Tuesday, January 4, 2011

k.i.a.s.u

Before I start, for the benefit of those who is not familiar with the word (which I suspected have no precise English equivalent):

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(from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kiasu)

Etymology

From Hokkien ( POJ: kiaⁿ-su, kiaⁿ-si); literally: "afraid to lose"
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This kiasuism (oh yes... it's official English word now) is one of the thing that prompt me to write. Therefore before it starts gnawing on my brain, I'd better spill it out.

So you see... the story goes like this.

I had quite a shock on my first exam in a Singapore university. The exam was at the end of April. And, you know what, the students started all the preparation at the end of February!. Full gear, past year papers and all.

And my acquaintance with kiasuism continued. I then found out, that actually one's education in Singapore is prepared waaaayyy before university exam. It started, yes, you're reading this properly, even before conception.

A few facts, myths, everything that propelled my conclusion:
1. A father I know literally programmed his wife diet, in the name of getting a brilliant child
2. Until now, I still yet to get the chance to prove this, but I heard that Singapore parents may need to queue at unforgiving time of 3 AM to 5 AM for... primary school registration form.
3. A lot of schools requires voluntary work from the parents for the child to be considered for admission (for this, I had my near miss. My daughter is supposed to start in 2012 for primary. So at the beginning of 2010, I started asking and hey... volunteering slot is full!!! Oh well... what to do...)
4. It's not uncommon for good childcare centers and course providers in Singapore to include fetus in the waiting list. Before even the child is born.

The list can continue on and on... but it'll be quite boring. I just hope that you can agree with me on my statement two paragraphs above.

BUT! After being a parent myself. Somewhat magically I turned into one! Without knowing it, I went with the flow, registering my offspring to this and that courses. Caution though, I still hold back the reign, based on primary acknowledgement that kids NEED to play.

And... it is indeed tiring! To provide for the funds, sending kids to courses which end at 9 to 10 pm, coaching at home... and working in the morning. Most parents here walk through this path.

So... lastly... kudos to all kiasu parents. It's an honor to joint the herd.

PS : Feel free to leave your opinion on the message box, just to support each other, or to hold back the kiasuism a little. Kiasuism run amok is scary.

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