealth doesn't rank so highly in my hierarchy of needs. Sure, I want to be loaded in the so-rich-I-get-headaches-from-worrying-that-I'm not-spending-enough way; but, and this is a big but, I think I will just shrivel up and die if you have me spend every minute of my day making money, or engaging in future-income-generating activities.
So yeah, it sucks that I can't buy all the chocolates, colorful trinkets, and pumps that I want, but I'd rather deprive myself those than endure being cubicled for much longer than is completely necessary.
Alex, say hello to a childhood and teenagehood spent only being marginally above the poverty line.
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