志异 Draft by Drama box July 2014 (english) | Page 23

While waiting to study in Taiwan
after graduating from high school
(Singapore had yet to recognise
the Malaysian Unified Examination
Certificate at the time), I joined
some classmates for temporary
work in Singapore (on social visit
passes that were valid for two to
three weeks) as the economy back
home was not doing too well. We
worked at a factory assembling
cheap furniture by hand. I was
clumsy and damaged many
of the pieces I was supposed

to put together with a nail gun.
Nevertheless, the boss, a scruffylooking young man, was rather
awed by the fact that we were
going to university and treated us
with great respect. He used to treat
us to supper after the overtime
work that we did (we loved working
overtime as the pay was 1.5 times
the normal rate). But he had a bad

habit, which was to drive off his car
before those of us at the back were
properly seated. We practically had
to shout at him to stop.
Years later, many of my high school
classmates who had studied in
Taiwan (all hailing from southern
Malaysia) eventually ended up
in Singapore after graduation,
where they worked, bought houses
and had children, with some also
becoming citizens. I would catch
up with them sometimes when I
happened to be in Singapore. In
our chats, there were the inevitable
grumbles about Singapore as
they compared the three countries
they had lived in, which basically
revolved around how stressful
their work and lives were and how
insecure they felt, as if expecting
to be fired any day for failing to
perform. They would also reminisce
about Malaysia in the past when
life was slow and pleasurable and it
was a safe place to be. They would
also think about life in Taiwan,
but more in terms of retiring
there. Perhaps it was my own
subjective feeling, but it seemed
that they were generally unhappy in
Singapore.

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