A guy friend of mine (let’s call him Andrew) married this girl who came from a big family. This big family, has 3 girls and a few boys. Nice happy family, they happy big gathering dinners on the weekends, where everyone turns up with their kids and maids and small yapping carpet dogs. I really hate those annoying creatures (the dogs, not the maids).
But the thing is this – according to my friend Andrew, the other two sons-in-law in the family are super-competitive. They’re all older than him, and one is a manager in a big public listed firm, while another runs his own successful business. So during the big family dinners, these guys (and their bejeweled si lai wives) are forever bragging about the big business contracts they have, the overseas vacations, the big Beemer they’ve just bought (like we all can’t see the humongous petrol guzzler parked right in the middle of the porch, Andrew says), the big promotion, etc. Primarily to impress the parents-in-law, and everyone else within earshot. Even the daughters get caught up with the whole ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ thing, let’s not even start with their pudgy obnoxious children.
Well, my friend Andrew, comes from a small, simple background, he gets a little uncomfortable with the whole intimidating one-upmanship on show. Doesn’t help that he’s just started out in an entry level job, and isn’t really that all interested in material stuff, he’s content with what he has.
He tells me sometimes he dreads these family weekends, he misses staying at home to watch football or a DVD. And missing these things is like a cardinal sin. I can only empathize with him. No wonder he looks dreary on Fridays…
6 Comments
lilian
And that’s why I call my in-laws, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a term I curi from Samm of Organiclife! Enuff reasons for us to migrate to Bangladesh or Myanmar. LOL.
Bigjoe
In a recent survey in Singapore, in-laws relationship problems are qouted as the third leading cause of divorce in Singapore. Basically if you can’t have healthy realtionship with in-laws, don’t have any at all.
fred
why is that the in-law being competitive sound very familiar. just like the HSBC credit card ads showing in the TV.
one is getting a promotion and one is having his own business…
sound very familiar
simon
fred – maybe because a lot of rich Chinese families are really like that.
Din
yeah, i too was thinking about THAT hsbc commercial.
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