when i was in secondary school i was at a classmate’s condo for a class gathering. i didn’t like the place, but i didn’t know why. there was something about it that made me feel weird in the condo. no, this isn’t a spooky story, despite the heavy rain, lightning and thunder while i’m typing this.

i went to a new tuition kid’s condo yesterday and i finall figured out why.

it’s because living in these new condos felt so artificial and cut-off from the real world. with the surrounding walls, 24-hr security guards, swimming pools and changing rooms, carefully-manicured landscaping, etc etc etc. it all felt so unreal.

theoretically all those condo residents can live a life of their own in there without interacting with the whole of population. they have groceries stores there, neighbours to chat with (provided they interact, in the first place), entertainment, etc.

what makes them so exclusive?

being able to fork out a lot more than 80% of the population who live in the “heartlands”. (man, i seriously detest the use of the word “heartlands”. hdb estate then just say hdb estate lah! it’s a lot more closer to the heart lor.) to me those condo ads are forever selling to young families of four or married couples with no kids, portraying the “ideal” lifestyle. nice cars, happy families, great environment, good location, etc. etc. of course this is what any real estate ad would do, even hdb does that to their ads. but somehow even the models in the condo ads seem unreachable. they seem to have an aura around them, declaring “i am superior!” to the rest of the world.

somehow i feel that if i were a kid growing up in a condo, i’d hate the place to bits, cos it’s so freaking unreal, neat and tidy. like a game of the sims.

p.s: i’m beginning to miss my brownish hair. maybe it’s time to add some colours again.