Text 24408, 83 rader
Skriven 2015-02-27 21:09:00 av NANCY BACKUS (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: Re: asia 270
====================
-=> Quoting Michael Loo to Nancy Backus on 02-25-15  16:34 <=-

 ML>> I've not been so worried as various other people who
 ML>> make up for my relative nonchalance with an abundance
 ML>> of concern. I do figure that it would be rude to keel
 ML>> over and disappoint my constituency.
 NB>> That would indeed be rude... ;)  I can relate to the nonchalance,
 NB>> though, and worry doesn't make much difference in the long run..
 ML> There have been moments (especially in the ICU a few
 ML> months ago) when I had my doubts.

ICU's cause worry and doubt... ;)   Of course the reason(s) for being
in them have some effect, too... ;)
 
 ML>> United is doing its best to make more costly than
 ML>> necessary attractive - in order to requalify for
 ML>> status next year, I have to spend $12K exclusive of
 ML>> taxes. Not going to happen, think I, as I just don't
 ML>> have that kind of dough.
 NB>> Seems that status is being offered more to those to whom money is
 NB>> no object... what's a measly $12K/yr, after all, when one might
 NB>> drop that on a single party... ;/
 ML> I was thinking that I have made less in my life than many
 ML> and perhaps most of my classmates (both the ritzy high
 ML> school and the ritzy college) make in a year. Pretty
 ML> bizarre. I am of course pretty far on one end of the
 ML> spectrum and they on the other. Sad that part of my life
 ML> is more appropriate to their end, but whatever.

On a lesser scale, I'm seeing it with my high-school classmates... some
of them are much more affluent than I'd ever have aspired to... and much
more influential to boot... but I suppose that's to be expected to some
extent... It only niggles a little when I wonder if they think I'm
supposed to be on a par with them on those aspects instead of just being
another one that happened to graduate together from the same school the
same year...  ;)  At least I don't feel looked down on by the other
members of the committee that are working on planning our 50th (next
year, but we've been working on it since we had our 45th)...  :)

 ML>> Right. But there are few if any places that could match
 ML>> the advantages that Singapore used to offer. Maybe India,
 ML>> but that's a little dodgy even for my taste.
 NB>> Hygenics, unrest..?
 ML> Both, though the unrest can happen anyplace. Also the huge
 ML> disparity in rich vs. poor - here it's bad enough, but there
 ML> it's scary - which of course causes both of those issues.

About what I thought.  :)
 
 ML>> Of course, as intimated above, that has become less
 ML>> important. 
 NB>> Since spending more money has become more important to United than
 NB>> how many miles you fly...?
 ML> Yes. And because the number of "miles" one earns is tied
 ML> to the number of "qualifying dollars" you spend. Plus a
 ML> multiplier that means that the average person will now get
 ML> approximately 1/4 the "miles" expected, and being of high
 ML> status I'll get about 1/2 what I used to. A faster and worse
 ML> devaluation of programs I have never seen, and the media
 ML> haven't tumbled to it yet.

It begins to sound rather scammish...  ;0

 ML>> Singapore is wild over pork belly. That's always been a
 ML>> mainstay of southern Chinese cooking; it's just that
 ML>> recently there as here it has gotten cult status among
 ML>> the affluent "foodies" (I hate that word and all the
 ML>> shallow trendiness that goes with it).
 NB>> Probably an appropriate name, given the shallowness it implies...
 NB>> and the faddism... One hopefully doesn't get lumped in with them,
 NB>> though... ;0
 ML> I told Annie that she should never, ever call me or my
 ML> friends that. She was taken aback.

She wasn't thinking through the implications...?

ttyl     neb

... If the family skeleton must remain, make it dance.

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