social classes

I’ve always wondered what actually defines the social class…or classes. Money? Status? Authority? Style? Or WHAT?

We were at an opening last night when we met an acquaintance, who is slightly more than that but less than a friend, oh well!, and he asked him a seemingly innocuous question…I mean, IMHO, it was a totally everyday question to ask…”Where is XXX?”

Said acquaintance answered: I didn’t think her fit to attend this.

We: *speechless*

Him (recovering): But I gave you an invite for two. TWO of YOU!

Me: *speechless stare* (like an idiot)

Said acquaintance: She can’t hold a conversation with anyone here. So I didn’t bring her lah!

We: *super speechless*

Later that night, while talking about the opening over some drinks, we decided that this said acquaintance is better off dropped from all the future invite lists. If you think your partner isn’t fit to attend our events, then you don’t meet the grade too.

Sigh. People.

Look, I am absolutely sure that many people would think me ‘unfit’ for a lot of occasions. I am sloppy, hippy,  fidgety and I care nothing about fashion. While I can hold a conversation about anything academia or books or current affairs, try talking to me about entertainment, sports, fashion, cars etc and you will get a whole slew of questions seemingly from a toddler. And life isn’t just about arts or culture. Everyone has different interests. I am just fortunate enough that there are more people pretending (and then actually wanting) to know about the arts and thus the conversations are easy to keep going. Even though it does depend on what event you are attending, it does no harm to admit that you know nothing about it but you want to learn. The most important thing in life is about learning. You stop learning, you might as well stop living.

So there.

On a separate incident a couple of months back, we literally bumped into some of his friends, whom he had not seen for quite sometime, at a club. Most of them were girls with their partners and while I have heard about them I’ve never met them in person. Being the meticulous person he is, he did a scan and a headcount and apparently found one missing. And here goes the conversation.

Him: Hey, one of the monkeys is missing. What happened to her?

Silence.

Friend1 (F1): Hmm…ask Friend 2 (F2) lah.

F2 (almost whispering): Friend 3 (F3) isn’t happy about her.

Him: Quarreled?

F2: No. F3 caught her flirting with F3’s bf.

Him: Oh. But you monkeys all flirt a lot mah! Haha.

Me: *you are so done for it this time! kind of look*

F1: Different lah.

F2: Ya, this time it was different. You know she always changes workplace. So that time, F3 introduced her then bf to her so that the bf could help bring more clients to her new workplace mah. Then, one day, F3 went there to look for her bf and found her sitting on his lap…and the two enjoying themselves.

Him: But she has always been sitting on people’s lap. You girls too!

Me: *completely murderous look*

Me (I couldn’t help it!): Sluts.

Oops!

Him: *glares*

F1: But we don’t sit on our friends’ bfs laps! Don’t worry okay!

F2: Ya lor. So F3 was very angry.

Him: So F3 confronted her?

F2: No. She later found out that she also borrowed a big sum of money from the bf. So F3 broke off with the bf lah.

Him: Then?

F1: Aiya, over already. But just in case now we don’t ask her when we go out with our partners. Anyway, she is no longer working too and she has found someone to mull her depression over with.

Me: eh, I think we should get going…

I think I know who the missing monkey is. Tsk tsk.