Top image: Zachary Tang / RICE File Photo
➡️ Forwarded many times. You might not be a fan of forwarding ‘good morning’ images via WhatsApp, but you’ve probably let slip boomer-esque comments every now and then.
Remember that drink that was “not too sweet”? Have you ever been the last one in your friend group to adopt a piece of simple technology? Or have you ever shunted a simple way of doing something in favour of an old, unnecessarily tedious method? I thought about my own boomer moments, and laughed so hard that I almost wrote the wrong phone number into my Sheng Siong lucky draw coupon. Phew!
Nothing against the boomers out there, though. If anything these anecdotes from RICE readers prove we’re slowly turning into you guys. It’s just a matter of time.
“I queued 30 minutes outdoors for a free tote bag at a kids event. No, I don’t feel guilty about it and it’s my school bag for poly now.”
–James, 17
“Have you ever had one of those moments when you realise you’re turning into an older relative without trying? Yeah, that’s me lately.
I’m 32, a boxing coach here in Singapore, and I spend my days surrounded by super-energetic teenagers. I used to be one of them, or so I thought. But lately, I’ve caught myself yelling at kids for their loud music, resenting their energy instead of feeding off it, and weirdly… starting a balcony garden?
Is this how it starts? Am I officially too old to understand the youth I work with? But then, there are these moments of strange satisfaction, too, a different kind of accomplishment.
I think there’s a story here. About getting older when you least expect it, that mix of cringe and quiet contentment. Millennials in Singapore are dealing with our ageing while surrounded by the next generation—there’s got to be something relatable there.”
–Marcus, 32
“There was one time I went out for lunch with a Gen Z friend. She needed tissue and I said, ‘Eh wait I have.’ Then I took out my giant packet of tissue, the 300-pieces-in-one-pack size. She was so amused and had to photograph me with my giant packet of tissue. That 300-piece packet is super good value okay? I ordered it on Taobao and had it sent to my doorstep.”
–Alex, 31
“I gasped in happiness in the middle of Sheng Siong last week because they were selling four big leeks for $2.50! I didn’t even like leeks that much, but I do now.
Also, I worked off the WiFi in an MRT station once for an hour and a half, so that I didn’t have to pay for a drink in a cafe. Since it was a public holiday, libraries were closed.
When Carl’s Jr. used to have a salsa and jalapeño bar, I would use the burger box and fill it with salsa and jalapeño, and bring it home.”
–Bel, 22
“I accidentally said ‘back in my day’ to a friend eight years younger than me. I’m 26 and she’s 18. We both had a very good laugh over it.”
–SQ, 26
“I travelled with two of my Gen Z friends last year to Bali. During our doom scrolling before bedtime, I caught up on YouTube vlogs while they scrolled TikToks. One day, upon laughing at one TikTok video, I asked them what #fyp is. Is it ‘final year project’? It’s not. Sigh.
But I secretly think I have Gen Z internal energy while they have millennial energy. Because every day in Bali, I would wake up at sunrise and go to yoga, gym and Balinese cooking class. And I would wait for them to wake up at noon. Or maybe I just want to carpe diem and that ain’t for everyone. All G, all G.”
–Y, 30
“I sometimes have gui ling gao (herbal jelly) for dessert and drink ya sei mei (24-herb tea). Because an auntie told me that these are cooling and good for the hot weather.”
–Mei Gan, 28
“Staying up late like after 11pm has started to feel tiring. I can’t keep up with people who are single and unmarried, who can go clubbing and whatever nightbird stuff till the next morning.”
–Isilwen, 37
“I have refused for a long time to use any shopping apps and I insist on going to the store—does this count? My mates told me time and time again to simply buy groceries online and I’m slowly coming to realise that it’s a real time saver.”
–Leslie, 35
“When my friends talk about going clubbing, without missing a beat I will reply, ‘Y’all have the energy to club ah?’ We are all the same age—21. Whenever my friends suggest staying out late to drink, I deliberately try to siam by saying that I have something on the next morning. I simply don’t have the energy man.”
–J, 21
“I said ‘That’s what youngsters say nowadays’, then realised that that’s exactly what my mom says. It’s usually in response to Gen Z slang that I hear in person, from interns in the workplace or in public. The word ‘youngsters’ is so boomer.
– Bernie, 32
