Never say never

Every time someone says to me "you'll never understand", a part of me dies in the form of a tiny cellular atomic explosion. The Mandarin variation of the same phrase, translated ni3 bu4 dong3 de4 la, hurts marginally less because it's usually tagged with an ounce of crowd-pleasing humour. And yet, it still manages to push all the wrong elevator buttons. Eventually, something will snap. And they'll all fall down.

My dad says that a lot. He tells me "your generation will never understand", with no exception, no room for debate. Or as my generation would say, 'no chance'.

Never? Not "your generation will find it difficult to understand" or "your generation has yet to understand". No. "Your generation will never understand." I hate it. The tiny explosions, they are tiny. But I feel them. And I hate it so much.

My sister says I get frustrated when he says that because I always feel like I've got something to prove - be it to him, to the world and even to myself. I know, for a fact, that what she says is true. Maybe it's an issue of pride, possibly even defiance.

All I know is that I really hate being told what I cannot do, especially when I'm convinced I can.