Singapore Revisited 6.2: Getting Stronger

First thing I did upon my arrival was to get sick. They say "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." You know like the manner Goku gets back much stronger after each time he gets beaten up like a pulp.


I could count the number of times I went down to a common illness in my 3.5 years in Perth with one hand. That is really underwhelmig as compared to my track record in Singapore, I am beginning to umderstand why they keep saying that life in Australia is "slack," since I get stronger in Perth at a much, much slower rate. No wonder my friends will only consider an Australian lifestyle for retirement, as retirees do not really care about getting stronger anymore. Meanwhile the pathetic pace of life in Perth continues to irk them, as I continue to get poorly concealed snides about my decision to move, to which I reply "cos i cannot-make-it in Singapore lah!" In all honesty. I may be pathetically weak ...... but I found myself a place to survive, which is what any living organism will do. There is nothing to be ashamed about.


My good friend Tucky warned me last week that I "will know what is hot" when I return to Singapore in a few days. I nearly peed in my pants because Tucky is not the type who makes empty threats. Fortunately the Gods have been merciful enough to bless me with some light showers. Tucky was quick to remind me I was lucky to escape the hell mode but I am to survive the rest of the week in nightmare mode. Not surprisingly I went down to a sore throat, bad nose and a running temperature within my first 12 hours here.


Luckily my dear neighbors had good advice for me. Angie mama told me to see a doc to salvage, if I may say so, an already ruined holiday. I am likely to be spending the first few working days in Perth recovering from my supposed holiday next week. If I keep spending my annual leave to get sick, when will I really get a holiday? If you want an honest account, that is a major disadvantage of a half fuck migration arrangement. In case you don't realise, I have always see myself as working overseas instead of having emigrated somewhere else until I come to find out what my own people think of people like me as; migrated, quitter or traitor. I still address myself as working overseas when local service providers ask about me during small talks.


Only those who are able to make a clean break with the country and bring the village along with them are considered the truly migrated, at least in my book.


Eventually, I may have to be back for a few years, to tend to my elderly folks. At the moment I can't envisage how it is going to work out. I still have to work if I return, probably committing the same, if not longer hours to work as previously. Will my presence in Singapore makes a difference in such a situation? 

6 comments:

  1. "Eventually, I may have to be back for a few years, to tend to my elderly folks."

    I am in the same boat. But I hope to be in a nearby country, one where the people have balls to tell the ones in power to go suck a rock.

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    1. Ya i am looking at boleh land too but still the problem of jobs for me

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    2. Ya i am looking at boleh land too but still the problem of jobs for me

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    3. I'm thinking of a place further than bolehland. :) As always, if one is willing to do anything to survive, there will be jobs!

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    4. Thai kok ? im open to that option. The rest im not familiar at all

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  2. > "Only those who are able to make a clean break with the country and bring the village along with them are considered the truly migrated"

    I'm still working on my "truly migrated" status. :-d Albeit, I am unable to "bring the village along".

    > "Eventually, I may have to be back for a few years, to tend to my elderly folks."

    As a kid growing up with twice as many siblings as the prescribed "Two is enough" scheme, I used to regret that my parents did not accept "the more you have, the less they get" message. However, now that I've chosen to emigrate, I'm (selfishly) glad that my remaining siblings are able to share that "tend to elderly folks" task.

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