So I was being this innocent girl today (DON'T YOU DARE LAUGH) going to children's church for busing, and as usual got onto the bus, hand out bus tags etc etc...

And something, a conversation with a PRIMARY FOUR 10 YEAR OLD KID got me wondering WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH PARENTS NOWADAYS.

First thing. On the way to church, daddy was rambling on in the car about how parents who brought up their children to thinking that going to RGS, RI, VS, SCGS, and so on and how he didn't really enforce that on me.

And actually I could pretty much tell he regretted it too. But I think he'll reget it even more if I turned out to be some snobby ugly know-it-all geek from one of those really-really-expensive-autonomous-famous schools that is always, somehow, located near town.

So anyway. I met little Kelly from Hong Kong on the bus, and talked to her as the bus went around picking up other kids and finally heading to church for children's service.

We actually spoke in Cantonese for awhile, until I gave up and reverted back to English. Do you know how tedious it is for me to speak in Canto? I have to interpret the Canto into Chinese, and process it in my brain in English, before deciding what I want to say in English, translating it to Chinese and from there to Canto....

Yeah. That's why I just speak English now.

Kelly: Teacher min, so how old are you? (All helpers are known as teachers. SHADDDUP don't laugh at me)
Me: I'm 17!
K: So means you're in JC now?
Me: No, I'm in poly
K: HUH MEANS YOU CANNOT BECOME DOCTOR ALREADY?!
MIN: WTH?!

No I didn't say WTH. But I was so going on about it in my head.

Kelly went on to explain how not going to JC means not going to university which leads to not being able to be a doctor. This caused *gasp* number one.

Afterwhich she said she didn't know whether to be a doctor or a lawyer(*gasp* number 2), which then I pointed out laywer for she has exceptional speaking skills for a 10 year old.

She said, however, doctors are more in need in Singapore now, compared to lawyers *gasp* number 3.

HELLO? THAT'S A FREAKING 10 YEAR OLD.

When I was 10 all I cared was about swimming, my roller blades, piano, my roller blades, food, my roller blades, friends, and my roller blades. I love roller blading! Loved, I mean.

This is obviously the work of her parents.

Now imagine this, "Ah mei ah, grow up already must go Raffles Girl's School, okay? Then must study triple science, cos that's the best class! Then after that O levels must get 2 points okay! CCA minus 2 points, higher Chinese minus 2 points! Of course, you have to get all A1s! Then hor, JC must go Hwa Chong institute, must have good chinese, cos now China very strong! A levels hor, girl, must get all As okay? Then go NUS, study to become doctor or lawyer, then next time can earn a lot of money!"

Have someone say that to you everyday ever since you were born, it'll really happen.

Just that I don't think she's happy. Well she is superficially happy. She's fine. I mean, aiming high is good.

What happened to friends, and love, and fun?

I asked her what she liked to do in her free time. I don't think she has any.

All spent studying, so that she can go Nan Hua Sec? That's her aim, or her father's, actually.

Why? I think I lead a pretty good life. I don't wanna be exceptionally rich. I wanna live a normal life, a free life, a life with God, where I have time to do God's work. Not study like some...

Geez.