Friday, October 06, 2006
Listening: In The Air Tonight; Ryan Star.
I was told to write something about How my family has influenced me and How being a male in Singapore feels. I guess i sidetracked a little but fuck, who cares?
Hello, my name is Tien Loong. For some reasons, my grandparents decided to give me that name, which also means "to add a dragon". Apparently, I haven't been much of a dragon for the last 18 years of my life. My parents are encouraging but somehow, they don't see things the way I do on certain matters. They are however, great examples and role models. I've got a sister who's better than me at almost everything, a mom that slogs day and night just so that we have the best of things and a dad who knows almost every part of Singapore because he's a property agent and he also takes care of the household chores. Sometimes I wonder, if only I can have all their attributes; the capabilities of my sister, the stamina of my mom and the memory of my dad.
Being a male in Singapore, I have to serve my term in NS. And no, I do not get free entrances to clubs on Wednesdays because it's Ladies' Night. I'm also expected to have the 5 Cs; car, cash and whatnot. Being a male in Singapore is especially stressful I'd say. We're expected to be able to know and do so many things. Education wise, we're supposed to be gurus at Mathematics, even when most of us actually suck at that subject. "Men are supposed to be good at maths!" The exact words of what everyone tells me. But I survived without maths anyway and I'm doing New Media now which requires totally no maths, sweet.
Yes I'm Singaporean and I'm the supposed conservative Asian, but that doesn't put me anywhere lower than the European counterparts who have escaped to my homeland and claimed their places as "professional expatriates". I am conservative and supposedly, I do not approve of One Night Stands and spiritually unsatisfying lives (fuck this, this sentence is here because it reflects well on me, HAHA). But unlike the foreign expatriates, I am unique in my own way. I welcome guests together with four million other smiles and most importantly, we do not bob our heads when we curse and swear. (Yes, pun intended.)
Singapore is one of the countries with the highest tourism ratings. But that doesn't really make the place a wonderful one to live in. Ask any true blue Singaporean on the streets and they'll tell. When I say true blue, I mean their parents are Singaporean, their grand-parents are Singaporean and the list can go on forever. While there might be quite a number of recreational hotspots on this little island that sits on the equator, it has little to offer for its loyal occupants ( Yes, us.)
I live in a multi racial society. I guess it wouldn't hurt to be a little honest and say that I have racial preferences. Yes you might have guessed; I*****s are not on my preferred list.
In today's fast paced and civilized society, we're expected to be sensitive individuals, considerate and selfless. Because of the constant pressure that we need to be early, most of us have become time machines, not literally, but almost. If you're expected to be there by 4pm, be there at 3.59pm. Step into the room at 4pm, and you'll be marked late. Expectations have raised the speed of the society we're living in and it gets worse with each day. The constant dip in the value of green-backs has also affected all of us in a way or another. Now that money is seen as something so valuable that all of us cannot live without, everyone's fighting for it and corruption rules.
So, here's my story, my take on life; ironic.i can feel it coming in the air tonight.
nik homebound died at