Race Horses

Angie sent us a picture on the whatsapp group some days ago. I opened it up and thought to myself, "What the fuck was that? Looks like 马经 (Horse betting manual)."


On closer look, I was right! The tables, list, odds and shit. Is there much of a difference? Our children are groomed like race horses in Singapore. During our conversation today, mum told me how X family has been spending $1,000 a month on tuition for their primary 2 kid and how Y family has been maximize time slots of every single day of their only child with extra curricular activities. 


Oddly enough, none of the time slots have been spared to teach their kids how to cook, clean the house or fold their dried clothing. Well, I can't say I am that ignorant to what are on their parents' mind. Time is simply too precious for boy boy to learn these nonsense menial stuff. Do what for? Next time can hire maid lah. Oops. I mean helper. After paying the ex-maid $50 more plus one off-day a month, they have been repackaged as a helper. We are gracious Singaporeans. We have no maids or slaves. Helper that is then. Hey, but isn't boy boy groomed for greatness? Who is going to cook, clean and tidy things up for him when he goes for his important overseas work assignments in future? Due to rules, Marilyn cannot go. Luckily, there are laundry shops in other world class cities. Eat out. Stay in hotel no need to clean. Problem solved. If no laundry, bring enough clothes lah. Take the dirty ones back home and Marilyn will settle. Worse comes, buy new clothes. Boy boy is going to earn big bucks next time.


Can boy boy ever migrate to another country and survive? The straight As can take him there but it isn't going to fry up the fish. Be thankful if he doesn't start spinning a stainless steel bowl in the microwave to make hard boiled eggs. Mummy isn't always going to be there for him and there are some places Marilyn simply cannot go.


I read a comment by Winnie in the group the other day about kids in Perth having no examination to take until 18 years old. Is that true? Is that why Singaporean parents are condemning the education system in Australia and systematically carry on their duties by importing 10 kilograms of assessment books every time they return from their Singapore trip? The race course has changed but must not stop grooming the race horse lah! Feels damn shiok watching the horse come first among the slow white horses. hahaha.


Ha ki lan ah.


Come on man, what is wrong with you fucking parents?


If you are worried about your kid's survival, all you have to do is to stop buying 3 cars and leave $400,000 in a trust fund generates 5% a year for him lah. Just make sure he will never be able to withdraw the capital sum and spend it. 5% not difficult to achieve lah. If you have it hard, just pass your money to Ho Ching. Legend has it that she can generate 20% year-on-year average for 20 years like Warren Buffet. Just make sure it doesn't say ±20% in the prospectus, in case your fund maturity date may be set back by 10 years because your fund manager thinks you don't need the money. If you are happy with a less exciting but more certain 5% return, that will generate $20k a year or $1,666 a month for boy boy. Can't imagine your fucking cars can perform almost as good as your HDB rental if you never buy them in the first place right? Boy boy sure hope you had a better imagination.


"Bo bian."


"Can't keep up."


These are the stuff I keep hearing from parents participating in their Kranji horse races. What bo bian? Keep up with what? What next after boy boy attained the top 10 PSLE score in Singapore? Top 10 in the GCE? Top 10 in JC, Top 10 in University, Commissioned Officer in the army, be a monkey in white, Top 10% earner in Singapore? That's over 3 decades of horse racing. Something tells me this is not about survival. It is about your insatiable pride.


It is amusing that parents only have one wish for their fetuses in the wombs and that is for their babies to be borne healthy, then refuse to accept how ordinary their children are a few years down the road and attempt to mold them something they are not meant to be. There is a difference between helping a child to reach his potential and forcing him beyond his aptitude. For the latter, his world is going to come crashing down after the steroids are removed from his life. How long are you going to give him tuition? Need tuition for his consummation too?

1 comment:

  1. For Family X, are you not sure its 1K a month for each child?

    That is common.

    Actually you have to understand that tuition is not to push the child to the top 10. Its because our syllabus here is just simply way beyond a child's cognitive ability. Tuition then becomes simply to keep up!

    And if you were living here, and felt helpless to help your child, you will invest that 1k a month.

    ReplyDelete