Pak Tor? No thanks.

This certainly spells bad news for our population growth.

From: http://news.omy.sg/News/Local%2BNews/Story/OMYStory201008111535-175809.html

宁上网和追韩剧　九成本地年轻人没兴趣约会

《联合晚报》小调查显示，90％时下年轻人对约会兴趣缺缺，宁可呆在家中上网、看韩剧港剧。

《联合晚报》日前访问了50名年龄介于20岁至35岁的单身男女，探讨他们闲暇时间做些什么，以及他们是否会积极的去与异性约会。

调查结果是，90％的单身男女空闲时最喜欢的活动是上网玩游戏、网交、看DVD（尤其是韩剧）或电视以及约朋友外出喝茶聊天，只有10％受访者表示会找异性约会。

陈丽仪（26岁，执行员）说：“闲暇时最常做的是看韩剧和电缆电视节目。我很重视个人自由和个人空间。”

她说，她不会刻意去找异性约会，因为个人的时间已经很少，想做的事情又太多，觉得做自己想做的事会比约会更开心。”

陈先生（34岁，学术研究员）说：“平日忙于做课业，只有周末和公假才有自己的闲暇时间，所以非常珍惜属于自己的时间，有空时看DVD或电视节目、约友人外出喝茶聊天和阅读。”

他说，他也不是不想约会，而是还没有遇到谈得来的女性，因此也就不强求。

刘家玲（20岁，幼儿园教师）说：“父母亲在我心目中永远排第一位，目前还没有遇到心仪的对象。空闲时在家陪父母、上网和约朋友喝茶聊天。”

----

Facing high expectations from society and great investment of time (and money) in relationships, it is no wonder why people would rather prefer to coop themselves within their cozy corners, roaming the virtual realm and immersing in fictional dramas. With so many free and easy activities to do at home, why would one bind himself to the shackles of relationship? This is what more and more people are thinking nowadays. Despite how some examples may show otherwise, maintaining a relationship with a partner does require commitment, compromise and tolerance, which often go against your own will and freedom.

The notion of self-fulfillment is getting stronger in modern people. They are willing to work for more pay to satisfy their own material needs. They surf the net and watch dramas to fulfill their entertainment needs. They hang out with friends or play sports regularly to fulfill their recreational needs. As for being in relationship, there is no guarantee that it can reap any emotional or psychological benefits. It is precisely this uncertainty that deter people from committing themselves into a relationship which they do not know how well it may turn out to be. (Saying that people get into relationships to fulfill their sexual needs sounds very superficial somehow, though true to certain extent.)

Furthermore, the expectation of our ideal partner is getting higher in modern society. While most usually leave it to fate, the rarity of such ideal match among the entire population would mean that we might not even get to meet Mr/Miss Right in our lifetime (or at least within our 'active' age). The passive attitude and unwillingness to socialize broadly do not help in our search either.

More people nowadays are valuing their personal time and space. Be it due to hectic work lifestyles or reluctance to commit to demanding relationships, it would imply that the population of Singaporeans will continue to dwindle.

If existing trends continue to persist, we will have to brace ourselves for another wave of foreign influx in the near future.