Happy Go Lucky. Jimmy Chua

       SIX

      HAPPY was disappointed that he could not get into the school of his choice. He wanted to go to Anderson Junior College however the cutoff point was way higher than his result at the General Cambridge Examinations (GCE) Ordinary Levels for high school leavers.

      Well, there is always a blessing in disguise, so he enrolled in the finance and banking diploma course at Nanyang Polytechnic which is just across the road. The food is good and there are 4 large canteens that serve affordable yet delicious yummy food across the days. There are many clubs and societies that one can join in the Nanyang Polytechnic. Well, one of the choices that caught his eyes is the youth flying club that promises to send anyone who is selected to join into the Skies and kick start a flying career that is going to be lucrative in pay, as well as the chance to fly around the world. In the past, that would have entailed taking trains and ships, and try to do it within 80 days. With a plane, we can travel practically anywhere within 2 days, round the whole world. It will be faster in the foreseeable future.

      HAPPY was pretty happy in School at Nanyang Polytechnic. This is the first time he gets to wear his own home clothes instead of school uniform and he also gets to meet lots of attractive girls around. Hahaha.. His chance of getting a girl friend is near, he thought. Well it may be as easy or as hard as one thinks! One has to have faith that he can do something before he can really achieve it! As such, with determination, anyone can surmount any difficulties that lie ahead for we can only know what is ahead as we proceed step by step, mile by mile.

      He was surely close to his dream of finding a dream date, someone who can go regularly with him to do shopping, watch movies, study together, travel, cook together.

      On the other hand, he was also unsure of how living a life with a partner entails? Does it require compromise to make both sides happy, will he be able to spend his money as freely as before? Does he need a job to keep the relationship going? What about grades in school? What about time for friends? Will his parents accept the girl he chose? Will he love the girl if another more attractive girl comes up to him and signal attention? Will he….? So many things to think about. What should he do?

      When one is in doubt, he should proceed with care. Only by moving forward can you see what you like and what you don’t like to do, just have fun every day, and make it a meaningful life ahead! The next step comes only after the current step is done, leading us forward day by day!

      Just as he is going home one day taking bus 72, HAPPY met a girl who lost her wallet on the bus. He has her address and delivered it to her home. She was really surprised! Her name is MARY and she is a sweet girl who has short curly hairs wearing specs that are thin framed. Her dog is PETER and she lives pretty near where Happy lives in his 5 room HDB Flat.

      So she decided to give him a meal treat the next day and HAPPY seized the chance to ask her out for movie. It turns out that she is also studying at Nanyang Polytechnic, specializing in media and communications, and helping companies brainstorm ways to make their online websites more appealing to users.

      They become good friends and added each other on Facebook and chatting regularly till late at night, sharing their interests and hobbies! She decided to enroll in a blogging competition for the most beautiful blog contest and HAPPY was going around asking his Facebook friends to like her blog so that she can have a chance of winning it. The first prize is a ticket for 2 to Bali, with return airfares and hotels all included. MARY joked to HAPPY that if she wins the first prize, he will get to go.

       SEVEN

      MARY won the first prize indeed, that is the free trip for 2 to Bali and she did honour the agreement and asked HAPPY if he wanted to go. Now in fact MARY winning the prize created a dilemma, if she didn’t win, HAPPY could just live a carefree life without the need to make any decision.

      HAPPY replied without hesistation that YES I want to go to Bali, but my parents may object because we are not a couple and besides it is expensive to travel. “My parents have hardly been out of Singapore, and now I have to travel to somewhere with a girl that I have only met for over a month”.

      After pondering for a few days, HAPPY decided to say No, he can’t go because…..It was hard for him to come out with excuses as in his heart; he would like to be with MARY as her partner for life. We can often laugh it off that this is just a young man’s infatuation with a lady but often we are ruled by emotions rather than by logic in love and relationships.

      MARY also sensed the tension between HAPPY and her after she won the prize. She was also relieved when HAPPY say he cannot go. Instead, they decide to go out for a nice buffet sushi meal and watch a movie.

      Now, they have to decide what to do with the prize, and luckily a friend suggested that they can post it online to sell. There will be many others who are keen to buy a lucky winning prize, just like what winners for TV charity shows do with their condo and car winnings!

      The two: HAPPY and MARY continued to be just friends, and HAPPY was feeling that MARY expressed no interest to be with him as in her heart, there is someone else. Also, MARY is one year older. What would his parents and friends think about him dating an older girl? Besides, he will be off to the army in 2 years’ time, will she still be around for him while he is off for his national service. HAPPY has heard many stories from friends and online postings on Facebook that couple breakup when the guys serve the army and national service because they have to stay in camp for the bulk of the period while the girls go on to universities and meet more mature guys who also have completed their national service with interesting stories to share.

      HAPPY told himself: I am HAPPY, thus I will be happy if I just live each day as it comes and appreciate fully the blessings I already have, my family who supports me in all my endeavors and being in Singapore, where we have peace and stability that is taken for granted by many? There is also yummy food that I can get from the hawker centres such as Chicken Rice, Laksa, Mee Rebus, Wanton Mee, Kway Chap, Rojak, Roti Prata and many more. And there are 24 hours fast food around – MacDonald’s, and many food courts since there are many people who work the overnight shift as well. Singapore as they say “never sleeps”!