but the smile of a child.
26 Dec 2009
Uncle Kopi 8:27 am
It suddenly dawned upon me despite it being so obvious. It is for such reasons and more its not worth committing suicide; each day has the possibility of a new revelation despite its obscure probability the day before.
On being Uncle
I call myself Uncle T. This blog is my kopi place. Friends get annoyed at me for talking about things too serious at TCC/Thai Express/Coffee Club dinners. I talk too much and I talk with too much convicted opinion.
Then today I realised why or where these come from. I find myself typing this blogpost over with 3 middle-aged Singaporean men having an extended conversation about how Hainan Island chicken rice is different from our local Hainanese Chicken rice. Now they are lamenting how the younger generation today are 'softies' who want to 'lie in their bed but not build it', wanting long-term benefits with short-term efforts. They lament with conviction saying its part of life to bear hardship before enjoying life. Not that I totally disagree with them, but I argue with them for the sake of us 'younger generation'.
Makan with uncle, become uncle
It is these kopi sessions that I have been having with these men for over a decade. I think my opinions and debates about the whole gamut of issues in life from the hawker centre tables. I wish my intellectual seeds were planted in more romantic places like debates with philosophers at Cafe de Flore in Paris. But my intellectual reality begins at Ang Mo Kio hawker tables. In this last decade, I've had breakfast with these men from them in their managerial days to now them being retired. Surely, breakfast sessions with my dad and his friends all these years have had a huge part to play in me being an Uncle today.
On being a young man
Uncle Tony puts his hands on my shoulder, gives it a firm goodbye squeeze and says, 'Young man, when you decide what to do (in life), let me know'. For a young man, that is a tall order.
On being Uncle
I call myself Uncle T. This blog is my kopi place. Friends get annoyed at me for talking about things too serious at TCC/Thai Express/Coffee Club dinners. I talk too much and I talk with too much convicted opinion.
Then today I realised why or where these come from. I find myself typing this blogpost over with 3 middle-aged Singaporean men having an extended conversation about how Hainan Island chicken rice is different from our local Hainanese Chicken rice. Now they are lamenting how the younger generation today are 'softies' who want to 'lie in their bed but not build it', wanting long-term benefits with short-term efforts. They lament with conviction saying its part of life to bear hardship before enjoying life. Not that I totally disagree with them, but I argue with them for the sake of us 'younger generation'.
Makan with uncle, become uncle
It is these kopi sessions that I have been having with these men for over a decade. I think my opinions and debates about the whole gamut of issues in life from the hawker centre tables. I wish my intellectual seeds were planted in more romantic places like debates with philosophers at Cafe de Flore in Paris. But my intellectual reality begins at Ang Mo Kio hawker tables. In this last decade, I've had breakfast with these men from them in their managerial days to now them being retired. Surely, breakfast sessions with my dad and his friends all these years have had a huge part to play in me being an Uncle today.
On being a young man
Uncle Tony puts his hands on my shoulder, gives it a firm goodbye squeeze and says, 'Young man, when you decide what to do (in life), let me know'. For a young man, that is a tall order.
24 Dec 2009
Andrew said... 1:07 pm
Andrew said, 'I woke up and didn't realise it was Christmas Eve. You expect snow,and it isn't there. You expect a quiet breakfast with a loved one and its all in the mind. I rushed off to work.
Somehow, this Christmas eve seems lonely. You look around and see loved ones but do wonder where has all the Christmas love has gone hiding.
Let's hope it gets better.'
That got me thinking.
23 Dec 2009
Epiphanies amidst the mad rush 7:19 pm
I have been rushing around so much these last few days, so much so that my trusty electronic calendar was not even utilised for its 'to-do' function. There has been so many things to do with such tight turn-arounds its more efficient remembering them rather than recording them.
Hardly any sleep, checking emails on the move, whispering quick prayers on the go, nonesense lunches. Gone is the luxury of overplanning which I enjoyed in some parts of the past 5 months. Now its no longer strategic planning, but more fire-fighting, operational deadlines.
Yet, ,when just when I'm about to bitch about nursing a 3.5 hour nap in 24 hours, I realise I'm loving this, or at least parts of it. I nearly always give thanks to be alive to experience all this adrenaline. I learn more about myself, meet new people, understans fresh insights. Change truly being in full gear.
A friend gently reminded me of staying stuck in comfort zones and familiar roles. I have to have the guts to continually re-assess and discern; life in constant change needs constant renewals and rethinks. One change so hard to swallow is perhaps accepting that some old friends have moved on and old friendships to be replaced by new ones. Now that is a scary thought just before Christmas. This reality threatens to create cracks on the romanticism of my ideal friendships.
Oh boy. O come Emmanuel...