complicated simplicity

With Christmas coming, many people here are rushing to buy Christmas presents for their loved ones. Inevitably, you will hear many grouses of how inflation has set in, and how expensive (and meaningless) Christmas presents tend to be now. After speaking to a couple of friends, you will hear the usual complains about the lack of monies, and the lack of ideas. One of them even was looking for a payday loan fast to help ease his financial crunch. Apparently taking cash advances here to buy Christmas presents is a norm and services are fast. These are what they call "Pay Day Loans", where you get advanced on your pay. Obviously there’s a catch: You pay interest. But for many people, not being able to afford to send out Christmas presents may be a larger tragedy. In Asia, we call it "a loss of face".