Our new norm

I've recently moved into UTown. I realised that I'm new to the living standards here.

First of all, food. It's compulsory to subscribe to "meal plan" over here, and yes, it's slightly pricey ($4 per meal, for breakfast and dinner). Several people have complained that the food is horrible, "cheat-money", "the same everyday"... Students have 4 cuisine choices - Western, Chinese, Malay, Indian, and noodles (I count this under Chinese). To be honest, I haven't the opportunity to be eating this portion and variety on a daily basis. I look forward to meal times every day. There's not just one meat, but two meat every meal for the Chinese cuisine, and there's chicken drumstick in the Malay and Indian food every day. It's not oily, or salty (I think they cut down on salt lately, which is good). For Chinese food, there's veg protein and veggies. I actually feel very blessed living here. And there's free flow of fruits (students, don't take more than your deserved share!), soup, salad and rice. There's coffee, tea and milo every day and night, and cordial (ok I'm not such a big fan of this). $3 for the main course, $1 for the extras. It's not that expensive to warrant one talking about this on a daily basis, is it? I have to agree that $4 for breakfast is extremely expensive, especially when there's no free flow of milk and cereal

Second, food again (and toiletries). I've also noticed that there are students who are eating expensive potato chips, a bag enough to fund a whole day of food expenses. The toiletries that they use are exotic-looking (and expensive-looking) non on-the-shelf commodity. Lucky students. Many are also drinking Starbucks. One starbucks is enough to pay for my one-day expenses as a student of NUS.

Third, hot showers. Singapore is a tropic country. It rains sometimes. Other than that, weather's pretty hot and humid. There are students who shower with hot water on a daily basis. Perhaps the feeling's good, but a better reason would be that they're used to showering with warm water. It's quite a luxury not to be watching electricity bills. Maybe that's the new middle-class norm - warm showers. And blowing dry one's hair with hairdryer. Is that a middle-class norm?

Fourth, waste. Students are wasteful. They throw away whatever food they cannot finish. I think food doesn't come by easily. I'd like to think of Indonesian farmers every time I eat, and make sure no rice grains are left (unless I'm extremely full). It's a social crime to leave even a single grain of rice on the plate in Indonesia. At least, that's what I'd learnt when I was there.

Fifth, not being civic-minded. I am most appalled. Students choke up toilet bowls with tissue paper, pour solids down the pantry sink and choke it. Sinks and toilet bowls are often choked. I think it's unfair to blame the contractors/builders or the cleaners for doing an unsatisfactory job. These students assume people will clean up after them. I do feel sorry for the cleaners. Once, there was a cleaner who was so angry and started shouting at me. Her eyes were going teary. She told me not to choke toilet bowls (goodness, it's not me). It's a tough life for them, is it not? While some cleaners are very proud of their children who made it to university, many do not have children doing well in the society (middle-class income, I mean).

I'm sometimes reminded of the movie Gattaca, where the male lead fakes his identity to work in a top firm. His world was genetically-stratified. He hides himself and blends in, making sure no traces of his imperfect DNA is left behind. I feel this way many a time in university. Expensive bags, expensive clothes, expensive food all around me. My reasons for not indulging in consumerism are increasingly convincing - environmental harm is my latest. And it's true. Switch off your aircon!

I hope there are more who are camouflaging here, like myself. I hope the university is not just a place for people who are living a comfortable life and still complain life sucks. I'm sure the university has created new norms for everyone. For some, yucky food. For some, really fantastic food. For some, a constant struggle to get to the front of the bell-curve. For some, life's last playground.

Postscript: I've been employed lately by the university as an intern, and this I'm extremely grateful for. [I'm not on a bursary and living on campus for free; I'm working.] Thank you, Provost Tan Eng Chye, Vice-Provost Tan Tai Yong, Choon Hwee (my friend who made all these happen), and Clarence Seow who is always supporting me. Thanks to Bridget and Haza and Yoga and Veera who supported me, defended me, and tided me through the most difficult period of my NUS life (in fact, the most difficult period of my life when I came under public scrutiny). And thank you Prof Malcolm Murfett, who is always asking if I'm alright when I'm in a daze thinking deeply about past incidents.

"Progress is always good!" Agreed?

No, if they are not organic.

This is a statement brought up in one of the debates I've had this term. I refuse to believe so, because the definition of progress is fundamentally relative.

Tear away my favourite buildings to build greater, taller ones. This could happen to NUS. I have to admit there's nothing warm and fuzzy about NUS except the people, and you are entitled to your differing opinions.

But here goes: "If being Western is seen as progressive, we should all follow, because progress is always good!"

Yes, in that people who choose to be "Western" are happy. It's tough to live up to social pressure though. Especially for people who consciously choose not to change their belief systems, or people who are forced to do so.

Cultural Imperialism, is this?

Having said so much:
1. It's futile - imperialism happens all the time; subjugation of culture happens all the time...
2. It's a post-modernist view of mine - perhaps I would think differently if I were living in the 15th century

But really? Is progress always good?