As you like it
I am appalled at the lift etiquette of our fellow country men.
One morning, I was rushing to enter the lift with another friend. 2 others had entered before us and neither thought to hold the doors. The end result was that my friend and I had the lift doors banging against our shoulders. It was and still is, according to my first hand encounter, a memorable experience, but not one you would care to have repeated.
I glared at the two young offenders. I used the word 'young' a tad loosely here since they both looked like they were in their 20s. Neither had the decency to attempt to look sheepish.
We travelled up in stony silence. The lift stopped at my level. As I was walking out of the lift, the lift panel caught my eye. The remaining 2 in the lift had pressed the 21st and 23rd level respectively. Then I did something on an impulse, which till today shocked me a little.
I saw my arm raised itself, and my fingers pressed every single button in between my level and the 19th level then stopped to flick my hair back while my feet sailed out 3' heels.
A couple of my friends collasped in giggles when I related the story to them. A few raised their eyes in horror. The latter were the kind of personalities who would suffer in silence and then bitch about it at the pantry.
To be fair, I am not a believer in an eye for an eye theory. However, there are certain things that one can tolerate and certain things that one cannot. Of late, I am not one of those who will suffer inwardly and be politically correct outside. There has be an end result in sight.
To paraphrase a Tom Clancy book, if you pull the tail of a tiger, you need to be prepared to deal with its tail. It is quite useless to seeth in anger and simmer inside. Quite frankly, the only result you get is probably tonnes of wrinkles and an increased blood presure. In short, anger is pretty useless.
If you cannot do anything about it or dont wish to do anything about it, let it go.
Viva La Vie!
posted by As Time Goes By at 9:58 PM
3 Comments:
I cannot believe you read Tom Clancy *big grin*. I used to be a big fan but his writing has since gotten worse over the years. The latest offering (the one you quoted from) is half-decent, though. Educated Americans are far more polite than Singaporeans. It is apparently the norm here to hold the door open for the next person. Of course, when someone does so for me, I say, "Thank you." And yes, I do hold the door open for the person behind me as well.
I love what you did. Hahahaha. Sent me in a fit of giggles. I am equally appalled at how much the society has changed too, especially where basic courtesy is concerned. I still remember when I was younger, your fellow lift passengers will ask you which floor you are going to before proceeding to hit the level's button for you. But such initiative is as rare as a dinosaur now. Every single day when I go home, if I am not the first one to enter the lift, my fellow lift passenger will hit every single button available. As if by opening their mouths to ask politely which level you are headed will kill them. I also am extremely irritated by people who conveniently waltz into the lift and do not even bother to help to hold the lift doors open for other people who are still making their way in. In fact, recently at Comcentre, this stupid uncle was frantically hitting the close button when me and my colleagues were holding the door open for a pregnant lady!
You should migrate to the US, Duck. The folks here do the "which floor are you heading to" routine. They also hold doors open. Additionally, when acquaintances bump into each other, they not only say "hello" but also say "how are you doing" (obviously the reply would be "fine thank you" instead of a long story). All this applies to only the educated folks, though. The lesser educated people (usually of a certain race) can be not only rude but racist (at least in my case since I am Chinese).
Post a Comment
<< Home