I enjoy deep conversations. I enjoy the types of conversations that are easy to get caught up in, where after hours of talking you loose all concept of time. In the end, you walk away with new or strengthened opinions and ideas.
Tonight was an exception.
I don
Hmmm…ask her about vacations, hobbies and spare time.
Might find a few more surprises… 
Why not?
Thats f’ed up man. As you can see from my handle, I’d very much like to be rich, but its more important to be happy with what you are doing. I suspect that such a woman, if you ever fell on hard times, would leave you. Have you asked her what she would do if you had nothing?
There are girls here that are fairly unmaterialistic… you just have to find them.
I think you’ll find there is no point arguing with her… it doesn’t matter how much logic you use, its been ingrained in her since she was a kid. It kind of sux in a way, because with all this expectation, its like a stockmarket bubble, and at some point, reality wont meet with expectations and that bubble will burst. She may leave you, get depressed or just generally be unhappy.
Have you asked her what the plan is to get all this money?
Why not?[/quote]
That is what she said :raspberry:
Actually, to be accurate, she said: “Why not? Do you plan on not being successful and not providing for your family?”
To which I answered back witha question: “Are you worried I can’t or wont provide for you?”
Possibly the result of a consumerism-as-lifestyle upbringing. If you equate shopping with pleasure and a beautiful sunset with a boring waste of time, that could be better spent hooked to an iPod or shopping - you get: Money = Happiness Thinking. I’ve found teaching teenagers and young adults over the last 10 years very depressing because many of them are unhappy because they see money as the means to any end. God I’m sounding old. Isn’t happiness in friends, partners, offspring, a job well done, a good crap, a good meal, a good lay, a joke that makes you cry laughing, finding a pair of pants that fit, getting hot and sweaty in a sport or catching a wave? Now I’m sounding like Dale Carnegie.
Maybe your SO needs a bit more life experience that will show her that cash can’t repair a broken heart or buy back a loved one…
Your friend sounds terribly shallow and immature. I’d think about giving her the old body-swerve ASAP because you can guarantee she’ll turn into a bitter and disillusioned wasp in a very few years.
I did try to use examples to better illustrate my thoughts…
She likes to play the piano, take pictures while hiking, go to the beach and relax, spend time with her family, read, and has many very good life long friends.
But her response was that you have to have money to buy a piano, it takes cash to develope photos, you have to pay money to get to the beach, and you wont have any time to do any of those things let alone visit family and friends if you are working extra hard every day to make ends meet. So money = being able to be happy. 
In fairness, she did say at the end of the conversation that she understood my point … but i think she was just trying to be nice and not end the conversation with such a polarized disagreement.
She just called me back while I was typing this and asked me if I was upset… :s She said that she understands that even rich people can be miserable and have horrible family lives…but that having money and a good perspective can make being happy easier.
So, in a way, i think she understands it…i think…maybe…kind of…i hope :help:
damn I wish i could speak fluent mandarin…can’t help but think something is being lost or confuesd in translation
This is the duckfarm girl right?
Yup…duckfarm girl
She grew up in smalltown Taiwan, but is making it on her own in taipei writing for a magazine.
on a side note…I just hit my 200th Post!!! Yipee!!! 
:bouncy: 
A round of beers for everyone on me 
[quote=“The Grateful Dead in Money Money (Finance Blues)”]
My baby gives me the finance blues
Tax me to the limit of my revenues
Here she come finger popping clickety click
She says “furs or diamonds, you can take your pick”
She wants money
(what she wants)
She wants money
(what she wants)
She wants money
(what she wants)
She wants money
(what she wants)
Money, money, money, money, money
Money, money, money, money, money
She says “Money, honey”, I’d rob a bank
I just load my gun and mosey down to the bank
Knocking off my neighbourhood savings and loan
To keep my sweet chiquita in eau de Cologne
Mama, don’t send me down to rob that bank again
I got a notion you’re leading me to sin
Won’t you relax, won’t you lay way back
Don’t you bug your honey about no Cadillac
It’s only bucks, you don’t need no jack
So won’t you please relax and lay way back
My baby’s loving gives me such a thrill
It gives me inspiration making counterfeit bills
Now some folks say the best things in life are free
I sure don’t get no loving living honestly
Lord made a lady out of Adam’s rib
Next thing you know you got women’s lib
Lovely to look upon, heaven to touch
It’s a real shame they got to cost so much
She wants money
(what she wants)
She wants money
(what she wants)
She wants money
(what she wants)
She wants money
(what she wants)
Money, money, money, money, money
Money, money, money, money, money
[/quote]
Yeah.
Derek,
Remind me never to hire you to be my PR agent!
You do realize that even if we ever meet you in the flesh, you can never, ever bring your gf along, because, man!, the job you’ve done to make her look bad on this website!
But, on the subject of money/happiness: I agree with you 100% percent. And here’s something else: I could never be with someone who thought as your girlfriend does.
I’m beginning to see her point – you are going to need to be makng a lot of money. There’s over 5,000 registered Forumosans here. Guinness is NT$220 a pint, so that little gesture of magnanimity is gonna cost you NT$1.1 million. 
Yeah.
Derek,
Remind me never to hire you to be my PR agent!
You do realize that even if we ever meet you in the flesh, you can never, ever bring your gf along, because, man!, the job you’ve done to make her look bad on this website!
But, on the subject of money/happiness: I agree with you 100% percent. And here’s something else: I could never be with someone who thought as your girlfriend does.[/quote]
You really think I have made her look bad? All I have done is posted the truth of the situation…
Never my intention to paint her in a negative light. 
Jsut turning to you guys for some insight. Figure some of you may have experience with similar situations and know the culture a bit better than me.
And…eh hem…er. … make that a round of hypothetical beers on me
(I thought they throw food at each other…but shoes??? really?)
Well, how about some duck? I guess you’re eating alot of that these days
Somehow, I got a bit sympathy for both point of views.
[quote=“X3M”]Somehow, I got a bit sympathy for both point of views.
Thank you X3M…exactly my point. I think she sees it this way too, after she called me back. I guess I posted on here to see if any of you think that there generally is a “lost in translation” handicap that should be weighed in on any discussion or misunderstanding or argument?
maybe you should clarify what she actually expects, there is a significant difference between financial security and being rich. Even being rich is relative. From what you said, she works here in Taipei, so she’s not a freeloader. The key to any relationship is communication. When I’ve had communication problems, I’ve found it to be fun to pull out a sketch book and draw what i mean. (I dunno how bad her english is)
[quote=“derek1978”]
I think she’s being pretty darn practical. I don’t think you have to work “extra hard” every day, but you do need to find something that you enjoy doing and that pays well to really excell at workwise.
Money is not the be and end all of things, but money is useful. It is the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil, not money itself or making it.
jd(Mc)scrooge