Becoming Chinese Trend Goes Viral

China's Foreign Ministry on Friday of last week welcomed the growing global fascination with Chinese lifestyle after "Becoming Chinese" emerged as a viral trend across social media. 

It is delightful to see more foreigners eager to experience China's development and everyday life, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press conference, as reported by CGTN on February 06. 

He noted that for many overseas visitors, understanding China now goes far beyond traditional symbols such as the Great Wall, pandas or cuisine. 

Foreign visitors can enjoy the convenience of a highly digitalized society, including mobile payments and high-speed transport, while also experiencing the cultural depth of Chinese daily life, the spokesperson said. 

From high-speed rail and 5G networks to lesser-known hidden gem cities and traditional cultural heritage, the mix of history and modernity offers a unique experience that continues to enhance China's attractiveness, he added. 

According to official data cited by Lin, China recorded more than 82 million foreign entries and exits in 2025, up 26.4 percent year on year, while visa-free entries rose by nearly 50 percent. 

With the Year of the Horse around the corner, Lin said China warmly welcomes foreign visitors to celebrate the holiday in the country. He noted that flight bookings by foreign travelers to China for the Spring Festival period have surged by more than 400 percent in the past three weeks.

It is timely that China is acknowledged, recognized and celebrated! 

The Science of Veblen Goods

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing exposes human folly quite like our willingness to pay more for something simply because it costs more. 

 

These "Veblen goods", named after US economist Thorstein Veblen who first mapped this peculiar behavior, reveal how deeply status-seeking is wired into our psyche. People aren't just willing to pay premium prices for luxury cars (think Rolls-Royce) and designer handbags (think Hermès Birkin) – they actively desire these items more when prices surge.

 

Brands such as Aston Martin, Bugatti, Cartier and Dior are perceived to be worth more, simply because they cost more. They are not actually any better than their counterpart goods in their category. Their price alone makes them desirable. The most obvious paradox concerns function. Luxury goods are clearly not purchased to satisfy so-called primary needs. Their function is psychological – they promote a sense of being financially powerful and they serve as markers of a real or projected status in society. 

 

This mass delusion comes at a steep societal cost. Researcher B Curtis Eaton describes Veblen goods as "deadweight loss" – burning money on the altar of status competition. [Refer to his and Jesse A Matheson's treatise "Resource allocation, affluence and deadweight loss when relative consumption matters" published in Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Volume 91, July 2013, pages 159-178].

 

The science behind this self-deception is almost comical. A 2007 study by K Fliessbach, et al, "Social comparison affects reward-related brain activity in the human ventral striatum" published in Science found that when people compare their rewards to others, it directly affects activity in the brain's reward centers. 

 

The researchers conducted fMRI scans of pairs of subjects performing tasks for monetary rewards, and found that the ventral striatum – a key reward processing region – responded to relative payment differences, not just absolute rewards.

 

As already stated, the higher prices of Veblen goods make them desirable as a status symbol. Take the Rolex Daytona watch (right), which routinely sells above its already stratospheric list price. Buyers aren't purchasing a timepiece – they're buying membership in an imaginary club of supposed superiority. 

 

As Veblen himself wrote: "Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure".

Health Advice From 100-year-olds

The health and lifestyle choices of the world’s oldest people should not be taken as a blueprint for longevity for others, Richard Faragher, a professor of biogerontology at the UK’s University of Brighton warned. 😄😄😄

 

According to the scientist, the question of why some people live to 100 and some don’t is still debated. Most experts point to either luck or good genetics as the likely reasons for longevity. He stressed, however, that experts agree on one thing – people who want to live longer should “never, ever take health and lifestyle tips from a centenarian”.

 

Really? I would have thought these people having gone through long lives should know better! 

 

The caution comes just days after the passing of the world’s oldest woman, Maria Branyas Morera, who died in her sleep at the age of 117 on August 19. Morera attributed her longevity to “order, tranquility… no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people”. Her demise was preceded by the death of the world’s oldest man, 114-year-old Juan Vicente Perez Mora, this April. Mora’s secret to a long life was to “work hard, rest on holidays, go to bed early,” and to “drink a glass of aguardiente [a strong alcoholic drink] every day”.

 

In an interview with The Guardian published on Saturday, Faragher said that, like Morera and Mora, most centenarians do not speak of exercise or healthy diet when commenting on their long lives. He noted that some of the world’s oldest people admit they were smokers and drank alcohol freely, which “flies in the face of a lot of epidemiological evidence we have on how to extend your healthy life expectancy”. 

 

“Merely because you have survived smoking 60 a day doesn’t mean that smoking 60 a day is good for you… The fact that [centenarians] do many of these unhealthy things and still just coast through says they’re either lucky or typically very well endowed”, Faragher (left) asserted.

 

Following Morera’s passing, the oldest living person in the world has become 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka of Ashiya, Japan who was born on May 23, 1908, according to the US Gerontology Research Group. She enjoys the simple pleasure of eating bananas and starts her day with her favorite drink, Calpis (a Japanese milk-based soft drink). The oldest person to have ever lived was France’s Jeanne Louise Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122, according to Guinness. And she had shared that wine was her secret to longevity. 

 

If I may, I would add Coca-Cola to the list. [Remember... Coke's 1976 slogan was "Coke adds life"].

 

Luxury Paper Shopping Bags Are In Demand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The paper shopping bags of high-end fashion labels have become on-trend items for everything from ferrying lunches to appearing in TikTok backgrounds.

 

To the uninitiated, it may seem like lovers of high fashion are getting up earlier these days. But the plethora of designer paper bags seen on the bus in the mornings often do not contain purchases from Chanel or Prada – but commuters’ packed lunches.The trend brings a whole new meaning to the term “designer bag”, with even Birkin-loving Kim Kardashian seen clutching one at Balenciaga’s show in Los Angeles this month. 

 

On resale sites such as eBay, empty paper carrier bags from luxury brands such as Chanel and Balmain can sell for as much as £65. Prices for a paper Hermes bag start at £45, while the box begins at £200. A Smythson bag with matching tissue paper tends to go for £40, while a set including eight different brands – spanning Gucci, Burberry and La Mer – starts from £114. 

 

Kardashian’s particular bag was later revealed to be a collaboration between Balenciaga and Erewhon – an expensive organic grocery store in the US that has become a mecca for health freaks. It has become the most high-profile example of the unlikely movement for carrier bags that is sweeping high-fashion, as well as the secondhand market.

 

Even an advertising campaign for the luxury brand Bottega Veneta showed the American rapper – and Rihanna’s husband – ASAP Rocky carrying an ersatz brown paper supermarket bag, which he filled with chard and orange chrysanthemums. Dubbed the “Medium Brown Bag”, it is made from suede-lined calfskin – and retails for £1,800. 

 

It riffs on the department store chain Bloomingdale’s, which first launched its paper “Little Brown Bag” in 1973. Instantly recognisable, it became a signifier of an aspirational American lifestyle. A PVC version followed in 1995.

 

There are many reasons for consumers buying into the trend via resold £10 paper Chanel bags on resale sites. Some buy them to display in their homes, the Gen Z equivalent of fine-bone china. Others use them to create an illusion of wealth – either in public or on social media. Instagram and Tiktok is awash with influencers carefully placing them in the background or being incorporated into footage of shopping hauls and “unboxing” videos – in which users dramatically undo ribbons and peel back tissue paper to reveal their latest purchase. 

 

Some people buy real designer carrier bags in which they give fake designer bags as gifts. Others may have bought a real designer item on a secondhand site and want the corresponding carrier bag to match. There are even TikTok hacks for turning a designer paper bag into a more durable bag by wrapping it in plastic.

 

In 2021, a study found that a group of 17 black-and-white paper Chanel carrier bags sold for £265. December is one of the busiest months, with Tiffany’s signature blue bags and Jo Malone boxes in particularly high demand. 

 

Isabelle Szmigin, a professor of marketing at the University of Birmingham, says carrier bags are tied up with identity. “They have value and substance because it implies that you have some connection with that brand and that means credibility, especially on social media”, she added. 

 

One eBay user, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a VIP customer at Harrods and started selling her old paper bags as a side hustle during lockdown. She says as a VIP she regularly receives purchases in limited edition carrier bags that differ from those given to general customers, making them particularly desirable. 

 

Another user, Helen Pacey recently sold an empty Christian Dior paper bag and matching gift box that had originally housed one of the brand’s perfumes for £85. She said: “Demand for these type of paper bags really took off when the plastic bag levy was introduced. People now see them as a luxury. Many are embossed and tied with a ribbon. It makes you feel more special”.

This Is What Remote Working Will Make You Look Like In 25 Years

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot more of us have started regularly working from home. And while it's a great lifestyle change for many, a shocking model has certainly disputed that. 

 

We all got used to working from home during the lockdowns – with around 27 percent of Americans continuing to do so on at least a part-time basis as of September 2022 (as per US Bureau of Labor statistics cited by Dylan Walsh in "How many Americans are really working remotely?", MIT Sloan, June 29, 2023.

 

But, while the bed-to-desk commute is admittedly great for catching some extra Z's in the morning and achieving that perfect work-life balance, we can't help but wonder what exactly will working from home do to our health and happiness on a long-term basis? 

 

A model developed by job search engine DirectApply shows just that and it's far worse than an unproductive Zoom meeting or dodgy internet connection. 

 

The remote working model, who DirectApply have called Susan, is a visual representation of what remote workers will look like in 25 years. She has bad eyesight, inflamed eyes and dark circles from looking at a computer screen all day, and a lack of physical activity has led to bad posture and weight gain.

 

Susan also suffers from 'repetitive typing strain' and 'tech neck' from spending too much time hunched over her computer. Her skin is wrinkled and pasty from a lack of sunlight and a lack of Vitamin D, also from not going out as much, has caused her hair to start thinning. 

 

She is also stressed from being isolated at work and not spending enough time interacting with other people.

 

Featured image credit: DirectApply

 

Fortunately, for the millions of remote workers out there, there are things we can do to prevent ourselves ending up like poor Susan. 

 

Psychologist, Dr Rachel M Allan, told the job search site: "Sticking to a routine that suits your life, your productivity levels and your job demands is essential to maintaining emotional health when working remotely".

 

Another psychologist, Kate Brierton stressed the importance of building and maintaining good relationships with your colleagues, even if you don't see them face-to-face so often. 

 

She said: "Going without human contact for long periods of time can lead to higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which raises blood pressure and has harmful effects on physical health". 

 

And, personal trainer Joe Mitten says that getting outside for some fresh air and exercise is key to keeping on top of your health. 

 

So, while working from home could have some nasty long-term effects, by continuing to socialise and making a concerted effort to look after yourself both physically and mentally, you can create the perfect work-life balance, no commute needed.

Sleeping Time

Sleep is a beautiful thing. To me, it’s a time where our body relaxes, so that our mind is free to dream. 

 

Some people can really sleep for hours on end. And some cannot, no matter how hard they try. 

 

It does make me wonder. And then, I came across this Lifestyle article in The Guardian yesterday – it was about “Fifty Shades of Grey” actor, Dakota Johnson (left) who says sleep is her top priority in life, followed by meditation, working out and a lot of baths. 

 

She promptly adds: “I’m not functional if I get less than 10. I can easily go 14 hours”. 

 

She is the very opposite of Margaret Thatcher (left). The latter is famously said to have slept for only four hours a night. 

 

Bernard Ingham, her Downing Street press secretary confirmed: "She slept four hours a night on weekdays. I wasn't with her at weekends. I guess she got a bit more then". 

 

Indefatigability became part of her mystique. She would keep her officials up working on a speech until two or three in the morning and then be up by five in time to listen to “Farming Today”. 

 

People use it as a benchmark of endurance, often jokingly referring to those who need much more. 

 

Her biographer John Campbell, author of The Iron Lady, said her late-to-bed, early-to-rise routine made her the "best informed person in the room". Occasionally husband Denis would snap. "Woman – bed!" he was reputed to have shouted on one occasion. 

 

Her frugal sleep pattern created a problem for her successor John Major. "He found it difficult coming after her because the civil service had got used to a prime minister who never slept, and he used to sleep eight hours a night", Campbell said. 

 

Sleep comes to be seen as part of a leader's character. When Napoleon Bonaparte (right) was asked how many hours sleep people need, he was said to have replied: "Six for a man, seven for a woman, eight for a fool". 

 

For the Iron Lady four hours was a badge of almost superhuman strength. It fit the narrative of the "warrior" prime minister as set out by the Times' Matthew Parris in 2013. 

 

"She understood that this was war when others didn't. And in war you need a warrior", he wrote. 

 

In fact, World War II leader Winston Churchill (right) survived on four hours a night during the war. But what is less often noted is that he had regular afternoon naps in his pyjamas. 

 

Thatcher was not one for these afternoon sleeps. "No, she wasn't a napper", Ingham asserted. 

 

In the world of business, it is certainly something people strive for. Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly only sleeps from 10:00 PM to 03:45 AM each day. Other high-profile chief executives from Marissa Mayer at Yahoo! to Pepsi's Indra Nooyi got by on four hours a night, while Donald Trump claims to survive on three. 

 

Serial entrepreneur Richard Branson is known to sleep between five and six hours a night and is an early riser. Branson has found that getting up early allows him to achieve more during the day and therefore, his life. 

 

There's no correct amount of sleep, declares Prof Kevin Morgan (left), of Loughborough University's sleep research center. The only rule is to sleep long enough to feel refreshed when you wake up. 

 

For about 1% of people – probably including Thatcher – this will be as little as four hours a night, maintains Morgan. 

 

You can't just suddenly become someone who sleeps this little, he argues. It's likely to have been a pattern common to her life before becoming prime minister. 

 

The late Prof James Horne (left), who was with Loughborough's sleep research center, had ventured to explain that mood is critical. Soldiers high on adrenalin can function on little sleep: "It all depends if one gets a buzz out of what one's doing. If you're despondent, you tend to sleep more; if you're excited you need less. Margaret Thatcher was someone who felt on top of things". 

 

The average adult sleeps seven hours a night but many sleep considerably less than this, especially people over 50. So, it's possible that Thatcher fell within the range of normality rather than the 1%, Horne argues. 

 

She may have sometimes slept four hours and made up for her deficit by sleeping a little longer on other nights; "You tend to attribute great things to great people, that they need no sleep or no food and have superhuman qualities". 

 

In the world of politics, Thatcher is not alone. George W Bush was in bed by 10 but his predecessor Bill Clinton, worked late and got by on four or five hours. During his time as president, Barack Obama was clocking up six hours of sleep a night or less. 

 

For artists, sleep deprivation carries a whiff of creative drive and raucous hedonism. Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones guitarist, once stayed awake for nine days – when he fell asleep, he fell down so quickly that he broke his nose. 

 

He makes a worse advert than Thatcher did. 

 

What about me? I get on by with four hours’ sleep too. Sometimes, three.

Coffin-shaped Office Chair Because Sitting Kills

Sitting kills. 

There is purportedly, a study that finds sitting six to eight hours a day increases your chances of dying. By design, humans aren't created to sit on chairs for eight hours a day. 

Interestingly, there is a law in the UK that makes employers provide standing desk options at their offices. The awareness may be there but it's not enough. 

What's shocking is that it's widely accepted by society – this submissive embrace of a work norm that we should spend almost all of the daylight hours at work. Little do we realize that we are slowly killing ourselves and getting almost nothing out of it. 

This whole grind culture is just wrong, it feels like voluntary slavery. We've been gaslit into thinking that this is life as it supposes to be. 

And so, artist and maker, Chairbox, created a limited-edition The Last Shift Office Chair as a statement on office "grind culture" and the unhealthiness of sitting all day:

It’s tragic, I suppose, that we sit in those coffins and generate value for the stakeholders – but once the time has come, they nail the lid and roll us to the corporate cemetery. 

This reminds me of what Jack Ma, co-founder of online shopping giant Alibaba advocates – the "996 system" – a 9 AM to 9 PM working day, six days a week!

Emulate Batman’s Billionaire Alter-Ego

No bat signal is required to access luxury lifestyle label Wayne Enterprises merchandise starting September 22. 

Warner Bros. Consumer Products have joined forces with men’s buying guide Uncrate.com, on a high-performance range of fashion, accessories, fitness gear, electronics, home goods, personal care and other Bruce Wayne-worthy essentials. 

For the debut collection ($55 to $4,800), Wayne Enterprises tapped a slew of classy Uncrate-approved brands to create limited edition products with a cool edge that can stand up to life in Batman’s Gotham City. 

That includes motorcycle-ready gear such as suede lace-up boots by Danner and Kevlar jeans by Nashville-based denim label Imogene + Willie, as well as a structured wool jacket with a faux fur collar by Rogue Territory, handmade sunglasses by Barton Perreira (a Hollywood favorite also worn by fictional hero James Bond), timepieces by Bell & Ross, a watch winder from Kross Studio (also behind that $100,000 Batman piece) and noise-canceling headphones by Porsche Design. 

There are also Patricks anti-aging skincare and aluminum-free deodorants, pre-workout and wellness supplements from Asystem, luxe gym equipment by Fysik, leather boxing gloves and punching bags by Modest Vintage Player and protein powders by Ascent. Of course, everything is in Dark Knight-approved hues and hardware. 

“Our guiding motto is that this is something that Wayne Enterprises would put out to make Batman a better Batman”, says Robert Oberschelp, Warner Bros. Consumer Products senior veep global franchise management and global brand product. “While the design looks really cool, there’s also a little bit of tech, a little bit of something to make you stronger and better; [for example], if you look at the denim, they’re made of a woven Kevlar tech fabric”. 

“Instead of leaning into the franchise of Batman, it’s ultimately about who is Bruce Wayne, and what does he look like? It’s not [about] one actor or a single brand”, he points out the non-Batman concept that was born nearly two years ago. 

FYI, Batman debuted in 1939 and was dreamed up by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. Rather than directly referencing specific scenes in the DC Comics books, TV series and films, Wayne Enterprises’ brand partners opted to pull inspiration from the myth that is Wayne and WayneCorp, his fictional multinational conglomerate, Oberschelp tells The Hollywood Reporter. 

Edward VII’s Sex Chair

Here's an interesting bit of history! 

King Edward VII of England (right), in full Albert Edward and nicknamed Bertie (November 09, 1841 – May 06, 1910), and who was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, was well-known for his outsized lifestyle and enormous appetite for food and women. 

But when one passion began to interfere with the other, Edward would turn to some elegant engineering to keep the party going.

   

It's been dubbed Dirty Bertie's Throne, aka the royal sex chair of Edward VII. 

As someone in the video's comments points out, thank heavens it's been reupholstered!

Fun fact: After losing his virginity at the age of 19, Bertie had had sex with at least four women a week until his death at the age of 69.

World's Most Boring Person Revealed

Researchers have discovered what they believe to be the most boring person in the world. 

If you live in a small town, you’re an accountant who likes watching TV, we’re afraid you’re at risk of being a snooze-inspiring bore. 

The unique study conducted at the University of Essex and led by experimental social psychologist Dr Wijnand Van Tilburg into the science of boredom has uncovered the hobbies, jobs and characteristics which are considered a stereotypical snooze. 

Religion, bird watching and smoking are now seen as the dullest hobbies while working in data analysis, cleaning and banking are also signs you might not be very interesting. 

Van Tilburg (right) says studying boredom is ironically very interesting and has many real-life impacts. People thought of as boring were also perceived as having low competence and low interpersonal warmth, and thus might be at greater risk of harm, addiction and mental health issues. 

The peer reviewed paper published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin shows how persuasive perceptions of boredom are and what an impact this can have on people. 

Perceptions can change but people may not take time to speak to those with “boring” hobbies and jobs, instead choosing to avoid them. They don’t get a chance to prove people wrong and break these negative stereotypes. The very fact that people choose to avoid them can lead to social ostracisation and increase loneliness leading to a really negative impact on their lives. 

Dr Van Tilburg said: “It was interesting to me to see the study showed that boring people were not seen as competent. I would have thought that accountants would be seen as boring, but effective and the perfect person to do a good job on your tax return”. 

The truth of the matter is people like bankers and accountants are highly capable and have power in society – perhaps we should try not to upset them and stereotype them as boring”, Dr Van Tilburg had added. 

After examining more than 500 people across five experiments, researchers found the blandest jobs are 

• Data Analysis 
• Accounting 
• Tax/insurance 
• Cleaning 
• Banking

A Rebuttal to the Vegetarian Argument

For those who know me, I’m a carnivore through and through!

And please don't begrudge me eating meat. I didn't claw my way up the food chain just to eat vegetables.

But these days, you’re likely to encounter zealous plant-eaters – and they just love to ambush you in order to persuade you to denounce meat! 

So, let me share with you the funniest rebuttal to the vegetarian argument:

UK Teachers are in Dire Straits

In Malaysia, many income-earners are struggling to make ends meet. With a soaring cost-of-living and stagnant salaries – many Malaysians are grappling to eke out a decent living. 

But we are not alone. 

I just read a scary news report today in The Independent that UK teachers are in dire straits. There are those who are living in sheds and in cars and eating out of food banks as the number of professionals seeking vital financial support surges. 

According to the Education Support Partnership, a charity that provides emergency grants, hundreds of teachers and support staff are at risk of losing their home or being unable to pay rent. 

The number of teachers applying for cash handouts for housing from the charity rose by 67 percent between 2016 and 2018 – and the charity expects applications to reach a record high this year. 

Education unions say a real-terms decline in teachers’ pay, at a time when housing and childcare costs have soared, is to blame for the rising number of education professionals seeking help. 

The British online newspaper narrated one teacher, who had applied for financial support for a rental deposit from the charity, lived in a friend’s shed with her daughter as she could not find anywhere affordable to live. 

The charity has also noted a rise in the number of teachers seeking help for school uniforms for their own children and being forced to use food banks. 

In fact, figures provided to The Independent show the said charity had received 832 applications for housing grants from teachers in 2018, compared to 661 in 2017 and 498 in 2016. A rising trend. 

The figures available for this year so far – received in the nine months between January and September – already stand at 648. 

Richard Faulkner, head of policy at Education Support Partnership, said he has read “very distressing” applications from teachers “living in their car” and surviving on just £15 a week once rent and bills are paid. 

“People don’t expect teachers to be homeless and they don’t expect them to be getting the majority of their food from food banks. This is the reality we are seeing on an increasingly frequent basis”, he said. 

The majority of applications come from teachers working in education in the southeast of England – and low salaries of teachers play a significant part in a number of cases, Faulkner added. 

More teachers could quit the profession in areas where living costs are so high unless urgent action is taken by the government, the charity warned. 

Kim Knappett, joint president of the National Education Union, has heard of more reports of teachers and school staff using food banks in the past twelve months. 

Already, a study from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development last month concluded that teachers’ pay in the UK is below the international average. 

The minimum salary for teachers in England and Wales, excluding London, is £23,720, while the minimum for Inner London is £29,664. 

Knappett recognizes that housing costs are going up and up. “People are trying to buy school uniforms, clothes and food from a diminishing pot of leftover money”, she says. 

Truly, a sad state of affairs for teachers!

The Longevity Economy: Untapped Opportunities

I daresay this is true because longevity has increased. 

And given that birth rates are decreasing – we see an expansion in the percentage of older people. 

This is good because as ecologist Frank Götmark (left) from Gothenburg University, Sweden says “Endless population growth would be ecologically impossible”. 

Besides, overpopulation leads to serious problems, including excessive consumption, deadly conflicts over scarce resources, and habitat loss leading to species endangerment. 

Two scenarios to look at. 

In 2018, for the first time in history, those aged 65 or older outnumbered children younger than five globally. And the number of people aged 80 years or older is projected to triple, from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050. 

The UN population report from 2017 shows that 14 percent of countries in the world have reducing populations. And they estimate that 32 percent of all countries will have falling populations by 2050. 

A growing elderly population means governments will face fiscal challenges in the coming decades as they seek to build and maintain public systems of health care, pensions and social protection for older persons. 

BUT there’s also another side of the coin we should look at. 

The population isn’t just ageing, though: people are living longer and increasing their ‘healthspan’ for prolonged health, too. 

That means that as the population of elders expands – so grows a group of consumers, workers and innovators. In other words, they’re not simply a group that needs services from the ‘silver economy’, which is aimed solely at older and ageing people – rather, the ageing population can continue to be full-service participants in the economy at large. 

“We’re now talking about a new life stage which is as long as the latter part of your adult life”, says Dr Joseph Coughlin (right), director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab and author of "Longevity Economy: Unlocking the World’s Fastest-Growing, Most Misunderstood Market". 

Life stages can be quantified in fairly equal measurements of days, he says: 0 to 21, 21 to 40 and 40 to retirement age all measure about 8,000 days. 

“If you make it to 65 years old, you have more than 50% chance you’ll make it over age 85 – that’s (another) 8,000 days. So we’re now looking at a third of our adult life where there are no stories, tools, rewards or expectations”. 

As elders live longer and healthier lives, and continue to earnestly engage in the global economy, possibilities open to potentially turn longevity into an asset for society. 

KPMG’s 2017 report of online consumers in 51 countries revealed that baby boomers spend the most online at $203 on average per transaction, compared to ‘tech-savvy’ millennials, who actually spend the least at $173 on average. 

This surely tells us that the elders have spending power. And that they are accustomed to a certain lifestyle and they want to continue living it.

Whether increased longevity is a burden or a dividend depends on how much societies prepare for the challenges of ageing populations as well as identify and maximize its benefits. 

“The baby boomers have created a next generation”, says Coughlin. “So there is the expectation that while they’re no longer young, they do feel perennially youthful. They not just expect, but in many cases demand new products, new services, new experiences, to make every stage of life – if not every day – a little bit better”. 

Sure, youth may be poised to inherit the future – but now ageing populations are defining it. 

And know that the longevity economy has untapped opportunities.

Crazy Not-At-All-Rich Asians

Remember my blog post, dated September 10, 2018 about a movie that was frivolous, flippant and funny in an unfunny way? 

Crazy Rich Asians, it was called. 

[Check it out again – at the link here @

http://helpvictor.blogspot.com/2018/09/crazy-rich-asians.html]. 

Well, somebody actually made a video which shows us the real Singapore:

Last evening, I was in Block J @ Jaya One in Petaling Jaya, Selangor to attend the School of Hard Knocks Toastmasters meeting – where IJM's Foong Sook Hwa had graciously offered me a precious speaking slot.

I delivered the first of at least ten speeches for July and that was for my Competent Communication manual #60 – my fifth assignment, a CC#6 on Vocal Variety titled Death by a Thousand Cuts. 

I was voted Best Assignment Speaker.

FYI, I am working to complete five CC manuals concurrently. These are for rounds #56, #57, #58, #59 and #60: