The Fortune Teller and I

TW: self-harm, mental health, anxiety 

On the first day of 2020, I went to a fortune teller outside Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple on Waterloo Street.

He appeared to be in his sixties, and had a permanent furrow etched between his overgrown brows. Card and palm readings were $10 each; I asked for the cards. He shuffled a well-worn deck of generic poker cards before laying them out one by one in a circle. 

After laying down the last card, he took a quick glance at the cards and shifted his gaze to something in the distance. He looked almost bored. 

You're having trouble in your career.

Why Delane Lim Embodies Everything Wrong With Singapore's Work Culture

Disclaimer: I have no intention of attacking Delane Lim or his organisation. This is a larger commentary about how we perceive value and how we work in Singapore. I will not partake in any hateful discourse surrounding Lim as a person, nor do I condone it. 

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably would have seen a post by one Delane Lim making its rounds on social media. In his post, Lim talks about his experience interviewing candidates for a position in his company. He goes through 7 candidates, each with their own demands and conditions surrounding the offer. He concludes that millennials are entitled, "not hungry" and unrealistic for asking for such terms in the midst of a global pandemic. He even goes as far as to say that this is the reason why some companies prefer hiring foreigners. 

Somehow, his post ignited hoards of disillusioned millennials and we've used this an opportunity to unleash all of our frustrations about working in Singapore. It's obvious his post touched a raw nerve, and I think it's because Delane Lim's post embodies everything wrong with Singapore's work culture. 

Here's what I think we got wrong: