...I say I'm just focused.

I attended a Youth Marketing Forum today as RippleVox invited some of its members to interact with product executives like OCBC, Carlsberg and other brands as well.

Community Manager of RippleVox, Lin, was very nice and had a warm attitude towards the members. I got acquainted with some of them but I felt very turned off by some of them.

One in particular pointed out that I was ignorant. He didn't actually say I was, but I had no idea what the IBDP, (International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme) so politely I asked him what's it about.

He cut me with, "its actually on the front page of the newspaper. You don't read newspapers?"

I got so turned off, I leaned back and said, "no, I know what I want, so I don't confuse myself with things like that. But do tell me what's it about." In order to just appear polite, obviously, from then on I couldn't be bothered with what he had to say.

After which I just ignored him all the way. And you can pretty much tell which school he came from, apparently his school is the only local school to take the programme (not an international school.)

And he went on to say, "the newspaper says my school is the top three, but actually we're number one." I just rolled my eyes like marbles dropped on the road.

But you know what's funny? After that he mentioned he didn't like Maths nor Science and said he was doing the programme for Humanities. My dear boy, look who's indecisive. You don't like them but you do it anyway?

Whatever.

Oh and apparently he came from a rich family. Not to say that all rich kids are spoiled and rotten but it was just so disgusting. Maybe its because I come from a middle-class family I felt very uncomfortable around him, almost inferior, somehow, but I wasn't afraid.

That's when I realised...

I am nothing like him.

He spends money using his mum's credit card like no one's business, flaunts his True Religion jeans and started talking about all the "extravagant" things.

Then I started to think...

Was he there just to impress people, so that he could deem himself worthy? I felt he was more insecure because he had to continuously bring up he buys this and that, wears this and that.

I swear I was this close to vomiting.

Of course, his flamboyant attitude got the attention of the people there, not that I was jealous or anything, his speech delivery was immaculate (with a slight lisp,) and he seems like a knowledgeable chap...

With no EQ. Okay, I'll give him some credit. Very low EQ.

Oh who am I kidding. The kid's spoiled like rotten tomatoes.

Well, aside from that blind item of the day...

We were put on stage, and Lin asked us if we had a thousand dollars, what would we buy. I mentioned iPhone. There was this one girl, she said she wanted a designer flip-flop made out of lizard skin - costing $1000.

Granted, it's her choice, but what are you going to do with a flip-flop that costs a thousand bucks? Stand in a bucket of poop? Or better...

LIZARD POOP!

You're practically wearing it. She claims someone got her one and she wants another one. Messed up, really.

I was so excited to meet the marketing executives of the companies and stuff, at least someone's there to listen to me rant and take my thoughts into consideration. There were a couple of guys that asked really hard hitting questions and it made us think a lot.

I think I answered my questions quite... How shall I put it... Okay, I guess. I talked a lot; I do like to talk so that's nothing new.

It's just that... It's supposed to be a youth marketing forum, not a young-and-rich youths marketing forum. The way that these kids talk to the execs there...

It was all so fake.

I couldn't stand it. And they always interrupted when I was speaking one-on-one with the execs, and I had a great idea but I know I had to be polite, so I waited till they finished speaking then I could start but then again...

Hell, I felt like I was the quietest talkative person there.

It's weird. Somehow, I have a repel away from elitist schoolkids. They're superlatively weird. (From the kids I met there,) They talk funny and they talk in such a condescending manner.

When asked what secondary school I went to, I just said, "oh, I just went to a neighbourhood school" and just shurgged it off. No point me telling where I came from and telling them about our achievements...

That IBDP guy would just cut me down with a, "my school's number one."

Oh go to a toilet and thank yourself already.

I hate to say it, but I think I'm the only middle-class person there, and actually... The most grounded person there. At some point, I ended up siding TopMan while they talked about True Religion jeans.

I was like, WTH. True Religion jeans? Some rich kids.

Huge turn off.

I thank Lin for the opportunity to be there, but the kids that actually went there know nuts about the real kids living in Singapore. It's not about lizard flip-flops or Victoria Secret (VS)... It's about marketing towards the middle class kids. They're ultimately the main market.

Then again, this is my take.

I just don't see a kid from a neighbourhood school, in a middle class society going online to buy products from America. Yeah, the rich kids brought that up.

Oh there was this one girl who plans to go to the US and buy from the VS store and ship her stuff back home. A mess, I tell you.

One of the executives asked me if I would like a drink (devil's pee). I said, "No, I don't drink." And I continued on to say, "I'm fasting."

He gave me that, "OH YOU MUST BE SUFFERING" face. I simply replied, "it's alright. I'm not hungry nor thirsty, so it's okay."

He turned to the door, "oh it's not nightfall yet."

Well, at least he knows something. Heh.

There was this one guy, he asked, "What is your fear?"

My answer (and this is the only answer from the forum that I shall mention)

I think we're already living in a world of fear. I feared that I would probably waste years doing something I don't ever want to do. I did Maths and Science for 10 years and I know I don't want to do it, ever.

Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be in the media, to be doing on the TV or behind the scenes. I never really liked school and quite frankly, what I feared has happened. It's like we must do things this way and conform to how the education system is like.

You know, Panic At The Disco was discovered when they were about 17 - 18 and within a year their album sold a lot, and they were living the dream.

I'm 18 and I know I'm not the only one thinking about this, but what the hell am I doing with my life?

So yeah, I'm already living in fear.

3 down, so many more to go! HEHE.

Comment Questions:
1) What do you think about me not knowing about the IBDP? Or you can't even be bothered with what it is?
2) Personally what do you think of Elitist schools and their students (e.g. convent schools etc)
3) Do you think it is right that somehow the rich kids (who uses their parent's money) are representing the youths rather than the actual youths (who use their own money to spend)?
4) Oh and bonus question: What is your fear?

P/S: I don't blame Linda for picking the kids that way, the kids just gave very good answers and they were chosen. True enough, she was being fair.

P/S/S: I did enjoy myself at the forum, though not to the fullest extent. I still thanked Lin for the amazing opportunity.

P/M/S: Luqman told me about the Panic story and it really got me thinking so I decided to mention it.

P/M/S to the maksimum: I really don't like that IBDP guy.


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Labels: Current Affairs, Personal, RippleVox