As I See It

I have known Thomas since we sat next to each other in third grade. Last month during dinner, I shared a piece of good news with my friend of 30 years. “Guess what? I finally put a downpayment on this flat I told you about!” Rather than hearty congratulations, I got a look of displeasure, or a “black face” as the Cantonese people would put it. “They say the property market is about to crash, you know,” Thomas hissed, suddenly a macroeconomist. “I, for one, am not in a rush to buy.” For the rest of that evening, a single thought kept playing over and over in my head: Thomas has gone toxic. *                     *                      * Toxic friendships are a new urban epidemic Toxic friends are friends who have grown bitter, unsupportive and downright unbearable over the years. They undermine our achievements but secretly compete with us. They may sneer at our career advancements, make cynical remarks about our love lives or call us names behind our back