Keeping Our Dreams Alive: Part 2: A Whole New World (Chapters 13 to 21)

Just as Aladdin shows Jasmine a Whole New World, Kwang Meng is introduced to a ‘different world’ as well. This is the transitional phase. The in-between. One is neither a fully-fledged, mature adult, nor an innocent naïve child. We find Kwang Meng here at the crossroads of his life and the push towards ‘growing up’ is perhaps facilitated by the people in his life.

-        Lucy

Kwang Meng still holds on to an idealistic world and his idea of making up to Lucy after his friends offended her was to ask for her hand in marriage. However, Lucy appears to be more ‘street smart’ and knowledgeable about the world as she asserts ‘facts’ like “It will never work” and “I know everything” due to her “experience” (Chapter 13).

Kwang Meng’s uncertainty (“I don’t know” and “I’m getting nowhere”, but he doesn’t have a clear ‘somewhere’ in mind) is hence starkly contrasted to Lucy’s clarity of a practical, pragmatic world. Lucy is complicit in making decisions in Kwang Meng’s life (had she agreed to marriage to him, she would have altered his life greatly) and therefore has a direct influence in his life choices. Lucy forces Kwang Meng to come to terms with the ‘real’ world.

-        Boon Teik

Boon Teik, although similar in age with Kwang Meng, appears to have got his life well organised. He is happily married and position diction is used to describe him (in Chapter 9, his dress is immaculately “white”, he is mentioned to be “reading the papers”; a mark of high education, holds a respectable job as a teacher and even plays badminton as “exercise”). Kwang Meng realises a gap between them especially in terms of being aware of world events (Chapter 16).

With his increased interaction with Boon Teik, Boon Teik perhaps sets a positive example for Kwang Meng and gives him a glimpse of a better and happier world. Boon Teik also arguably helps Kwang Meng bridge the gap between them as he introduces Kwang Meng to literature and seems eager to develop a friendship.

-        Hock Lai

Hock Lai is perhaps Kwang Meng’s negative example. Although Hock Lai may be successful in the Singapore sense: with his engagement to a “rich bird” who is sexually attractive, his promotion and his financial status, this seems to be contrary to what Kwang Meng desires. Notably in Chapter 20, he did not enjoy the engagement party and even contrasted it to the happiness of Boon Teik and I-Mei. Hock Lai, with all his material successes, perhaps illuminated Kwang Meng’s priorities and gave him clarity on what he wants in life.

People are indeed very important in helping us develop and mature, either by making choices for us or giving us a role model to look up or down to. There are many Singaporeans personalities whom I can look up to base on their achievements and past (most popularly and with much due acknowledgement would be the later Mr Lee Kwan Yew), but people who has greatly and personally helped me mature into who I am would be my college teachers. Speaking to friends from other schools, I realise that it is pretty unusual to develop deep and meaningful relationships with teachers and hence I am grateful for all the guidance and support that I have been given. Ideas were shared and discussed, practical advice was given, their purpose for life remain to be inspirational and above all, there was investment, care and concern.

Who are the people who have shaped you, whether directly or indirectly, into who you are today?

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