I can still remember the look on her face when I uttered the words, “Marriage is only a status symbol, it’s really not necessary to do it.”

She looked at me in disbelief and confusion, and I could tell she was trying to make sense of what I had just said.

Was an excuse because I never really loved her

I had never been so sure of anything in my life, and yet here I was, telling her something that I knew would hurt her deeply.

The truth was, I had never been in love with her. We had been dating for a few months, and it had become clear to me that our relationship had no real chance at lasting.

I knew that I had to break it off, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I thought that if I could just get her to agree to a marriage, then I could end it in a more socially acceptable way.

But I should have known better. She had been so kind to me, and I had taken advantage of her. When she finally understood that I was not proposing out of love, she was devastated.

She accused me of not loving her and told me that I didn’t deserve her. She was right.

I was a coward, and I had hurt her deeply. I wanted to apologize, but I knew it was too late. She had already made up her mind and she was gone. I never saw her again.

Looking back, I realize how foolish I was. I thought that I could get away with not committing to her, but I was wrong. I had taken advantage of her and broken her heart in the process.

Marriage is a serious commitment, and it should never be taken lightly. I can only hope that the person I hurt can forgive me, but I know that will never happen.

I should have known better, and I will regret my decision forever.

My best friend was in desperate need of money to clear his debts, and I had no idea how to help him.

He had tried everything he could think of, but nothing seemed to be working. Then, one day, something happened that I never expected.

Someone made fun of him, offered him $10 to eat his own faeces

My friend was approached by someone who offered him $10 to eat one spoon of his own faeces. At first, he was obviously very hesitant about it, and I could tell he was struggling to make a decision.

But as the minutes ticked away and his desperation for money grew, he eventually decided to take up the offer.

I was in shock and disbelief that he had actually agreed to do something so disgusting and degrading. I could not believe he had gone to such lengths just to get the money he needed so desperately.

I was also very angry at the person who had offered him the money. I wanted to confront them and tell them that what they were doing was wrong, but I was too scared.

My friend did it in the end, he was too desperate for the money

My friend tried to act like it was no big deal and told me that he had no choice but to accept the offer. He said that the money would help him clear his debts and he had to do whatever it took to get it.

I could tell he was embarrassed and ashamed of what he had done, but he also seemed relieved that he had been able to get the money he needed.

The experience was upsetting to say the least. It was a terrible thing to witness and I was glad that I had not been in the same position.

It made me realised how difficult life can be for some people and how desperate they can become when faced with financial hardship.

My friend eventually cleared his debts and moved on with his life. I will never forget the experience, though, and I always think about it when I hear stories of people doing disgusting things for money.

It’s a reminder to me that no matter how desperate someone may be, there is never an excuse for doing something so degrading and degrading to oneself.

Parents say our generation have it easy.

Honestly this has driven a bigger wedge into my r/s with my parents. We were never really on good terms to begin with but I don’t understand if it’s me who is wrong.

Last time earn $2,000 very good can feed family, now eat what

I make x5 times starting salary my dad did when he was my age (mid-twenties). In his mid-twenties, he can get married, pay for BTO, have 3 kids.

Sure, the first few years were a struggle, but he eventually also increased his salary gradually over a decade and lives a comfortable life now.

My dad was also paid for OT work horh, my mom never had to work except that time part time during the financial crisis.

They put a lot of financial pressure and expectations on me since I was a kid, so it drove me to work very hard to earn above average for my age. But I can’t seem to afford what they did when they were young.

I can BTO with my gf, but we deffo can’t afford to have kids right off the bat. And we’re already in our late twenties.

They think we earn a lot because they see our salary then compare with last time salary and cost of living

My parents like to say we have it easy. Say that we earn a lot of money, so should give them more allowance and all. Like you serious bro?

If I give you money and luxury, you won’t have grandkids because we won’t be able to afford having children. And they keep saying we using grandkids as a hostage to not give them money.

Like hello, I only earn a bit more than average, my partner and me not rich leh. You two are the ones living in a f-ing condo, and your kids and struggling to afford the life you had (which isn’t even luxurious, I’m only asking for apartment and the ability to raise kids).

None of my siblings went to uni by the way, so you can see my parents prefer living their life instead of investing in us.

Insist that our lives are so good now, we have it easier than them

I had a huge fight with my dad because he insist that Singapore’s system is perfect. If he can retire, we can also.

And I’m not an economist, but I think he’s rly downplaying how much more difficult it is for us to survive, let alone thrive in our current situation.

Things are just so much more expensive today than 30 years ago that our x5 starting salaries doesn’t justify anything.

I understand he worked hard to raise us, but I’m working hard too. Does our generation really have it easy??

Being in the Army was a whole new experience for me. I had heard a lot of stories from my friends and family who had served in the military before, but nothing could prepare me for the reality of my first week of enlistment.

As soon as I arrived in camp, I was thrown into a world of unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar rules.

Could not book out for the first two weeks

The first few days in camp were hectic, and I was overwhelmed by the constant activity and the strict rules that were in place. I wasn’t sure how I was going to survive the next two years.

I remember when we were completely cut off from the outside world and all of our needs had to be met within the camp for the first two to three weeks after enlisting.

It was what we called the confinement week, where as told by our commanders was a period of time for us to get used to army life as we transitioned from a teen into a soldier, from civilian to military.

This was especially difficult for one of my camp mates who was a smoker. He had run out of cigarettes in the first week as he had only brought two packs in and was desperate for a fix.

Offered me $50 for my cigarettes

He offered me $20 initially for me to sell him a pack of cigarettes which cost only $11 dollars at that time and I was also hesitant to sell it to him as I was quite a heavy smoker even though I had almost 9 packs with me.

The best part of this was that no one else in my section and platoon smoked and the company only had a few smokers.

Soon, his desperation got the better of him as he kept offering me higher and higher, till it reached $50.

In the end, I sold him four packs in the confinement week, made $200 from him and cut down on my smoking. It was the easiest $200 I have earned in my life.

Image source: Google Maps

I can feel the rage boiling inside of me every time I see my brother take advantage of my mum.

Makes her do everything for him, then don’t give anything in return

It’s like he thinks there’s nothing wrong with using her as a free maid, taking advantage of her kind nature, and not giving her anything in return.

He expects her to take care of his children, clean the house, do all the household chores, and even cook for his whole family. It’s like he doesn’t care about the toll this takes on her physically and mentally.

The worst part is that he doesn’t even pay her anything. He doesn’t give her an allowance or anything like that, which makes me feel like punching him.

How can he expect her to do all this without any kind of compensation? It’s like he’s taking advantage of her kindness and her loyalty.

I can see the exhaustion in my mum’s eyes every time she comes back home after spending the day taking care of my brother’s kids and doing all the chores for his family.

I can see how tired she is, and I can feel the frustration in her voice when she talks about how she doesn’t get anything in return.

My mum is one of the most generous and kind-hearted people I know, and it hurts me to see her being taken advantage of like this.

Tried talking to him but he keep use the ‘family’ card

I’ve tried talking to my brother about it, but he doesn’t seem to understand why it’s wrong to use her for free labor.

He just keeps saying that she’s family and that she should be happy to help out, without thinking about how it affects her.

I can no longer stand to see my mother being treated like this. All I want is for her to be respected and to be given something in return for all the hard work she puts in.

I’m so angry at my brother for not seeing this that I feel like punching him. I know it won’t solve anything, but I can’t help the way I feel.

My mum deserves better, and I’m determined to make sure she gets it. I’m not sure how I’m going to do it yet, but I’m determined to find a way to make sure she’s respected and given something in return for all her hard work.

It all started a few months prior when I noticed that my girlfriend had put on some extra pounds and wasn’t looking her best.

Became so fat that I wanted to ask her to lose weight, but scared to offend her

I found myself feeling increasingly frustrated and concerned about her health, so I decided to take action.

She looked like a ba zhang when she wears her usual clothes and thus I told myself that I should tell her to lose weight but I did not want to be too direct and say that she is fat for fear that she will quarrel with me.

I figured that if I could get her to take up some sort of exercise, then I could help her get back in shape and be healthy again.

I started by sending her videos of different types of workouts that I thought would be suitable for her, hoping that she would take the hint and start exercising.

Unfortunately, my plan didn’t work out. Instead of taking my hint and starting to work out, my girlfriend just laughed it off and said that she wasn’t interested in getting fit.

I was so frustrated and disappointed that my plan hadn’t worked, but I just had to accept it.

I thought that maybe, by sending her these workout videos, I had been too pushy and she was just too stubborn to take my hint. After all, nobody likes to be told what to do.

Luckily she got my hint

But then, a few weeks later, she sent me an Instagram story showing me that she was at the gym. I was so surprised and relieved that she had actually taken my hint and started exercising.

Not only was she getting fit, she was also doing it for herself, not for me.

It was then that I realized that maybe, just maybe, my plan had worked after all. Perhaps my girlfriend had taken my hint, even if it was a subtle one.

It’s been a few months since then, and my girlfriend is still going to the gym. She looks amazing and is much healthier now. And I couldn’t be more proud of her.

Image source: Vicky Justiz/Youtube