the rain pours on

i am making the most of this rainy grey day...

Came out of work early at about 3pm and headed home.

My parents' home, that is.

Nice to see my 2 silly brothers slacking ard as usual.

They are otherwise occupied teenagers -- one studying in uni, one interning at A*Star.

But no....everytime i come home, there they will be...

Totally slacking at home.

They are forever at home, playing some stupid game on the computer.

Ever since Leon hooked up all 4 computers last month.

I have been pushed to the sidelines, relegated to the laptop.

Aloy's laptop.

So here are some of the pics in his MyPhotos.

His convocation last month at Melb Uni.

PLs dun be mistaken by this photo.

He is an absolute slacker.

But I like being around them.

If anything, their attitude is contagious.

Don't take things so seriously.

Relax. Don't take yourself too seriously either.

At the end of the day,

we are just a walking joke.

I love being at home.

It's so relaxing and tranquil.

From young, I've always appreciated the sense of calm that space allows.

And it transcends into your everyday.

It lets you breathe. Calms you down. You are not so frazzled.

Its different in a HDB estate.

You feel the everyday struggles of people.

You feel the ordinary-ness of people and life.

There's just an undeniable sense of struggle that is hard to ignore.

You see the signs of...not exactly poverty, but people making do.

Family of five living in a three-room flat.

Or commonly, 3 generations in one flat. etc etc.

Or people who are working hard to aspire to live in better houses.

Perhaps a condo, perhaps a bigger flat.

Maybe cos mine is a 3-roomer, so the neighbours may be more complicated.

I grew up like this too.

In my grandma's home in the early 80s, 12 of us squeezed into the 4-room flat.

I slept on the mattress and then escaped to school in the mornings.

It didn't feel bad at tat time.

But now, there's just an air of... some kinda unachieving complex.

I really dunno how to put it.

The stereotypes are also true.

My HDB neighbours are more uncouth,

And surprisingly, more discriminating and less friendly.

They seem to be afraid pp are judging them if you stare more than 1 second.

If you are young and friendly, they eye you with suspicious glances.

It's just pretty strange.

Those in their 20s are fine though.
It's mostly those in their 30s -50s who are quite peculiar.

Competitive yet resigned to their lives. Wary of you yet kaypoh to know more.

Unfriendly yet sometimes surprisingly sincere.

It's a odd air around here.

Everyone just returns to your own little square box at the end of the day.

Each literally a wall away of the other.

Once u survive the awkward 30 seconds in the lift, everyone just goes to their own door and retreat into their cocoon.

It's hard to understand this kinda communal living.

I miss the hellos in the mornings.

From the auntie-uncle couple who deliver the papers.

Or neighbours walking their dogs.

Or the maids gossipping and washing cars.

I miss the friendliness.

Ok, not every neighbour at my parents' house is so warm and nice.

You get the occasional stuck-up pigs too.

But generally, jus v different.

One month in, perhaps I'm not as used to my home as I think I am.