Is It Just Me Or...
I have been following every episode of "我们十七岁" on Youtube every Sunday. It is a reality TV program produced by Zhejiang TV, featuring 6 celebrities who have passed age 17 by varying lengths. They go on a trip together - a different location in each episode, engaging in games, fulfilling dreams they had when they were 17, and reliving those relatively carefree and vivacious days. The last episode was aired last week, and the Sunday 3 days ago felt different. No more popping of the weekly happy pill. I asked myself why i liked the show so much, and I deduced that it was because of the director team, the camaraderie between the celebrities, and the jubilation stemming from the trips. The director team was a very humane one. The losing team had to sleep in a simple tent in the open on those wintry nights. When the temperature dipped too low to be bearable, they spontaneously and promptly decided to do without this forfeit and allowed them to sleep in the cozy hotel room. In the last episode, they even gave the guests a chance to hold directorship, and roles were switched. The 6 guests came from all walks of life, from an Olympic Champion to an accomplished actor. They probably hadn't met before before they filmed the show, but they were always look out for one another, and mingled so well sometimes I forgot their age gaps. Indelible memories were forged from those episodes together. The locations were all within China, no fancy places, but I could feel the fun generated even through the computer screen.
Not only did that program end, I recently found myself being caught up with people I just cannot connect with, and that made me so disgusted with the way life is progressing. Just like yesterday (Tuesday), someone told me that she thinks we're friends even though we do not have means to communicate with each other except to meet by chance. But to me, that isn't what friends are supposed to be. It is really a simple definition in this case.
Her: There was no Facebook 10 years ago.
"Yes, you are correct, but there were phones 10 years ago."
"My mum doesn't have a Facebook account, does that mean she has no friends?"
"Like what I said, there is this device called 'phone'."
Can you see where this is going? Nowhere. How are you going to convince me with such funny arguments? Let's say we even go 50 years back, maybe some households did not have phones. But that time in villages, people visited one another in their humble abodes. The "kampong spirit", as the older generation of Singaporeans calls it. For those who are further away, people sent snail mails. No Facebook, no phone numbers...but they had house addresses!
I called her "weird" by not using the exit of the lecture theater closer to where we were sitting. My mistake, it was a wrong word. In the end she exited from another side, did not see me waiting for her, and went off. I thought she would know that I'll wait. Nevertheless, I saw her at the train station.
Her: I did not expect you to be waiting for me.
"Can you tell me one time when I did not wait?"
"We've only met for 4 weeks, so I cannot tell that you'll always wait."
"Last week I told you I missed a train on purpose. If I had no intention to wait, why would I bother to do that?"
"True, but I still cannot confirm that this week you'll also wait."
Once again, she failed to convince me, but maybe this time I can say it's my fault for not saying explicitly, "I'll be outside." Just as I thought "let's just let this trivial matter rest", she told me not to assume, and there is no such thing as "I thought".
Me: There is. I thought you'd know I'll be waiting, and you thought I wouldn't wait. Just that sometimes we thought wrong.
"You speak too fast, I can't catch it."
"Why do you want to complicate matters?"
"You are the one who complicated matters. You called me weird for exiting from the other side."
Who did what? Which aspect were we focusing again? Communication breakdown. Life gave me a dizzying punch. Once again.
God help me.
Not only did that program end, I recently found myself being caught up with people I just cannot connect with, and that made me so disgusted with the way life is progressing. Just like yesterday (Tuesday), someone told me that she thinks we're friends even though we do not have means to communicate with each other except to meet by chance. But to me, that isn't what friends are supposed to be. It is really a simple definition in this case.
Her: There was no Facebook 10 years ago.
"Yes, you are correct, but there were phones 10 years ago."
"My mum doesn't have a Facebook account, does that mean she has no friends?"
"Like what I said, there is this device called 'phone'."
Can you see where this is going? Nowhere. How are you going to convince me with such funny arguments? Let's say we even go 50 years back, maybe some households did not have phones. But that time in villages, people visited one another in their humble abodes. The "kampong spirit", as the older generation of Singaporeans calls it. For those who are further away, people sent snail mails. No Facebook, no phone numbers...but they had house addresses!
I called her "weird" by not using the exit of the lecture theater closer to where we were sitting. My mistake, it was a wrong word. In the end she exited from another side, did not see me waiting for her, and went off. I thought she would know that I'll wait. Nevertheless, I saw her at the train station.
Her: I did not expect you to be waiting for me.
"Can you tell me one time when I did not wait?"
"We've only met for 4 weeks, so I cannot tell that you'll always wait."
"Last week I told you I missed a train on purpose. If I had no intention to wait, why would I bother to do that?"
"True, but I still cannot confirm that this week you'll also wait."
Once again, she failed to convince me, but maybe this time I can say it's my fault for not saying explicitly, "I'll be outside." Just as I thought "let's just let this trivial matter rest", she told me not to assume, and there is no such thing as "I thought".
Me: There is. I thought you'd know I'll be waiting, and you thought I wouldn't wait. Just that sometimes we thought wrong.
"You speak too fast, I can't catch it."
"Why do you want to complicate matters?"
"You are the one who complicated matters. You called me weird for exiting from the other side."
Who did what? Which aspect were we focusing again? Communication breakdown. Life gave me a dizzying punch. Once again.
God help me.
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