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...