I come from China.

[pjshimmer]

You can't really "waste" money because it's yours to do what you want with it.

But you do see what I mean: if itemx costs $5, and it's not the cheapest item on the market, and you buy it, it was considered wasteful. Bad for yourself, bad for the market. But that's what you gotta do when you didn't make all that much. Of course, nowadays everybody wants the latest trend/fashion. The higher the cost, the better.

[pjshimmer]

And for Pete's sake, why is this thread in QUALITY IMAGES? I was trying to locate it, and this was the last forum I expected it to be in

[xoxoxoBruce]

if itemx costs $5, and it's not the cheapest item on the market, and you buy it, it was considered wasteful. Bad for yourself, bad for the market.

There is more to life than money. There may be 12 reasons for not buying where it is cheapest. That's a personal decision.

Of course, nowadays everybody wants the latest trend/fashion.

Not me. If you let yourself get sucked into that shit...you pay.

The higher the cost, the better.

The higher the "perceived" cost the more prestige. The lower the cost the better if you want the most stuff to show off.

And for Pete's sake, why is this thread in QUALITY IMAGES? I was trying to locate it, and this was the last forum I expected it to be in

It's in Quality Images because Billy started this thread by trying to post his picture. You're the one that hijacked the thread instead of starting one in the proper place and then couldn't remember where you posted......Duh.:p

[pjshimmer]

no bruce, I was not making assumptions about everyone. I'm just referring to Chinese teenagers.

I don't want to be hijacker of this thread, so I'm making this my past post (maybe). Hopefully Billy and the others will continue to make good conversations.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yo, git your ass back here. You ain't getting off that easy. You DON'T want me to come get you.
Are you talking about Chinese teenagers here or in China?

[Billy]

Whatever you say, you musty have your reasons. i like to answer any questions that you ask for me if I can.

[xoxoxoBruce]

How was your trip home, Billy?

[Billy]

I will tell you some stories later in my trip. I knew that the poor-rich gap become larger and larger. Many my neighbours feel that it is more difficult to earn money.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Are the prices of things going up as well as the difficulty of earning money?

[Billy]

In this trip I heard one surprised real story. In my home town one business man has a big shop in the town center. His house is in suburban. He is a rich man and he found a pretty fiancee. Last month he had the ceremonious wedding. After four days past, his bride came back. The man went to his shop and the other family members went to farm as usual. To their surprised, they could not find the bride, only one people framework. Their two demi-wolves was still gnawed at the bone. The man feeds up two big demi-wolves for protecting his shop in night. The two demi-wolves are fierce and bite strangers. In China tradition the new bride generally can not go to the bridegroom's home before wedding. (Except my brother and one my sister we never met my brother's fiancee before wedding.)The bride was a stranger for his dogs and neighbours. The dogs thought the woman was one thief so they gnawed her. The women cried out but no one knew what she did. In daytime most people go to farm or out. The man chopped his dogs. The funeral followed the new wedding. The woman finished her two most important things in her life no more than ten days. Life is life...

[Billy]

The country problem is big in China now. The new govenment face to improve the people's life quality. I think there are the following reasons to
explain the condition:

1. China Entry WTO. The farm produce tariff sharply has decreased after we entered the WTO. The world agriculture countries send their produces to China. The price is lower than ours. So the farmers earn less money.

2. Individual glebe reduce with population growing. In China we average the glebe in the same country. The individual would possess less if the population grows. No glebe, No gain.

3. Farmers have few opportunities to work in cities. They can only do the labor work. The salary is low. Many people wait one work. So we earn little and the worldwide companies like invest China.

4. The farmers have little science and technology knowledge. We can not use the advanced technology to produce the competitive production.

5. Price rise. We invest on the chemical combination, seed and pesticide. The children education fee rises. Many young children leave school when they are about 14 years old.

[Billy]

In SARs time the neighbour relation become offish. Eevery country close off its main road to check anyone. We don't believe others. One my neighbour went to Beijing to take casual laborer. Then he had no work to do. He wanted to go home. The Beijing government forbade them going out. He can not take buses or trains. He bought one bike and rode to home. The police had already waited him in his home before he came home. It took him three days to come back home from Beijing. The police brought him to segregate. Later check he had no SARS. Other man was bought out to segregate because he got the SARS. I know that every one only has one life. We all fear the death. I feel that civilization degenerated if the people don't believe others. We can not live in one lonely world.

In my home town the house near others one by one. Neighbours hold bowls to have food together in the bystreet. We communicate the folker news. The breakfast is the morning paper. The supper is the evening paper. There are many families in my bystreet. I still love the bystreet food. I often ate my neighbours' food when I was young. We also share our family's good food with neighbours. In SARS time there are few people seating to have food together.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Wow, I didn't realize that the SARS scare had gripped China right down to the neighborhood level in the small towns.
By the way Billy, where's Al?

[warch]

In SARs time the neighbour relation become offish. Eevery country close off its main road to check anyone. We don't believe others.

That's so understandable with so much fear. Its not like people that spread the illness did it knowingly or on purpose. Individuals and families feel they need to protect themselves from the contagion, and with so much mystery around the illness, no one wants to take chances. Hopefully soon there will be more information available and a good strategy to beat SARS. Then the community can relax a bit and get back to normal.Does folk medicine mix into this "offishness"? Or is there a social stigma? If someone contracts SARS are they seen as wreckless, or dirty, or some how deserving this illness?

[Billy]

He is lonely because every one fear him and don't like contact him.