Doormatised
so i was at my local pub last night, playing pool. during one of my games, this couple walked into the bar, and this woman took my seat. i mean, my things were there, there was a drink there, and there were people there to ask if the seat was taken. she didn't even bother asking and just plonked herself down. i saw it all happening, but because i was at the pool table, i thought i'd leave my friend S to take care of it.
she didn't want to barge, but decided that
my seat was where she wanted to sit. she had the gall to tell S - just move along down the bar!!! KKNCCB! how fucking rude was that?!
one of the bar staff was really surprised that i got moved involunteerily, and all i did was say "yah - i got displaced." i guess if my things weren't moved, i would have had a word with her. but on the other hand, i must really have mellowed because if this happened a couple of years ago, i would have said something, whether my things were moved or not.
and then there was the bitch who thought herself the best pool player on earth. or at least in that pub. we were having a great time playing pool, but missing some easy shots. she was commenting on this and you could see that she thought of our playing as inferior. furthermore, i could sense her impatience.
i actually went up to her and asked if her name was up/what she was so unhappy about/why she couldn't stand seeing other people having a good time/if her boyfriend wasn't good in bed so we could maybe speed up, try to play better or let her join in our fun. but she said no, obviously not appreciating the fact that i was trying to make an effort to be friendly. the moment we finished the game she put her coins in and skipped B's turn? i mean WTF? and because he owns the place and is a nice person, he let it be?
and then whilst she was playing she actually (deliberately maybe) walked into me twice. after the second time, i said to her, "least you can say is sorry or excuse me!" well, she got quite defensive after that but by then i had already walked away, thinking to myself what an idiot i was trying to be nice in the first place!
i must be turning into a doormat!
don't entertain them!
this person from ... bank had been ringing me almost everyday, from the 2nd day of my grandmother's death. i told her to ring back, and gave her the reason, and yet, she rang me everyday after that. so finally, when the funeral was over, i decided to give her some time for being so persistent. no, wait. for
trying to do her job.
woman: hello mam, i'm calling from ... can i talk to you for 5 minutes?
me: Mm.
woman: you are currently holding our ... cards, and your credit shield is not activated.
me: yah i know.
woman: we can activate your credit shield for you right now.
me: what does it do for me?
woman:
(explain explain, boring boring)me: what must i pay?
woman:
(explain explain, boring boring) so if there is no balance left, you don't have to pay a cent.
me: Mm. but if there is no balance left, then you don't actually
have anything to cover right?
woman:
HUH?me: nevermind.
(i'm thinking - this woman obviously is reading from some kind of script, adding in her own grammatical errors, and knows fuck-all about what she is trying to promote.)
woman: so i will activate it for you now?
me: no, i don't want it.
woman:
(with a tone of voice so alarmed as if i had just rejected the hundred million bucks that she was going to transfer to my bank account for nothing.) HUH?! WHY?!!! me: look, i don't have time to explain to you why i don't want it.
what i really wanted to say was - "look. i don't know you, and i'm not interested in telling you why. please don't use this tone on me because i am not your friend and i am not obligated to tell you the reasons why i don't want this fucking thing. and because you appear not understand how this whole thing works, and that it is basically another con job (and you're just a conman hired by some big company), i don't really want to run the risk of wasting my time. especially on someone i don't even know. and let's face it, you are not really interested in knowing why i don't want this thing anyway. so please don't annoy me by being presumptuous. besides, i have actually listened to you this whole time parroting about this wonderful-oh-so-irresistable deal even though i've already read it in the promotional letters that your company sends out."
woman: oh,
pauses longer than is necessary OK. (using a completely different tone to before. this time, dare i say, even a little condescending.)
hangs upNABEHCHEEBYE!"oh"
"OK"?
what the fuck?!!
all about penguins
saw
March of the Penguins yesterday. excellent film. the story of the emperor penguins is fascinating, and it really is amazing when you see what they have to endure (fucking fierce blizzards, starvation - 4 months never eat leh) for the sake of procreation. i find it quite uplifting to see such strength in nature and this kind of moves me. there are also some really beautiful scenes. definitely worth seeing.
also finally finished reading
Death and the Penguin today. certainly recommend it. it is not depressing like Murakami.
now the sequel,
Penguin Lost.
some days are like this...
why not me?
suffering from iPod envy. me wants a 60GB iPod as a pressie too...
:-(
funny how
this Murakami quote was like a foretelling of
this.
many thanks
thank you all who came to the wake & funeral:
Monday - Terence, Yumei, Yvonne, James, Chun, Winnie & Constance.
Tuesday - Kris, Wahj, Boko, Gerard, Heok Khee, May & Wei.
Wednesday - Ben.
also Rose, Ravi, Stuart and of course, NAB.
thank you for all your kind words and deeds, and for being there when i got drunk (to help me get drunk or got drunk with me) and grieved. as well as the many others for your nice SMS's.
all this really means a lot to me.
外婆
外婆
Originally uploaded by monster-ru.My maternal grandmother passed away in her sleep yesterday.
the shock of that is confusing me endlessly, but i want to believe, like the rest of the family does, that she is resting in a far better place now.
finn's lazy saturday afternoon
where he is not supposed to be
blog spam
funny, i was just thinking yesterday before i posted that i was getting a lot of spam comments. i even wanted to blog about it. then i see that yesterday's one-liner got more spam than i ever got in the last few posts. oh well, maybe its time to change the comment option to disallow anonymous comments.
jazz photo taking next week. weekend busy, hard to move around the place...
in great spirits today - going to shoot photos of jazz musicians tonight!
what pisses me off...
is a close (maybe i should review this now) friend saying to you, when discussing shitty things about our jobs (hers really), "but you got a husband what!"
i mean, c'mon, what-the-fuck-in-hell sort of a statement is that?!
this inevitably led to a seizure by fear this morning - a variety of questions followed, but i shall not bore you with that.
slept all of 2.5hrs. from 5am to 7.30am. not good, but what can u do eh?
its a beautiful sunday morning. i guess i should really go out for a walk, or swim and not waste it away! better, grab a book and get myself down to the Botanic Gardens, sit at the cafe and have a nice quiet read. except that it is probably going to be packed with families...
currently reading Andrey Kurkov's "Death and the Penguin". the protaganist's pet penguin is depressive. quite funny really. i can identify with the penguin. but i don't know much about them. much less about their various psychological states and the extent of a penguin's ability to feel depressed. (but neither does the protaganist...) remember though that they were once my favourite animal. say when i was about 12? i guess its because they are
this cute.
anyway, i forget what it was that i really wanted to post about. i guess it is mainly an update on my sleep(-less) situation. (my inability to construct complex sentences at the moment is a rather good indication of my lack of sleep.)
when i'm in this state of mind, it is really hard not to pull a Murakami book off the shelf to read. and the blue nile music seems to complement it so well. i guess its the whole mood thing. a nice whiskey on the rocks will top it off so nicely. next i'll be watching
In the Mood for Love for the
nth time. but hey, let's not indulge in this sort of thing. stick with the penguin. at least it's funny, albeit in a tragic sort of way.
"Everything passes. Nobody gets anything for keeps. And that's how we've got to live." - H. Murakami, "Hear the Wind Sing".(his first novel. got this off an online version. hope its accurate, but i just ordered the book and am looking forward to reading it!)
Listening to this now...
The Blue Nile's "Hats".
Certainly recommend it. current favourite song from the album - From A Late Night Train.
still not sleeping properly, and worried about Belle. she got spayed whilst i was away and refused to take her antibiotics. she takes them when i give them to her now, but i fear it might be a bit too late. hopefully the infection doesn't get worse.
back in singapore, trying hopelessly to get back to SG time and failing miserably.
Beneath the sun in the summer a sea of flowers won't bloom without the rain. - CC, High Life, TDL.
