Today, something funny happened between me and my friend. You know the $850 GST Voucher that the government give out? Well, I didn’t get it, and my friend immediately started laughing at me. He said, “Eh, how come you never get the $850 GSTV? Like that how to survive leh?” Then he teased me like crazy, saying I must be very buay song ,never get free ang bao from government.
At first, I felt a bit sian lah. Nobody wants to be laughed at for money issues. But then I thought about it carefully and laughed back at him. Because if I never got the voucher, it means my income is steady and above the cutoff — government thinks I don’t need help lah. But him, since he got the voucher, means he’s low income lor. So if he can laugh at me, I also can laugh back at him.
Why Getting GST Voucher Means Something Else
Many people don’t really know this, but the GST Voucher is given mostly to lower-income families or individuals to help with expenses. So, if you get the $850, it actually means you’re not earning so well. But if you don’t get it, that usually means your income is above the threshold, so the government feels you don’t need extra support.
When I told my friend this, he suddenly quiet one. Like that lor, sometimes the truth is hidden inside jokes. People think laughing at others is fun, but sometimes the real situation is the opposite.
Friendship Is About Laughing Together
In the end, we just laugh and joke about it lah. I told him next time if he wants to laugh at me, I also can come back with better jokes. Like that only friendship more fun mah. We don’t take things too seriously, but sometimes small jokes also got some truth inside.
So now, every time we meet, if he talks about the GST Voucher, I just smile and say, “Bro, steady lah!” Because steady means can take care of yourself, no need government help. That kind of confidence is the best thing to have.