Republic Day by Jef Tan

Author:Jef Tan [Tan, Jef]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780987106018
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2014-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

21.

There was a time when people of this tiny island Republic could predict the monsoon, the ripening of durians (a painfully local favourite fruit) and for an exceptional few, the arrival of a new flu bug. Some folks could even predict when the next Sumatran haze would arrive to smog up the atmosphere. These days no one can be bothered since technology and climate-change has done quite its collective bit to alter the whens and whys and hows. These days, no one notices anything. Not even the retail signboards for the mid year sales, screaming out for patronage. No one asks any questions about the relevance of a summer sale, in a land where summer is eternal.

So you wouldn’t know, in this flat-flat climatic sameness, when something new emerges, whether it is the danger of a foreign animal-borne plague or some radical left-wing ideology. No, not unless it was officially published by the officially sanctioned official state media, mainly The Republic Times, Republic Days and Republic TV Corporation. You would never know if the oft-spoken “Spectre of Chaos” (a metaphorical monster first penned by the former Minister of Home Affairs and State Security that could take everybody’s hard-earned everything away) actually stood among you, and if the seeds of life or death that was being sewn secretly in your midst. You would carry on living your life on a perfect albeit humid day like this, as an ordinary citizen because that would be who you are: an unquestioning, salary-collecting drone.

But then again, you might not.

For the thirty or so fat-loss enthusiasts, arriving punctually for the lunchtime aerobic workout, today is another day closer to The Goal reiterated on Renee Sim’s motivational poster. For those who persevere through the rigorous jumps and turns and squats, the promise of svelte figures flickers in the horizon. As Renee says in her TV infomercials and motivational videos, she too was once unattractive and unhealthy, swirling in a pool of low self-esteem; but oh, look at her now in this gorgeous black cocktail dress, with this chain of fat-loss activity centres to her name.

It can’t be farther from the truth of course. The franchise chain has been losing money for months now and Renee herself has been putting on weight again. All this is hidden from the lot of hopefuls who faithfully endure the punishment that is meted out to them every day of the working week. In fact, lately, the women seem to be enjoying themselves more than ever. They seem to be bounding in energy, the manager of one of the centres reported, and attendance has been full for some weeks now. A few of the candidates have started sharing their own before-after transformations via online videos on their favourite social network platforms.

“Just look at them,” this branch manager says to Renee, “see how positive they are!”

And it is true, every word. As Renee stands behind the glass walls where she watches her customers move strenuously to the disco music she wonders if she herself might part take in the exercise.

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