Packet of Tissue Anonymous

“You are going to a boarding school in Singapore,” said my parents one day.

The decision to send me off to boarding school came as a surprise for my family’s acquaintances. It came as a shock to me --- especially since I did not even know what the boarding school would be like. Even with people questioning the situation, my parents stood firmly on their ground. I, on the other hand, was ecstatic about the new environment I was going to be a part of. Being an only child, my friends were like my siblings. What they learned from their older siblings, I learned from them. They have always been the roots of my personal growth. To have more of them was a marvelling experience.

Moving to Singapore was a huge whirlwind of “new.”There was no one telling me when to shower, when to go out, what to eat, and what to do. For the first time in my life, I felt in control of my time and space. But that did not last too long. “Don’t spend too much money on Starbucks”, “Don’t eat too much McDonalds.” Don’t. Don’t Don’t. The speed of the internet connection would have found it hard to catch up with the speed of my parents’ instructions. Their instructions have always been rooted at one thing: financial planning. I did not understand why they were...