Flowers in the window

I've been re-hooked on this song ever since seeing Travis 'busking' it live.
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Every time I start feeling blah about life and sad over nothing, I wish I had a little more testosterone in my system so I wouldn't be so volatile. Then I realised that I wouldn't want to grow goatees and moustaches, and maybe God was playing fair and giving guys the pain of shaving almost everyday and girls the pains every month, and the ever-lasting fluctuation of moods. Joke.

Anyway, I mentioned yesterday that the weekend forced me into conversations regarding jobs. Every household I visited would include the following "So are you still studying?" - No, "So what are you doing now?" - Looking for jobs, trying to secure interviews.

And then the conversations start to expand. Somehow it made me realise that expectations have changed through the years. People now dream big with not much consideration to the journey there. Everyone dreams of the final destination and not how to get there. Often, people grow extremely disheartened and disillusioned about their dreams, settling for the first few jobs that come by, never satisfied, always wondering what is out there.

During the olden times, Singapore was merely emerging as a first world nation. We were only a developing state. Back then, our parents never really talked about "dreams". Either that or their "dreams" were simple - get a job, build your way up slowly, feed your growing family. Lavish grand dreams were only for the rich, who could afford education past 'O' Levels.

When I was young, I used to think in awe, "Wow my parents stopped their education at 'O' Levels yet they both got pretty admirable jobs." I wonder what my kids will think about me next time? The situation right now in Singapore has changed so much in just one generation. My dad settled after getting his second job at Hyundai Komoco Motors. He started out with nothing but a humble 'O' level certificate and a strong passion for cars. He built his way up from menial tasks, to learning to put apart and put together a car, to representing Singapore on the world car engineering stage, back in 1999, in the annual Hyundai World Skills Olympics and winning the only Gold award (1st prize) ever won by Singapore. And now, he has a group of people training under him. I have nothing but mad respect for my dad. My elder brother seems to have that same drive.

What's a single Diploma or Degree right now when everyone's taking Double Majors, their Masters, their PhDs. Higher education is so much more easily attainable, and in a way, much more affordable than in the past. Back then, people used to say "Get a degree, kid. You'll never be jobless with a Degree." The current times have proven that idea void. A degree only gives you that fighting chance of survival, not a sure-fire way of getting a good job. And for those who can't get scholarships, they almost spend their entire lives paying back the school fees and student loans for the undergraduate years. I'm starting to wonder if the world is only worth living for the rich. But somewhere down the line, there has to be a rich man that started poor. And maybe that rare few extraordinary successes should be our motivation to keep working hard or working smart.

Contrary to what we believed long ago, blinded by our childhood innocence, life does not get any easier as the years go by. But we're supposed to continuously readapt to the changes around us. Life is a constant change, a constant battle, with little spouts of delirium once in awhile. We just have to learn to be more accepting of that fact.