passion

It didn't take long for you to pick up this time. I was glad. There wasn't a time I would call and think to myself, "I wish she wouldn't pick up the phone." That would just be silly.

I caught you at a good time. You just came back the movie Flag of our fathers. To think I was gonna call you an hour earlier.

So I was mistaken. That dinner date with the bus driver didn't happen. Was never gonna happen. Hey, I wouldn't think anything about a 8 year difference. But apparently you do.

The mundane chatter came. To tell you the truth I hate it. Cos its just space-fillers. I do the filling most of the time. I wanna hear you talk. I want to know what you feel, think and ponder about. What drives you. What fulfils you. What turns you on. And finally I hit jackpot. We talk about work. Not just "work" work, more like the people at work. The people that inspire you. People with passion. People with drive. Peolple who have made it big. You enjoy your work because people see how hardworking you are. That you enjoy where you work and at what you do. That people see the potential enough that they are willing to spend $100k for a 5 year working visa for you. I am impressed, to say the least.

"Why not do it then? The money's good." " Too long...I wanna stay with my family," you said. I begin to make a wrong move. The 1st step towards a chess game with me getting checkmate. I start with how it would be wise to look at working elsewhere aside from our homeland. Where the money is better, there is a better political voice from the people and there is greater tarnsparency with the government. The fact that our democracy is joke. I want good things for my family. The fact that our retirement ages have been pushed up so that our government can give us our super back later due to lousy overseas investments is rather blatant. That we are ranked 147th by the RSF tells us of our lack of a free press. That our government is not all that transparent. Then came the challenge. "Well, if you say there is a lack of transparency, surely there is a basis for comparison." I don't give an example of a country where there is more transparency, I give one of less. "Well Cambodia would be a bad example. The guy in charge sells the property of its citizens-property which is rightfully owned by the people, to developers behind their backs." Check.

"I'm gonna stay. I'm grateful for what my country has given me", you say. " I let out a wry laugh. "Looks like nothing I say now will make me NOT look like ungrateful bastard." Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for my education. The roof over my head. But there is something wrong about our political system. The party isn't ruled by bad people. It's just that the issues faced by the current generation isn't what it used to be. A political party that rose to power by delivering on its promises during turbulent times-food, shelter, economic stability, law and order, was good then. Disciplining a nation, if you might.Not now though. You would talk differently to a 5 year old compared to a 25 year old,wouldn't you? The parent silences the voice of the 25 year old with duct tape. The 25 year old has hands. You amputate his arms and he has feet. You cut those off, and he will use his tongue to remove the duct tape. And mind you, getting the duct tape off hurts. This pain he will remember and remember it well. When he does have a voice he will shout. And shout loudly he will.

"Just look at Chiam," I say. "Can we both agree on the fact that he's trying to do good by the people?" I take your silence as a yes. "So can you tell me why his constituency looks like a slum?" Your reply rattles me. "Hey, that's life. Good things happen to bad people. We just have to take it as it is." I begin to wonder if you were as left as I thought you were. "So to you the Government and the ruling party are the same?" The reply was yes. "Then that's all I needed to know." I said. "Hey, are you on facebook?" you ask. "I thought that was an american thing. Is there facebook.com.au?" Just then the mobile rings. An unimportant called I should've ignored. I ask you to wait for moment. By the time I came back to the phone you were gone. Check.

I had to ask Heather a few questions regarding work. But our conversation still gnawed at me. Before I left I asked,"Is it a bad idea to talk about politics with the person you're interested in?" Her reply was that it would be good to find out because what kind of political inclinations that 2 people have determines their compatibility in a way. A person's political beliefs is a manifestation of their inherent nature. A left and and a right will never get along.
And to think that I thought opposites attract. Checkmate.