Old–New

Old/New

By Arthur Kok

Old

His left eyebrow raised, Dave ventured, “A writing marathon?” He went on to quiz me about associations – poetry.sg, Sing Lit Station, Joshua Ip and on and on. I could “flex”; I had some names. The environment after all encouraged posturing. Our chance encounter was at Keong Saik Bakery where teh limau was served with matcha croissant. You get the idea. Find your shtick. Package your niche. No judgments here though – the  food was good and the owner was devoid of any third wave coffee pretensions or perfectly styled hair with precise fades. But this little joint is set amidst a street  that went from being infamous for kept women to being one of Lonely Planet’s ‘top ten’ Asian destinations. There is no shortage of art deco style shophouses gutted and stuffed with boutique hotels, co-working offices and instagrammable watering holes. Gentrification means out with the old and in with the new, whatever the cost. So I felt more than a nudge to play the part. But I didn’t. I’m glad I didn’t. We went on to chat up a storm anyway. Good old-fashioned conversation is somehow resistant to change.

New

“Because you come from privilege?” I had succeeded once again to put foot into mouth. Dave claimed that his stint as a copywriter was only a side gig. His main occupation was with legal work but pro bono. Without even so much as a shrug, the twenty-something said that he paid his own way through law school. The experience of struggling makes him want to give back. (Shouldn’t it be the reverse though?) He even interned for the UN for next to nothing, sleeping on the floor of a friend in Lausanne. Singapore was temporary. He will return to the UN. There was something refreshing about this millennial devoid of self-entitlement or self-paralysis. He was unapologetically “hussling” his way through life but trying to effect significant good for others. Doesn’t that sound like the best among our immigrant fathers and mothers though? The mah jies who vowing never to marry served the rich but formed their own clans to care for one another come to mind. Maybe the old has survived in the new, I thought, as he climbed the stairs of The Commons to create content for social media.