Adapting
I wonder if i can justify this is the point of our life when we do the most adjusting and adaptation. For those who entered local universities, it will be the subject and ideas that have never been mentioned in Jc before. For those who flew abroad, i guess the cultural shock makes up the biggest portion of adaptation required. Last but not least for the guys serving NS, its a whole jungle, literally, out there.

The degree at which one is comfortable with changes varies. Some just blends in whenever he/she goes, while others stand out for their different practise and beliefs. ie When you are an member of the minority group in a place, you either change your ways of life or you just stick to those who belongs to the same group. I can go on and on about how in the army you really have to just BECOME part of the system but i guess thats not the toughest i've seen. Personally, i find the need to adapt to growing up poses the biggest challenge. It is interesting how such a difficult task is one which every single person has to face.

At the age of 20, I am currently at the grey area between a youth and an adult. Under Singapore law you will be treated as a minor if you are below 18 years old. Which means that for the crimes you commit, you'll not be captially punished, neither will you be jailed. It seems to spread the message that one is not sufficiently old (and mature) enough to consider the consequences and bear the responsibilities of his own doings. This is a common argument: what makes us believe that the moment after this person celebrates his 18th birthday he is ready to do so. This reminds me of another point (which i am not very certain on its application to this). A man who has commited a crime (punishable by caning) while he was about to hit the maximum age permitted to be caned. He was convicted and sentenced after he crossed that mark and subsequently excused from the corporal punishment. The rationale behind this is simple and straight forward; the main concern and reason behind having a maximum age is health issues. Therefore it wouldnt matter at what age the person has committed the crime because once he is unfit for such punishment, it is absolute. It is the age at which the punishment is administered that truly mattered. Having said that, the responsibility that should be bestowed upon a youth should depend on whether he has reached that level of maturity instead whether he blewed his 18 candles, shouldnt it?

The problem with this is there is no way to find out. Psychology, maybe. I find myself at times forcing an adult persona and mentality into myself because all adult-matters that seemed so distant when we were young have already come knocking at our doors now. First, there are the decisions we have to make. There isnt anyone to tell you what is right and what is wrong because obviously there is no clear cut answer. On the contrary if someone claims that he is able to do so, you may have all the reason the doubt the credibility and reliability of his advice. Simple yet crucial matter: choice of university subject. When i just graduated, the sub prime market is still doing well and Lehman brothers have yet to burn a hole in everyone's pocket. The economy is doing well and lots of people are getting scholarships, fighting for places to do business and economics in uni. A year later,news of fresh business/econs grads having difficulties finding jobs flooded the home section. The economy showed signs of recovery but im sure confidence level among students arent as high as they used to be

Second, there are expectations we have to meet. Being an adult automatically requires a certain set of fundamental knowledge that wasnt essential back in school. It covers a wide spectrum of topics ranging from writing letters to understanding CPF. One is also expected to behave like an adult, and is treated like one. I find that a huge issue at my workplace. I am required to communicate effectively (that is, with respect, but getting the message across) with people who are many years my senior as well as peers. I always find it very challenging to find the balance between over exerting the authorities you're given and appearing too polite that you look fearful and uncertain. It leaves lasting impressions on people and sometimes (most of the time) such impressions can be inaccurate. The phenomenon that people spread things about others in office tends to aggravate such matters as well.
 
Third and lastly, there are examples that we have to set. Many a times i see irresponsible and inconsiderate people in our society. The urge to tell them off is huge. For example, people who sit in the middle of narrow passages in the library reading newspaper (with the paper on the floor) while having their shoes placed beside them; people who walks out of a restaurant to smoke and stands beside tables of those dining outdoors; people who smoke in air conditioned bus terminals. I really want to take pictures of these people and report to the authorities but i never did, i either gave them a chance or told them off in the face. I have been rather lucky because no one has turn violent or vulgar on me yet (maybe because i choose to be polite as well). This attitude of mine imposes certain expectations of myself. When i do something, i tend to be very self aware. I will take sometime to consider whether someone will find my action unbecoming or whether my action will bring inconvenience to others. Indirectly, i feel that such actions have a prominent effect on teenagers. Teenagers (those who are maybe 5-8 years younger than me) will not look at the elderlies for example because they are simply to old; they will look up to people who are within their age range yet sufficiently older. It is not a conscious effort I believe but I have confidence in saying that there is some truth in it. Take for example dining in a fast food restaurant, i always believed that it is such a simple task to clear  the tray and there is absolutely no need for a temp there to do the job. However when I was much younger i did not think so. In school canteen we all have to clear our own plates because we were told to do so and our teachers do it as well. In the fast food restaurant, everyone (adults) will just leave their trays there for the waitress/waiter (i wonder if they are even called waitress/waiters) to clear. It never even occurred to me why it is so. Even our PM agrees to this when he commented that all NSmen knows how to clear their plates in the cookhouse but no one does it in hawker centers. 

I recall the times when i was young and how i could not wait for time to pass so that i could be an adult. Being an adult seemed to be associated to numerous privileges like buying your own toys and crossing the road on your own. Ironically, at this very moment of our lives when we are really taking that step towards becoming an adult, I sense a significant amount of hesitation and an equally significant lack of self confidence. Before I hit the culturally-recognised mark of 21 years, I'll probably need to learn to transfer all that jungle-and-army-adapting skills to those that teaches one how to adapt to growing up. 

Jia you bah.