During Chinese New Year, we would often meet friends and relatives we have not met for a year. When we were young, they would ask about our school and grades. So, hows school? Say many As, or say words like Raffles or River Valley, and theyll go Wah, good boy / girl. Say Ds, and theyll still go Good boy / girl, and then proceed to tell your parents about an effective tutor theyve just engaged. As you grow older, the same idea, though with different contents, occur. They will ask you about work. Say manager and youll be left alone. Say unemployed and youll be frowned upon. Thats why some people avoided Chinese New Year altogether, and choose to go overseas. After all, its better to avoid than to be embarrassed. Is it really that important? In my fifth novel A Photogenic Life, the protagonist used to like Chinese New Year, for she had a perfect life—being in a prestigious school and having a handsome boyfriend. However, when something happened, she avoided it altogether. Catching up has somehow become a verbal report card. And this does not apply merely to Chinese New Year. Every year, some of us have class gathering. This mini-reunion is somewhat like Chinese New Year, but it can be even worse—for your nemesis in school could be there, too. Thats when catching up is no longer catching up with friends on good old times, but catching up to the highest end of the social ladder. I dont know whether this applies out of Singapore, but in here, its happening. One of my female friends even said that she rented a bag just for a gathering. Huh? Have we become so fixated on talking about successes that we forget the fundamentals that bring us the smiles? Have gatherings become a talk about KPIs between each other, and conversations revolve around performance metrics? What do you think? Please share and like this if youve enjoyed reading it! Can a female university grad marry an ITE grad? Read one of my novels, A Singapore Love Story (all my novels are in bookstores now), here: goodybooks/asingaporelovestory.htm
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 05:00:00 +0000
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