Singapore Middle School Chinese Teachers' Association

I was at Geylang checking out various temples and religious institutions (will blog about it one day) when I found the 新加坡中学华文教师会 (Singapore Middle School Chinese Teachers' Association). The antiquated state of the place and the use of the arcane "Middle School" (it's called "Secondary School nowadays) suggest that the place is very old. It looks creepy and deserted:



Was anyone there? Who would still hang out there? I can't help but imagining a group of retired old Chinese teachers sitting around playing chess or reciting poetry. They could be discussing about the recent debate on language policy or just reminiscing about the good old days: "想当年啊...应该是 1974 年。我开始在 XX 中学教华文。那时的学生有多乖！嗨。。。今时可不同往日。。。"

NUS (A Few Years Ago)

I've been meaning to post this picture for a while. This was taken at NUS near LT 11. Was it 2004 or 2005? It was shot with a disposable camera. Nice, right? Looks like an oil painting.

The Sunday Essay

Contentment

Many insights can be gained by talking or even just listening to strangers. Three weeks ago, I was on my way to propose to Cherielyn when the taxi driver began talking about how boring it is that one had to work for a living. "Wouldn't it be good if one could strike the lottery?" Since I was preoccupied with planning the imminent proposal, I merely made some noises of polite agreement.

This had a parallel to another taxi ride a few months before when I was leaving Cherielyn's neighbourhood. The driver mentioned the lottery. He asked me why I didn't buy lottery and said that I was already contented with what I had. Contentment is true wealth, I said. He didn't disagree, but I could tell that he still believed that striking it big in lottery would solve all his problems.

But would it? If I won one or a few million dollars, I would initially be ecstatic because my purchasing power would have increased drastically. But then I would have to start worrying about how to maintain that money and make it grow. Then I would worry about whether the investments are safe or not. And even if they are, my mind would constantly be buzzing over what to spend my money on and how to enjoy my wealth.

I speak from painful experience when I admit that I am a slave to consumerism. My mind is constantly buzzing with what new book, DVD or gadget to buy or purchase. And it is never enough. Once something is acquired, there will be initial rush followed by enjoyment. Then restlessness sets in and one moves on to acquire something new. Desires are limitless.

The same goes with money. No amount is enough if one is not contented. One just wants more and more and the more one gets, the more one’s mind becomes anxious to safeguard and increase the money until one's life becomes a relentless rush to accumulate.

But this is not to say that I don't want money. For as long as I am working, I would like enough to be able to give a few hundred dollars to my parents every month, pay the bills, get comfortable transport Singapore, indulge in entertainment like books, movies and music and still have enough to save for a rainy day, an occasional holiday or help for a worthy cause. If children arrive, the purse strings will definitely have to be tightened, but with discipline and hard work, we'll make do. Much poorer people have survived on far less than what Cherielyn and I are earning now.

What I do not want is to be a slave of money. If one's heart is restless, no amount will ever be enough. The Buddha once remarked: “Happy indeed we live, we who possess nothing. Feeders on joy we shall be, like the Radiant Gods.” The Buddha led the life of a wandering beggar, but he felt rich and happy because he was became free from greed. I cannot be a monk like the Buddha, but one doesn’t have to be a monk to follow his teaching that Happiness is not based on accumulating riches. But rather, in letting go of our ceaseless desires, we can find true happiness in the serenity of contentment.

I am not there yet.