Let's be Third World again

From The New Paper:

Let's be Third World again, we might become nicer
By Sylvia Toh Paik Choo
December 27, 2006

WHEN we moved up the ladder, many of us also got a doctorate in manners: MBBS.
Mouth Big, Brain Small.

Got qualifications but not wise in EQ - emotional quotient, lah. People skills.

In short, how to be nice to others.

We should learn this from kampung folk and people in the Third World.

When the poor elsewhere jostle for things, it's because they're after food and water after being hit by a tsunami. Here, the stampede is for freebies and cheapies. And buffets.

So who's the US - Ugly Singaporean? It's US.

Elsewhere, like north of our border, you will find the most gracious of folk in the simple kampungs.

So think twice, when someone sniffs at the socializing in flats signified by the fan of slippers and shoes at the door mat.

Miss High & Mighty would say: 'I always say that you can take the people out of the kampung, but you can never take the kampung out of people.'

I say that's a plus.

The goondu girl - just because she ate some fusion food, made some new money - is suddenly Miss Huffy Boots.

But why hide the slippers?

Right away, it says: 'Family! Friends!' And who or what else can matter more?

Parents tell at a glance from the chunky trainers which children are home.

An unfamiliar pair of Bata or Birkenstock could result in a surprise.

(Has the visiting cousin who emigrated to Vancouver become a gay vegan? What a surprise!).

I marvel at the size 44 paddles passing for shoes of my nephew's. Let's hope the boy has stopped growing.

At Christmas, Hari Raya, Deepavali and Chinese New Year, have you never wished to throw your pair of shoes in with the pile outside a home - as in a cheery kampung scene?

If that's Third World, I say let's take several steps back to rediscover what we've lost.

I really agree with this writer about majority of Singaporeans. As we move up the ladder, we all forgot to be nice to each other. We have become a bunch of arrogant beasts. However, there are still humble, pleasant Singaporeans around.

On the floor that I lived in, I have 1 neighbor who are extremely friendly. One "hi" "bye" neighbor and another 3 that can't see you. So do the math and you will know the ratio of friendly to unpleasant people.

However, there is one group of Singaporean that I find are generally more friendly. The Malay. I am not trying to be racist here. Just telling my own experiences. When I walked around the neighborhood, the only people who will chit-chat, smile at me are the Malay. The Chinese are too busy frowning, showing you angry faces and goes "zzt, zzt" sound or "kill me, kill me" (excuse me)impatiently at you for blocking their way or walking too slow.

Such Inconsiderated Idiot!!!

Yesterday at 11:10am, I was waiting for a taxi at the taxi stand at Funan Center. An idiot stopped his car at the exit of the taxi stand. This prevented any taxi from leaving the taxi stand. His equally idiotic wife slowly get out of the car, get their toddlers out of the car seat and slowly closed it's door. With the taxi honking at them, I would think the man would drive off now since his wife and child are off the car. NO! NO! NO! NO! He needs to re-adjust his car seat, the mirror and the wife just looked on, waving at the bloody idiot she called husband.

I am also surprised at the patience level of the 3 taxi drivers with passengers already seated in the taxi. It took about 5 minutes for that idiot to finally leave the place for the taxi to drive off.

Why? Why would anyone behave like this? How can anyone be so selfish? How can anyone think that he has the right to block other people's way? Couldn't he just back his car a few centimeter and give enough room for the taxi to be able to leave the taxi stand? It's not like there is not enough space for him to back his car a bit?

Why? What is in his head? Does he has Tofu for a brain? This family of 3 behaved as if they truly own the road and they have every bloody right to keep everyone waiting. I pity the child. With this kind of parents, how righteous and gentlemanly can he grow up to be? Like parent like child. The child usually project the image of their parents. Like they say Monkey See, Monkey Do.

Why? Why? Why?

Earthquake? Just Save the Prada Shades

Recently, Singapore felt the earth moved. The earthquake at 6.6 is so great that practically everyone in Singapore felt it. The CBD area was greatly affected. Some office closed door and let employees go home early.

The first earthquake effect was felt in Singapore at 11:50am. I was on my way out shopping. So I missed the whole Singapore doing the "disco". The second one was felt at 2pm and I was in my son's school doing library duty. I missed that too. I don't envy those who felt it because the after-effect of the 'feeling' can last for a while. I have enough of it when I was staying at my last estate. We practically felt it every weekend. I get to know my neighbors because of all these evacuation while gathering at the car park. LOL.

The New Paper published an article written by it's columnist:

Earthquake?
Just save the Prada shades
By Edwin Yeo
March 11, 2007

LAST Tuesday, I witnessed the courage of Singaporeans.
For those of you who live at the bottom of the well (or in the east), you might not have felt the tremors which shook buildings in the CBD area as a result of the Sumatra earthquake.

I was in one such building at the time, and it was the first time I felt the ground under my feet move, in all my 39 years.

After looking around to see if Zhang Ziyi had accidentally walked into my office, I realised what it was when my colleagues screamed: 'Earthquake!'

It was then that I witnessed the bravery of my fellow citizens.

There was no panic exit or stampede as all the other tenants on my floor came out of their office.

Emergency procedures (learnt from disaster movies) demand that in the event of an earthquake, stairs should be used.

But not us brave souls who laugh in the face of danger.

No, we did what all fearless Singaporeans do - squeezed into the elevators.

At that point we had no idea if it was an earthquake or if the building was collapsing. But did we care?

Not even a little bit.

SARDINES IN A CAN

We just squeezed into the lifts like sardines in a tin. So calm were we that when the lift doors opened on the floor below us, my office manager had the presence of mind to tell them: 'Wait for the next lift! Don't overload this one.'

That made a lot of sense.

We naturally didn't want the lift to fall down the shaft, or worse, get stuck.

That was calm thinking in the face of disaster.

As we came out of the lifts, no one ran for their lives.

We were so unafraid that even though many of us thought the building might be collapsing, we just hung around in the lobby. Some of my female colleagues even said that it was a good opportunity to 'check out all the cute guys who work in the building'.

The rest of us, who didn't enjoy being checked out, decided to enter a cafe at the foot of another swaying building to get a cuppa.

After an hour, our building was certified safe and we headed back in.

This time, only one other colleague and I came back, while the rest did the reassuring task of buying lunch.

Five minutes after I sat down, the building swayed again. Similar scenes happened and I tried calling my lunch-buying colleagues, telling them not to return.

The female colleague, who I managed to get through to, said: 'Oh, can you go back in and get my bag for me?'

But I couldn't do that as I had forgot my access card.

So, while all of us left the building, my lunch-buying colleague and a friend of hers had the guts to go another way. There was a pair of Prada sunglasses waiting to be rescued.

They didn't even make a quick dash. While my colleague retrieved her sunglasses, her friend decided that it was a great time to go to the toilet since it would be empty.

Thirty years of Civil Defence training later, I can safely say that us Singaporeans are truly ready in the event of an emergency.

This is so true about Singaporeans that it's not funny. I feel that Singaporean has become complacent. We always rely on the government to do all the jobs for them. We are so spoon-fed that if the government doesn't say "evacuate", we will not do anything.

Like the CNY that just passed. I was out shopping for melon seeds. One of my favorite tidbits from CNY. I asked the shop vendor where did he get his melon seeds. He said "China." Before I could say anything, he said "Don't worry. This is Singapore. Very safe. The ministry is very strict." I guessed he said this to reassure his customers because we are all quite skeptical about the hygiene/safety level of Chinese products.