Bon Journal

Land of plenty

America, land of the free, land of the plenty where BIG people live in BIG houses and drive BIG cars.

Everytime I come to the States, I have to get used to how easy it is to live comfortably and affordably.

My brother's washing machine has double the capacity of mine. I can even hide in his dryer and live in his walk-in closet. Filling up his jaccuzzi bathtub uses up an entire tank of water.

But some things puzzle me.

Why do you have to drive everywhere? Because gas is cheap and it's more convenient to drive your own car than to rely on public transport.

The weather is perfect now. Why do you keep the air-conditioning on? Because it keeps out the humidity and it's easier than to turn it off and open the windows.

Don't you recycle? No. Never heard of such a thing.

Don't you re-use or reduce your consumption? No time to think of creative ways to re-use and no incentive to reduce.

Why do people prefer to have their own flat-screen TV sets and swimming pools than go out to the cinema and swim in public pools? "Because we can afford it and we can enjoy it in the privacy of our homes."

Why does everyone who owns a house mortgage it? Because there's a tax-incentive to do so.

Why does everyone pay by credit card? Because it's better to spend money you don't have than spend what you have.

In America, you can afford to live well if you continue to have an income and be in debt. Sounds contradictory, but it works.

14 September 2003 Sunday

Emerging from the swimming pool:

Why didn't I think of this pose? My sister - Frances Ku - the painter of paradise - emerges from the water like a mermaid.