Gong Xi Fa Cai...
This has been the catchphrase for the past 11 days. 4 more days to go and the festivities will be over. Leaving majority of Singaporeans returning to their miserable lives. Fact is, why are Singaporeans feeling oppressed, sad, and miserable? Compared to the poor people living in Africa, Indonesia, and other parts of the world, we are living in luxury. Luxurious to the point that wastage of everything is common - paper, water, electricity, food, time, etc. We become a cynical, obnoxious, discriminating, judgmental breed of two-legged beasts with herd mentality. Despite the collectivism, we do not even blink an eye when we turn our backs on our own kind (I'm doing it as I type it). The past two weeks have taught me a lot. Approaching every office in the CBD is not an easy task. The blisters, sores, aches, and lack of sleep are worth it, if there are at least 80 kind souls (out of 480 whom I approached) who return fully completed surveys by the end of this week. It will probably compensate for the snide remarks, rude glances, and unhelpfulness of the Singaporeans I've met. Many refuse to accept the survey on the pretext of having no time, yet their time is spent polishing their nails, reading magazines, chatting on the phone (usually receptionists), and chatting with colleagues. This, as compared to the 100% positive response from the angmohs I approached.

I admit that by nature, I have a solemn disposition. However, after reading the comic Fruits Basket (not grammatical error on my part, but it is the actual English translation of the Japanese title), I try to adopt a more cheerful demeanour in my communication with others around me. Perhaps it is part defense mechanism, part socialization, my efforts sometimes fail when I communicate with people who are on the negative side of the spectrum. Instead of welcoming the positivity, they rebuke, insult, and sound bitter and sour. It is difficult for me to remain at peace when such situations arise. The best solution, I believe, would be to ignore, for a difference in wavelength would probably mean that a person is not worthy to communicate with me, going by some people's standards. Perhaps my next thesis would be on discrimination of non-intellectuals in society.