Store employee Ramon shows a katana that the store had acquired recently at a Cash Converters used goods store in Singapore August 30, 2013. Faced with rising living costs and unable to wait until pay day, growing numbers of Southeast Asians are putting their gold jewellery and designer watches in hock, creating a boom in pawnshops across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Picture taken August 30, 2013. To go with ASIA-PAWNSHOPS REUTERS/Edgar Su (SINGAPORE - Tags: SOCIETY BUSINESS)