I am quite certain everyone is familiar with that feeling you get when your initial unapologetic indulgence on something decadently good (and expectedly unhealthy) meets the startling knee-jerk reality awakening which almost always lurks at the end of your hedonistic foray. And concomitantly you’ll find yourself standing at the fork of three distinct paths;– self-blame, justification, and amelioration. Or on specific occasions, the aforesaid paths simply merge as one, to be a long therapeutic journey of guilt riddance, simply put.
Self-blame: This may happen almost immediately after having had indulged in one fork too many of an irresistible cheesecake, or in the realisation that you can no longer fit into the pair of jeans or lovely dress you had just purchased a month prior to your celebratory feast (think Eid, Christmas, birthday). It will always be punctuated with “I knew I shouldn’t have!”. Justification: In the event that the self-blame lasts barely five minutes, and no tears had been shed, nor any dresses torn, a seemingly logical explanation for the indulgence will ensue. In the typical Singaporean manner, it will have a distinct “what” suffix with an exaggerated long pronunciation as though to garner empathy and support, as in “But it was my birthday what…”, or “It’s once a year only what!”. For the non-native Singaporean English speakers, the non-’what’-suffixed justification may sound more solemn and apologetic, even sympathetic. Amelioration: Should the justification be perceived to be moot, or innate self-guilt begin silently creeping in despite the aforesaid justification, steps will immediately be taken in an attempt to allay the guilt. This may come in the form of drastic and impulsive claims bearing nuances of abstinence , or simpler steps taken to ease the burden of the guilt.
