This article first appeared in Capital, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on December 16, 2019 - December 22, 2019

Being a woman, I must admit that I envy a wife who can find a husband who is willing to spend so much on a birthday present for her. The man just swiped his credit card without batting an eyelid to buy a RM150,000 watch — RM146,630 to be precise.

What more can she ask for? For married women, nothing is more important than a loving husband who remembers your birthday when he can sometimes forget the details of the contracts he signed at work.

(Note: The husband must be a top gun at a company, perhaps the president of an MNC, with that kind of money to spend, or he could be from a rich family.)

The wife is actually a neighbour of mine who lives a few doors down at house No 10. The other day, at a neighbourhood potluck party, we were mesmerised by the sparkle from the stones on the square-faced watch on her wrist. The light reflected from the rock on her finger was enough to blind you momentarily.

She invariably also carries a handbag that matches the colour of her dress.

Another neighbour, who lives in No 15 across the road, got wind that the expensive birthday present was to make up for a family holiday that had to be cut short. Isn’t he thoughtful? The family usually goes for a two-week holiday abroad at the year-end. The holiday had to be interrupted because the husband needed to settle some work emergency back home. Such a responsible person, isn’t he?

Will I ever get such a beautiful birthday present? If my memory serves me correctly, to make up for a cancelled holiday to Redang Island, my husband took me to a popular cafe for breakfast. And we only went there for an expensive meal because of a credit card promotion, otherwise, we would have ended up at his favourite beef-ball noodles shop.

Sigh! But whenever I start complaining about my husband, mum always tells me I should look at the glass as half full instead of half empty.

Alright! I did get a watch as a birthday present from my husband when I turned 30 in 1993 — a Citizen quartz. Although the timepiece isn’t studded with precious stones, it is still precious as it cost RM500, which was a considerable amount given my husband’s salary then.

I’m embarrassed to say it is the only watch he has ever bought for me. Like many married couples, we needed to save up to buy the house our family is living in now. On top of that, our monthly expenses just ballooned after the kids came, especially when they started schooling.

For a single-income family, we have to think carefully before spending a single ringgit. Even when my husband’s pay was raised to RM30,000 a month, which I thought was a lot since that is close to the prime minister’s salary, he is always mindful about expenses as we hope to send our children for further studies in the UK.

There is a saying that a man’s generosity in splurging on a woman is a measure of his love. Looking at my neighbour’s watch, her husband certainly loves her very, very much. As for me, yes, I know the glass is half full, at least.

Between a man who earns RM100 and gives you RM10, and a man who earns RM20 and gives you RM10, mum says the choice is obvious ... pick the one who is willing to share half his wealth with you.

What about a woman whose husband earns just RM100 but gives her a birthday present worth RM200? Would she be considered even luckier?

Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.

P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's AppStore and Androids' Google Play.