wow. so many months have flown past.
economic inequity is such a serious problem in singapore. guess i’m considered really privileged. sigh.
today i was on the bus, with my bass, and there was this old uncle. almost my grandpa’s age.
him: ‘ah boy, li tang keng ah’ (boy, you play piano/instrument ah)
me: ya
him: ‘le gai keng gui pek kou, qi bai kuai ah’ (how much is your instrument, seven hundred dollars ah)
me: ah ya. shi (or something to that extent)
so then he goes on ranting, to the slight annoyance of the other passengers, about how he had a relative who was teaching piano, and how much he/she charges, and also talks about how instruments are very expensive, and that he wouldn’t buy one.
*bus passes by coffee shop*
so he talks to his neighbour, another amicable old man who was agreeing with what he was saying, about how the food at that coffee shop is so expensive, 4 dollars. then i told him how food is expensive everywhere, (thinking about food courts and fast food outlets and inflation) and how its hard to find good food at prices like $2.50. the conversation with the amicable old man thus ended about here, and i carried on reading ‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro which alison lent me. its an interesting read, still about midway. its hard to see how the people in the heartlands are making ends meet, leading back to my recent observation of the unseen severity of income inequality in singapore. sigh.
prelims are round the corner! oh what joy.
and the year is coming to an end.
i’ll miss the friends most.
