Myth Debunking

Contrary to popular belief, I actually do not like the glamour road. I used to be That Guy who was always appearing in very public places, doing lots and lots of things, so much so that people started to get really jealous and stuff about it. Nowadays, I'm just happy to work behind the scenes, and to just appear as and when I need to. I don't feel a need to assert/prove myself through such petty displays of ability, but like all folks, if there is a need to actually step forth to do things of that nature, I can do it; I just make the choice not to for the most part.

Glamour is a very icky thing. In the beginning, it is all nice and fun, because you have this feeling of superiority over other folks, because you feel Special, you feel like you've become the centre of attraction for this side of the world. But as time goes by, people start to alienate you because of your ways, and you end up befriending others who are just as star-struck as you are, and at the end of the day, you would have forgotten how to communicate with the man-on-the-street.

I guess that is a pretty good summary of my early years.

I knew I was different from most folks; I never came from a rich family, nor do I go to those "magnet schools" for the rich and the famous. I'm just a silly neighbourhood kid who managed to make a few breaks here and there due to opportunity and the aid of people who sort of cared. That is probably the reason why I was never really comfortable with my fellow scholars from A*STAR.

Most of them come from rich families. Most of them lead very opulent lifestyles. Could this be some inferiority complex that I'm having? Perhaps it is the case, for I do find it hard to converse with them without feeling rather awkward, in the sense that I keep feeling as though they are better than I am, even though they are just my peers.

Ugh. No one did say that one must be friends with everyone, colleagues-to-be or not. I'll just have to suck it down and see what's going to happen next. I know that I'll never be as sophisticated as these people, but I know that at the end of the day, I'll be proud enough of my own skill to hold out on my own. If I cannot earn money nor friendship, at least I can earn some respect.