Those big, round, black eyes seem to contain the unseen secrets. Well, of course it has to be the "unseen" secrets as opposed to the "world's" secrets. He only entered our world five months ago. Yet, in those eyes, I see a universe of incomprehensible wisdom that will be lost and irretrievable once he reaches a certain age, a certain consciousness.

"What are you thinking?"
"Do you even know? Can you even 'know'?"
"Are you aware of yourself? Of everything around you?"
"You see, but do you understand?"

I pepper him with these questions, and in response, I get a shriek or a dribble of drool as he tenaciously chews on the rubber giraffe. Why that giraffe, out of all the other toys, I cannot say. Neither can he. Or so I think.

He watches me, watching him. He continues to chew, working his way on every part of that giraffe. It is his life's purpose at that moment, to chew the hell out of that giraffe. It is important business to him, and I find myself wishing for such one-tracked mindedness when it comes to my own tasks.

The things one can learn from observing a baby.

- Degree is not the only way
- Emphasis on other routes, such as the polytechnic or ITE route
- Initiatives for diploma holders to advance through other ways besides furthering studies
- Janice Teng from the Straits Times pointed out that at the same time, we should "celebrate all workers regardless of how far they go", mentions that it is "...just as important...for our society to respect those who cannot or do not want to climb high and are content with the jobs they have"

My thoughts:

The first news of such a shift in mindset came during this year's National Day Rally. I was initially heartened by such news and promptly screenshot the NDR tweets that mentioned this part of PM's speech. After I posted the screenshot on FB, hoping to spread the 'good' news, the reaction I received was either cautious optimism, skepticism or downright outrage.

One commenter simply said "Bual World" which loosely translates to "talking big" (without action). The use of these hybrid Malay/English slang shows the skepticism rife in any initiative that seeks to promote alternative ways of seeking further education, or even career paths. Another commenter felt that this was all bullsh*t.

It should've been unsurprising to see such reactions. Considering that the commenters were themselves in the midst of getting a degree (begrudgingly), about to embark on a degree course, or had just finished completing a degree that wasn't necessarily their dream interest but necessary nonetheless. Put it simply, we were all jaded. Hence, even though such news, that getting a degree is not the end-all or be-all, we can't help but feel like all of this is a little too late.

Where was such a paradigm shift when we were at the cusp of idealistic adolescence? When in our hearts we knew what we really wanted but were torn between doing what we had to do? Is it a little too late?