Nov 26 2009
What kampong spirit? I don’t even know my neighbours’ names!
From the diary of a BlogTV producer:
The HDB block that I live in is currently undergoing the lift upgrading programme. Because of the construction works going on, they’ve shut down two of the three existing lifts and built a new lift about a mile away from the original lift. Why they did that is a mystery and another gripe for another entry.
Anyway back to the offending lift. Because there is only one lift in service, I’ve seen a lot more of my neighbours recently than I have in the past 22 years that I’ve stayed in this block.
It’s funny, really. Just the other day, I went into the lift with two other guys. The first guy, let’s call him Neighbour A, lives on my floor, at the flat nearest the lift. He pressed the button for our floor.
The other guy, named Neighbour B for the purposes of this article (and also because I don’t know his name too) didn’t press anything, so I realised then that he had to be staying on the same floor.
When the lift doors opened, all three of us turned and walked in the same direction! As I had expected, Neighbour A went into the first flat, whilst Neighbour B and I continued on, with my eyes boring holes into his back. I bet my bottom dollar he probably was wondering whether I was a crazed stalker and I had half a mind to yell out, “I’m not a stalker! Just a very curious BlogTV producer!…Where do you come from?”
Non-Singaporean Neighbour B ended up entering the flat next to mine, unharrassed. I realised all 3 of us didn’t even know each other (not even names) and we probably never will bother to. This lack of neighbourly ties, in stark contrast to the kampung days when everyone knew all their neighbours and pet chickens, is precisely the sort of thing that the older generation (and the latest campaign promoting better neighbourliness) go on and on about.
And as the Chinese saying goes, “远亲不如近邻” (the far relative cannot compare to the neighbour nearby). No matter how many friends or relatives you have on the outside, if you don’t make friends with your neighbours, you can’t count on them in times of need.
My neighbour’s home, two doors away (in between Neighbour A’s and B’s), was recently broken into. It was a scare for my family, simply because it was so close to home (literally) and it could have been us who were targeted. What made it worse was, we had walked past their flat when we went for and came back from lunch and hadn’t noticed anything suspicious or amiss.
So I think, just to be on the safe side, I’ll smile at Neighbour A the next time I see him. Who knows, I might need his help in future and he IS big and burly.
To Neighbour B though, I would like to say this to you: Please stop smoking with your windows wide open at 1am whilst watching football on your laptop at top volume. I would like to be able to breathe fresh air and get some beauty sleep. Thank you very much.
This BlogTV producer requested for anonymity because in her words, “I don’t want to stir up any trouble with Non-Singaporean Neighbour B in case anyone says I’m country-ist.” However, if you think that you are Neighbour A, please drop us an email at blogtv@blogtv.sg with your name and contact number so that she may call you in times of need. Like when Neighbour B starts stalking her home.
One response so far
I have lived in my condo since 1996. All these years, I have never known my 5 neighbours on the same floor. They come and go. But they were all nice and decent people. Currently my neighbours are Japanese, Indonesian, koreans, Europeans and, 6 months ago, a Singaporean family. Heaven forbid !! The moment the Singaporeans moved in, our common lift lobby area is regularly filled with rubbish they cannot thrown down the chute (like suitcases, boxes, newspapers, paper files, old weighing scales etc). Where did they learn this habit? I am a Singaporean myself. I am so ashamed of my country men (although I cannot discount the fact that this new neighbour of mine may be Malaysian.)