Brutal Youth

Link: Brutal Youth

I haven’t really been able to get to the bookstore and grab this book but the excerpt’s looking great!

So I wasn’t always a bookworm. Think it was till I was 18, that I started to develop a fondness for reading books. All that time - through childhood - my mum would have the toughest time trying to get me to sit down and read a book. But it all changes around the time I was 18, when trying to get me to put down a book was tough. #theirony

Food for thought.
The reason why I decided to share this book was because I feel that society is changing and do we really know what our kids might be going through in school? Are they also victims of such bullies?

Maybe it’s my era, but when I was still in school, we never heard of such cases before. Or maybe it’s Singapore culture back then.

Then again, now that society is changing - for better or worse - do you think one day, it might happen to your kids at school?  See. I think the mentality of people changes over time, over experience and so does kids’. Because we will bring them up differently based on our past experiences - good or bad. It could also be the influence of “open-mindedness”. Like now, I see primary school students holding hands on the streets, secondary school student making out on trains. Has this “open-mindedness” allowed them to play more and prank harder? If one day, our schools will be ‘populated’ with such bullies? Will it be safe for our not-so-attractive kids to go to school? Will they be teased and tricked based on what they wear and what they bring?

Well, let’s hope it will never come to that.

- Elizabeth.

When you’re always complaining about how your mum doesn’t take good photos, she drags a sick you out of bed to take this for her. #mums #crabs #prettyappetisinghuh #whitagram

Outrageous? You tell me.

So I was on my way home from work. Taking a train like any other, from Tanjong Pagar to Serangoon. Well, I alighted at Outram to switch lines and there’s this long walk from EWL to NEL.

After I went down the escalator, this lady approached me. My initial thought was that she was going to ask the time and I prepped myself by glancing at my watch. But what she said caught me off guard and here’s how it went:

LADY: Excuse me. I just went to the hospital and I left my coin purse. MRT gave me a free ride till Tanjong Pagar but I stay in Changi. Can you spare me some change to get home?
ME: *Fumbling through my bag and opening my wallet - in my bag - and realised I do not have any ‘spare change’. It was all 10s and 50s.*

- In the meantime, she continued - 

LADY: I am very shy, I don’t dare to ask anyone. I have been standing here for 2 hours. Now I feel unwell, I want to go buy medicine.
ME: I’m really sorry but I do not have spare change to help.
LADY: Please, I am very shy. *Keeps following me*
ME: I really don’t have spare change. How about you ask the control station for help? *And I walked off*

Now, here’s the thing. If you were in my shoes, what would you have done?

The list of things running through my mind was basically:

1. If you need money for transport, no problem. I could help you get home. But, you are already in the station. It shouldn’t be that much of a problem getting to the station you want, no?


2. Are you sure you are unwell? I mean, standing here for 2 hours and you are still looking radiant? Well, that’s some bug you have there.


3. Seriously, you are shy?! Surely there would be better times where there are lesser crowd of people - rather than stopping someone in the middle of the rush hour?


4. Now tell me what do you want? Are you asking me for money to get you home or asking me for money to get medicine? Get your story straight.


5. I really think you are making this up. If you are at Outram and you left the hospital, most likely you left SGH. Shouldn’t you head back first to get your purse?

I don’t know if I did the ‘right’ thing but I stand by my decision.
I believe that it should be a joy to help others - especially those in need. However, it is up to you to decide whether or not the person is actually needing or cheating. After all, you need to bear in mind that if anything happens - good or bad, you have no one to blame but your ignorance and trust. So, trust yourself and make the best decision the circumstance allows. And in my case, I felt I did.

Night.

- Elizabeth.

So I decided to start posting with a ‘more-or-less’ routine of my day to day - #travelingforwork #nssnso. While waiting to board the plane back to Singapore, and sitting opposite a colleague whose engrossed in the book of “How to tell if someone is lying” I decided to post a little something to start the blog.
This is my first time back in Indonesia since. Well, probably a year ago. It still feels the same and the hotel I stayed in - Hotel Mulia - is still great as ever. Breakfast was awesome too, though, with the braces now, it’s really hard to enjoy.
A short one for now. The rest of my day entails the flight back to Singapore, prepping for meetings from 1400-1800. And lastly, my Japanese class from 1900-2130. I don’t know what’s going to keep me awake but I’m hoping I will.
Have a great day all.Cheers!

- Elizabeth.