I wonder if it's a Singaporean thing to be so concerned with age
because here in Melbourne, I see lots of people in their
40's, 50's and beyond, still enjoying life and living life to
the fullest!
It really boils down to one's attitude. Who dictated that
by the age of 30, we MUST be married / own an apartment or at least
paying the mortgage for an apartment / have $10K in the bank, etc
etc? Honestly, milestones that used to be achievable by the
age of 30 are now pushed further back simply because :
- people invest more years in getting that degree and etc, and
some, like moi, never seem to stop studying! 
And then upon graduation, one is slapped with
heavy study loans to repay, which will definitely set one's
financial goals back by a few years at least;
- 'modest' inflation over the years make it harder and harder to
achieve certain goals like paying off your home / car / foreign
wife;
- people have more and more complicated dating and mating
agenda's, there are more and more commitmentphobics, and there are
a growing no. who actually relish being single! Therefore, it
seems to be harder to get married TO THE RIGHT ONE and settle
down; 
- our grandparents don't think twice about having
children. Now, there are people who staunchly refuse to have
children or face infertility issues, etc.
Therefore, what used to apply to our grandparents' and our
parents' era, the yardsticks they used to define 'success', no
longer holds true for our generation and beyond.
I see young Aussies saving hard only to splurge it all on
travelling and never really bothering about mortgages till much
later in life; I also see young Aussies getting married and having
babieS and getting strapped down with mortgages, car loans, credit
card debts, and then there are Aussies in their 40's and 50's who
are still renting with no future intention to purchase their own
property, etc etc. They live their lives as they see fit,
with no pressure to conform to any societal norms.
There is a rising wave here of people in their 40's speed-dating
and getting hitched not long after, plunging headlong into
mortgages, and having babies. The statistics were impressive
enough for the local newspaper magazine supplement to spotlight the
new-wave practice.
Back to a more personal level, I think if I had gotten married
and settled down when I was in my late 20's, I wouldn't be where I
am right now. I wouldn't have been able to switch careers,
wouldn't have been able to pursue all the courses I did, and
wouldn't be able to pursue my career development dreams, which is
now, a bona fide Works In Progress! 
To achieve my immediate goals, I won't achieve
the savings I want in the time frame I deem 'ideal', nor will I
build the investment portfolio I desire, and I can forget about
getting my own car or apartment at least until 2010 and
beyond. Does it bother me? It used to, because I am
afterall, a 'typical Singaporean' in some ways! But, I feel happier and more secure now,
knowing that by the age of 50, I will be able to retire or
semi-retire, and live the humble, comfortable life that I have
single-handedly worked for.
Heard of the phrase, "40's are the new 30's"? 
