The Problem With Family-Run Education

I have to admit that studying has never been one of my better traits. Especially not in the sunny little red dot where such strong emphasis has been placed on education. I mean, which other country in the world actually publishes an annual update of 'Top 100 Secondary Schools' in their local papers? Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if our local publications are coming up with the primary school or even kindergarten versions of these annual lists. 'Rote memory' seems to be the keyword of the day. I remember a secondary school education of various teachers reminding us to MEMORIZE pre-set answers to the predicted questions for the GCE 'O' level exams. This is the sole reason why till today, I still can remember how ox-bow lakes are formed and the comic relief Shakespeare used in Romeo & Juliet (Mercutio: draw thy tool!).

There's another wonderful keyword that the education system here encourages as well: 'thinking out of the box'. All is fine and dandy of course, until you realize that there's actually another box outside the original box. I wish I could say that it was something fun (like an Xbox 360), something artsy (black box theatre anyone?) or something kinky (a porn video booth). But alas it's just another containment to prevent one's thoughts from going too out of hand. It's a bit like a Matryoshka doll in reverse, to keep you realizing that there will always be boxes outside boxes.

No matter what, since one lives and exists in the world, therefore one still has to play by the rules of the world to a certain extent. Further education and the paper chase is still a national hobby in Singapore and since we're still waiting for more interesting recreational activities and spots to be built, why not throw some money into improving our futures?

In Singapore, somehow everybody seems to be connected with someone. If I actually took the time to sit down and draw out a diagram of sorts, I would soon enough realize that cousin A is connected to random person A via facebook who is a business contact of random person B that was involved in a relationship before with A, B, and C. And don't get me started on the intricate web of connections revolving around persons A, B and C. Yes, my world is that small.

There are many things about me that the parents are constantly hiding from the relatives. Some things that I can name off the top of my head are the usual taboos like my smoking habit and my faith in the Lord (or the lack thereof). All this became really poignant when I recently signed up for a Nursing degree in my paternal uncle's education centre. A simple form requesting for personal particulars soon became a set of hurdles in itself. I spent several minutes pondering upon the outcome of the answer of the blank space beside the words 'Religion'. I was kinda grateful for another declaration that said something like 'I have answered these questions to the best of my knowledge and they are the truth'. I have a very bad memory when it comes to certain parts of my life.

My smoking habit comes into question as well when I think about the fact that my ardent Christian of a cousin has enrolled into the same course as me. To further complicate things, a colleague of mine from the ward is in this same course as well. And everybody in the ward knows that i'm a smoker. Note to self: breath mints, listerine, a lot of cologne, minimal 'tea-breaks' in between classes and a little 'chat' with this particular colleague of mine. I've got a premonition though, that the cat's bound to be out of the bag after the end of the first semester.

You see, the members of the paternal family have been secretly hoping and wishing that I bring home a girlfriend before i hit the big 2-5. So imagine the big huzzah it caused when a paternal auntie (John Chua's mother) brought back office gossip fresh from the education center of the paternal uncle (John Chua's father). Apparently, there's a certain someone in the office that has developed a somewhat big crush on me. Not helping is the fact that she's my education counselor and in charge of student welfare. The news is that her father is a major investor in the uncle's education center and she got the job as a counselor through pulled strings. That's all just rumors and water cooler talk though.

None the less, there's was this particle-charged air of excitement over dinner at the relatives' when the auntie announced this bit of gossip (she arrived at 5.30pm; apparently, she had been withholding this bit of information till i arrived at 6.45pm). If i could do a Matt Parkmen of Heroes fame, the random thoughts that would be bouncing around the dining table would be along the lines of 'thank goodness, there's hope for this child!' and 'finally!'.

Of course, I neglected to mention that I knew all about this way before the auntie even heard about it. Rich Girl apparently, took the guts to initiate the traditional Singaporean courtship ritual text message of 'Can i get to know you better?' and you know how I feel about 'Can I get to know you better' on whatsapp. The fates were basically against her right from the start. She would never have been my material and to be fair to her, she's a good office girl, decent-looking and really sweet. The type that one would go for if one listens to a lot of Jay Chou, Jolin Tsai and Mayday (all chinese singers) or thinks that TyPin LIkE daT oN WhAtApPs d@mN kEwl (where do they get the energy and time to type like that?). But then again, I'm somewhat a potato beneath that banana skin. So like I said, the fates against the Rich Girl.

I gave Rich Girl a non-committal answer. Under normal circumstances, I would have administered a strong dose of 'honey, you're not my type' to them. Alas, these circumstances that I'm in currently are abnormal. I mean, even the auntie knows of the local gossip that goes on in the office. What more the developments of my little tryst with the rich office girl? Things were rather awkward between her and me when I headed back to the office to collect my course materials on Friday. Or at least, she was the one who felt rather awkward. One could see that she was averting her eyes from my line of sight.

Girls and rejection. I should have told her that I have a girlfriend.