This is ironic. In my previous post I was exclaiming how the global community is getting closer together through technology. Now I'm going to gripe about how people are moving further apart during face-to-face interaction.

I rushed down to an Apple Reseller at Funan Centre during lunch yesterday to check out their prices before hitting Sitex this weekend. The shop was not busy, but all the salespeople were busy attending to caucasians and businessmen-looking people. I was loitering around waiting for some service and stopped in front of their promotion board which had all the specs of the model I wanted.

Finally a girl came over to discuss with me. We were both looking at the board and in animated conversation when another salesman reached over from the other side and took the board to show his caucasian client, without even asking us. So rude.


What was worse is that when he promptly proceeded to set the board down in front of his customer for him to refer, the girl serving me just stood there waiting for him to finish using it. As he continued without any signs of returning us the board, she wandered away, leaving me standing there in mid-question. She started chatting with the cashier. I looked over at her with a grimace on my face and started tapping my fingers and breathing really deeply. No response.

Had half a mind to walk out when the guy finally left the board unattended and she came back to take it. By then I already decided not to buy from them.

Stomach growling, I went to the Polar cakeshop downstairs. It wasn't a big shop. A posse of 4 aunties were buying boxes of puffs, but they didn't have to stand as though they owned the shop, with arms on their waist and legs apart, as if scared that the wind will blow them over. No one else could enter the shop. I don't think anyone wanted to anyway, cos the aunties were speaking so loudly and crudely.

A hungry queue of office workers were forming behind me, outside the shop. But the auntie serving them continued chatting, all the while taking her own sweet time to pack the puffs. There were 2 other staff in the shop who conveniently avoided eye-contact with the rest of us waiting.

When it was finally my turn, I ordered 1 puff. And got 'the look' from the auntie, who told me to buy 2 for $2.60. How about 4? I said I couldn't finish so many. Got served my puff with a generous side of dirty looks.


As I made my journey back to the office, I wondered why I didn't walk out both times, when I felt like doing so. Was it cos I was brought up to be polite and tolerant of other people? Or was it cos I didn't have the guts to? Or was it that I just wanted their goods too desperately? But I'm the one paying them!

Labels: Cynic In The House