Singapore Dreaming
And so, it all boils down to just how blind we are.Just returned from the movies. Law Goes to the Movies, specifically. Through some connections of a year 2, Law managed to get tickets at $5 for Singapore Dreaming, a local film produced by Colin Goh, his wife Woo Yen Yen and guess what, Woffles Wu, Singapore's famous plastic surgeon! I must say that watching a movie with an entire theatre full of people I know is a novel experience, somewhat like a family. Laughter is natural, people are free to make snide comments, and whenever there are lawyer references, there's always bound to be a few sniggers here and there. It does take away the poignancy of the film somewhat.
I must admit that the film shows a side of Singapore that the average middle-income classes would never see. Not to spoil the movie for those who are still interested to catch it, I would just comment that it really opens your eyes to just how absolutely lucky we are. The fact that we even have a handphone and internet is such a blessing we don't realise it. Not to mention a roof over our heads, enough money to have decent 3-meals a day, sufficient clothes to wear, and even receive a good education, one which we often mope and grouse about. Sigh. It's times like these that make you think twice about spending money on "frivolous" stuff.
In a country where meritocracy is strongly advocated, one often takes for granted that the things we enjoy is our God-given right, because we "earned" it, while the poor are the way they are because they aren't good enough to succeed in this society. I used to buy into that philosophy, but now I see that perhaps things are not so simple. You can't choose the family you are born into, and if you so happen to be lucky enough to land yourself in a well-to-do family, that's your fortune, not right. And with the wealth you come into, you receive a good education, become intelligent, make it big in society, and then repeat the same cycle with your children. Similarly, the poor are stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty, not having enough money to provide their children with tuition or whatnot, who then become stuck with low-paying jobs because they aren't smart enough, and then produce children in the same circumstances. Singapore likes to paint us as a perfect one big happy-family, but dig deeper into the heartlands and one will find the dust that is quietly swept under the carpet. The dirt which Singapore is ashamed to show visitors when they come to visit our home.
As my streetsmart friend elucidated me, army is a great leveller. Having been born into a good home and been to good schools, he says that army is truly an eye-opener, where you interact with people from all walks of lives and minority races as well. The stories he told me of the poor he knew made me rethink whether Singapore is truly as developed as we like to believe. While here we are either going on fad diets or overindulging, a guy desperately wants to get out of army to find a job that pays at least $1000+ (instead of the ns rate of $500) just so that he can feed his family. While we drown ourselves in the world of fashion, people struggle to look presentable in front of their potential bosses. In the words of Seng (a character in the show), "In Singapore, before you can make it, you must look like you've made it." It's not true that money cannot buy you happiness; at any rate it keeps you away from the state of depression.
Sigh, it's a warped society. I feel lucky and helpless at the same time.
posted by solitude @ 11:12 PM
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