freshly sharpened pencils...

last week i was introduced to the new subject in m'saladi-nomics: knowing your place. after all its whole philosophy is based in knowing where you stand in society. nobs (that's sim's sister) is an expert in this field and has carried out extensive research. her paper is due to be published soon. (in some blog!)

there are three levels in the m'saladi society:

1. italian salads
this group know their place and are well deserving of the title "m'salala". they went to the finest and most expensive schools. they speak with the most amazing accent and are cognisant with at least one other european language. (if they know mandarin, then they are really at the top!). they are very well travelled and their conversations constantly include phrases like, "when we went to switzerland last christmas.." they change cars like the weather and are not shy to splash their money around.

2. garden salads
this group think they've got it but they dont quite cut it. they think that because they have manicured lawns and freshly painted homes that they qualify to be called "m'salala". they are able to get away with the fact that they parents slave perennially to send to the finest schools but have a limited travel budget. they suffer from serious "nose brigade" symptoms and are able to fleece expensive labels from relatives overseas.

3. coleslaw salads
these people put simply are just wannabe salads. they make sure they emphasise the fact that they are "m'salala" to the rest of the world. they try hide the fact that they are just scrubs by wearing fake labels and putting on phoney accents. they walk almost everywhere but then catch a taxi 200 metres from their destination so as to make a 'grand entrance'. they conversations always include the phrase, "when we go to the K next month..." but never quite make it. they are the ones who suffer from serious identity crises.