Cowboy Caleb the liberal arts, grown-up stuff & random mischief

Middle-Class Guilt

Every morning, if I make my way to the men’s room and I find that the cleaner has just washed all the loos, I hesitate to use them. Because if I use them then I might dirty them with my faulty uncircumsized targeting system. I mean the poor chap already has the worst job in the world, and I have to despoil the fruits of his labour with my oleng juice? Yes, apart from blog guilt, I suffer from middle-class guilt as well.

My origins are very humble. As a young boy, I dimly recall following my maternal grandmother and my (then) teenage aunt every other night to the local Public Bank, where they would clean the offices and washrooms after everybody had left. I used to run around the deserted hallways of the bank in the dark, which would explain my total lack of fear for dark scary places. By the time they were done, I was usually curled up somebody’s chair fast asleep.

When I catch a whiff of rice glue or see the round silver placeholder for birthday cakes, I feel strange as well. Grandmother would paste the silvery paper onto the placeholders using rice glue for extra money in the afternoons. She would cook a big pot of glue and I would play with it, pasting insects to the wall and watching them squirm in agony.

So now when I eat cake, and I see those placeholders at the bottom - I can’t help but feel akward. Those days when money was tight and life was a struggle seems like a distant memory. Times have gotten better. Grandmother now lives in a big house and gets whatever she cares to request from me. She travels the world and watches korean drama serials all day long. I wonder if she suffers from middle-class guilt as well?

I miss my grandmother. I think I’ll go visit her this weekend and bring her out for a nice meal.

Enjoy it while it last, for in a few years from now, you may also suffer from Upper Class Guilt. Heh heh.

heartwarming….

I miss my grandma too =( but i cant take her out for a nice meal even though now i can afford to.

so touching… :)

very nice pic… reminds me of Redang…

It’s good that we “remember” every once in a while. You are going to be ’somebody’ dude.

heyy (: nice blog you have here. and this post is really heartwarming.

cannot imagine what’s ur home toilet is like =P

so sweeeeeettt…

Bittersweet nostalgia. I suffer from such guilt too, but is to much of a sinner to read too much into it.

Great post.

- Ah Hock

me too..

sometimes i feel bad that the aunties has to clear my bin at the office.. and the plate at the foodcourt. I always make sure i say thank you to them..

I wish I had such nice stories to tell. But unfortunately I’m a born spoilt brat. Now you make me feel bad again grrrrr