Eden munches on the morsels of noodles from his favourite food stall. The business is brisk, with many returning customers whose stomachs are all growling from half a day's work. His slurping can even be considered alluring to some, as his good appetite is infectious. Edward his closest and tallest colleague has already finished his meal and is browsing social media.

Meanwhile, the oncoming crowds of people continued well into two o'clock. There is no jostling but a peaceful and efficient system of queuing. Everyone at the cafeteria exercises their patience and courtesy, but all is fair in the war when it comes to seating. It is first-come first-serve.

            I wolf down the noodles in my bowl and polish off the remaining soup. I was famished just fifteen minutes ago but now I was as bloated as a balloon. Eden gazes at Edward's screen curiously. But Edward wanted to know more and continues the topic from before.

"So, Eden, what is the big solution? How do we get around the higher cost of living? As you know, everyone around me, my friends, relatives, even my richer acquaintances are all struggling somewhat."

Eden glances at Edward for a moment and pauses. He then unhurriedly addresses the topic skilfully.

"Well, there are a lot of things we can do about the cost-of-living crisis. For one, we can reduce our consumption of products and services and limit ourselves to a modest lifestyle. Second, we can switch jobs and demand higher income from our next employer. Third, we can upgrade our skills and qualifications to be more valuable to employers. And lastly, we can choose to work smarter to accomplish more and get more done while at work." Eden lists the solutions off the top of his head as if they are common sense.

After a long pause, before Edward has a chance to reply, I added: "Oh and we can also leverage technology to increase our productivity too!"

"That is music to my ears! That is one of the key reasons the panel decided to hire you among the hundreds of other qualified candidates years ago. Great job." Edward praises me unassumingly while slapping my back.

Satisfied with my answer and deciding to probe no further, Edward carefully cleans up the area around him and takes his tray to the nearby receptacles. "I'll be in the toilet," he states while standing up. "Meet you at the usual place after my smoke break."

"Sure, have a good one!" I beamed back.