I'm frustrated.

[yuiyoshida]

So I am on Twitter, and scrolling down, and there is a video, of a scene, flying into this beautiful mansion in Malibu, and this young 20 something Asian girl in a bikini, who dives into the back yard pool, than crawls out of the pool, sunbathing in a chair, while being photographed in various poses, and expressions on her face.



I comment, that while this was great, it was probably her doing a photo shoot at some rich dude's house, and wasn't she lucky to be able to do that!

Well, I get a response from the photographer. That's her house. She OWNS that. She bought it with her own money modeling. She is 24 and modeling, and not only owns that house, but bought one for her parents as well.

I don't know why I was shocked. Maybe because its hard enough for an Asian-American actress to get good parts in TV and movies these days, but to be a successful swimsuit model and make enough to own a mansion in Malibu? Wow...What's going on here?

Now, granted, I never had any aspirations to be super rich or a swim suit model, I just always wanted to be be free and on my own for a long time.

I love living in this city, despite the fact that its so darn expensive, so much so that I can only afford a small one bedroom apartment that has a shower unit only. I have always wanted either a bathtub or a hot tub to have access too, but sadly who can afford that in this city?

It just frustrates me that some people make it appear to be so easy, to have access to the pulse of a place like Los Angeles and live in the lap of luxury, for just a few hours of posing before the camera!

Okay so maybe she was an Instagram sensation, got offered to do magazine covers, probably ended up in SPORTS ILLUSTRATED or a few other publications, but to be able to buy a real mansion in Malibu? That is some serious money!

The thing is, I wonder if I had the offer to do that kind of thing, for that kind of money if I would? You always hear the horror stories about people ruining their lives, getting rich too quick and doing stupid stuff, drugs, alcohol, Hollywood parties, and next thing you know you find them living on some side street pushing a shopping cart around, being homeless. Or they invest it in the Stockmarket and are cleaned out and owing money within a year or two.

I never wanted to be Rich! Maybe that is my mind set. In Asian culture money can also be a curse besides a good fortune. People in Asia don't want free money, they need to earn it for it to be their fortunes! You could drop a 1000 Yen on the side walk in Tokyo, and no one will touch it. They will call a Police officer to come retrieve it and will walk about trying to find the owner and return it to them. Money found, is cursed in Asian culture. No one will steal it or even touch it, for to do so is bad fortune.

I once visited a beautiful mansion in Santa Barbara. The woman who owned it was spending her days in Italy, and my friend was house watching the place, and being paid for it. I think I was more repulsed by such wealth than attracted to it. Maybe its my Buddhist up bringing that talked about how it was better to have Spiritual wealth than to have Financial Wealth. The idea that even if you obtained all of those treasures, you can't take it with you in the afterlife (if you believe in one). You would need several life times to really enjoy it all and none of us have that.

You can pass it on to your kids, but what will they turn out like? Being wealthy involves lovely things like taxes, property upkeep, managing your money so it doesn't disappear too fast before your finals days come. That is more work than I am committed to doing. Oh sure, you can hire someone to manage your funds, and one day you find out they are in the Bahamas with all your money!

All the reasons to just keep doing what I am doing, and trying to stay happy. That's what's important, to me. Still, my dream is to live some where that has a bathtub. Is that too much to ask? It must be... in a place like California, we're still in a drought condition and not supposed to be wasting water. If you are rich you can fill up your pool, and even if they fine you, you can afford it. That doesn't seem fair, but no one ever said life was fair. I will enjoy my showers, I guess and be happy I can do that. Some people, even around here, don't have that much.

[mnhtnbb]

1. Money has privileges, doesn't it?

The photo you posted is not in Malibu, though. You can see downtown Los Angeles in the background, so it was taken somewhere east of L.A. maybe the Hollywood Hills?

I have a friend from Missouri who lives in Lyon, France. He applied to the HGTV show, House Hunters International, and was accepted. One of the requirements
for the apartment he wanted to find was it must have a bathtub. Well, he's living it! Not only did he get his bathtub, but also a small yard.

Living somewhere with a bathtub seems like it should be an achievable dream.

[yuiyoshida]

5. Yeah i found a random photo,

I didn't want to post this on twitter, and have her go, "hey that's me!!" So I googled an Asian girl in a swimsuit, southern California, and got this photo. I recognized LA in the back ground as I lived down in Southern California for awhile, before it got too expensive.

Someone on twitter pointed out, thought it isn't the case with this girl, that a lot of very RICH Chinese are coming over to the USA to buy a house for their kids. They even hire a crew to take care of the place, so its like a little palace for their little princesses.

I have read about this, that they are bored, so they hire a professional photographer and take photos and post them to Twitter, to show people just how Rich they are. Flaunting the wealth so to speak. They all seem to have dual citizenships between the US and China.

[DFW]

2. A "Gift of the Magi" situation

In our house we have a bathtub. We never use it. It seems we can never find the time. In the house we rent for our vacation there are two master bedrooms, one upstairs with a shower and one downstairs with a small bathtub/Jacuzzi. We always use the upstairs bathroom, and guests (we ALWAYS have people come stay with us) get the room with the bathroom with the tub/jacuzzi.

So, if you're ever on the outer tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the summer or in the German Rheinland during the rest of the year, stop by and you'll have a bathtub at your disposal. Dōzō!

[Phentex]

3. You are not alone! I AM a bath person, always have been but I have a plain ole tub...

I have many friends who have fabulous bathrooms with big Jacuzzi tubs or huge walk in tubs and they NEVER use them! One of my neighbors has told me to come down and use her tub any time I'd like. Weird!

Now, my husband has threatened to re-do my bathroom many times and add a claw foot or my dream tub (a Japanese soaking tub!) but I am just too practical. There's nothing wrong with the 1960's tub I have now. I don't plan to be in this house forever so if I live long enough to retire some place I might consider the tub first.

[Phentex]

4. Sounds like you've figured out a lot of this on your own...

there are people who make a living posting youtube videos. People who hit a small ball with an iron stick who make a lot of money. People who model clothes for a living. And people who work in fields every day or clean buildings every day or take care of sick people every day. It's part of what makes the world interesting to me.

If you can find work that makes you happy and keeps a roof over your head, you are successful.