I can’t understand why some people do not have the decency to be more civic-minded these days. It’s just so irritating to find these people selfishly went ahead their business without thinking whether their actions are causing hardships to other people. Somehow I have very low tolerance for people like this. Is it so very hard to be civic? Didn’t their mothers teach them? Ok..that’s a bit harsh, and I shouldn’t say that. But it irritates me to see people becoming more selfish everyday.
Last Saturday, I went to Mid Valley. There were a lot of people there. I was with my kids, Bie and the maid. First we went to Metrojaya to buy Marsya her Raya shoes (I know it’s too soon, but the shoes were on sale), then to Jusco for Raqib’s pajamas (it’s cheaper there.. I am not the type that buys expensive pajamas for her children). After that, we did a bit of grocery shopping in Carrefour. There were just so many people there. Everyone doing their last minute shopping to stock up their fridges and kitchen cabinets with food in view of the Ramadhan. So of course there were long queues everywhere. And like any respectable human being, everyone queued up for their turns to pay for the items that they bought. And do note that each person has a trolley full of things, so the cashier did take quite a while to settle payment for each customer.
I was standing behind two ladies. I had a basket which I placed on the floor. Raqib was in the pushchair whereas Marsya was prancing up and down with a toy sword (which the Carrefour management has cleverly placed near the cash counters) and was persuading me to buy the sword for her. My maid was minding Raqib in the pushchair. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a rude man just walked over my basket, wanting to go to the other side. I had food in there. So I was mad. I uttered my dismay loudly asking the man to apologise. But he acted like as if he didn’t hear me and just walked away. I was mad. Hello…!! Can’t you be more apologetic? The nerve of that man. He didn’t have the decency and the moral to walk aside the basket like everybody else. So you can imagine how my blood was boiling at that time. But that is not the end of the story.
As I was still waiting in the line, and was about to pay, suddenly I saw a huge Middle Eastern man (one of those Pak Arabs) standing in front of me with a trolley full of things. I looked at him in shock. What the heck? My maid seeing my expression like that explained that she saw the man trying to cut the queue but didn’t know what to say. Here I was, juggling with my two kids (Bie went for prayers), both hungry while one of them was begging me to buy her the toy sword. And to make matters worse, I just had an idiot walked over my basket. Believe me, my anger hadn’t subsided yet. So, I did the only thing that an angry tired mother does.
Me: Excuse me (I tapped him on his shoulder). What do you think you’re doing? There’s a queue here and everyone is queuing up.
Him: I was here first.
Me: No, no.. I was here. Right behind those two ladies. You have to queue just like everyone else.
Him: I was here. You don’t believe me, you ask my friend over there. I had him standing here for me.
Me: What??!! I didn’t see any friend.
Him: He’s just over there (pointing to a friend who had just paid and was busy putting his platic bags in the trolley). He stood for me just now.
Me: I didn’t see your friend. He was not here. I was behind the two ladies.
Him: He was here.
Me: Was your friend holding anything? A basket? Pushing a trolley? I don’t think so. Because I didn’t see any.
Him: I’m not sure, but he was standing here for me.
At this time, even the cashier asked him to queue up like everyone else.
Me: Oh come on. Look at you. You have so many things in your trolley. And I only have a basket. (Oh my God..!! This man is unbelievable. I was feeling very, very mad and I think he saw that. I shook my head, clenched my fist and was about to burst when suddenly…)
Him: Ok, look. Why don’t you go first before me, yeah?
Me: Hhmm… Ok (and immediately carried my basket and placed in on top of the counter. At that time, I was quite embarrassed coz I had apparently created quite a spectacle).
As I walked passed him, Raqib pushed his trolley to the side. Well, with his baby hands, the trolley didn’t even move. But the man, I guess wanting to make amends said,
Him: Even your son is angry with me.
Me: Yeah well.. sorry for that (at that time, I had mellowed down a bit. After all, I got to pay first and not him). I was quite angry so it’s only natural that he follows me too. But yeah, sorry for that (the tone of my voice had gone down at this point in time).
I quickly paid for my things and walked away. My dearest Bie only caught the whole thing at the end. But I told him what happened.
And believe me, that was not all, but because I didn’t hear it but it was Bie, I didn’t have the opportunity to reply to those strangers’ remarks. Well, whenever we go out to shopping complexes like that, I will put a leash on Marsya. A nice leash that looks like a soft toy cow is hugging her from behind. So while I was dragging Marsya to McDonalds, apparently many people just had to make remarks at how I was ‘treating’ my daughter. Some looked at it approvingly, some expressed shock, and one just had to say that I was treating her like a dog. When Bie told me that (we were already seated at that time), I was mad. I just told off a huge Pak Arab, so if I had known who had said that, I would tell her off as well.
Bie said that the person who said that looked like she wasn’t married yet. So of course she wouldn’t know the significance of the leash. I was like, “So? Does that give her the right to comment on my child like that?” .. yeah, I was actually mad. But of course, I tried to rationalize it. Those people who make remarks like that probably do not have kids and find it odd that I would actually put my daughter on a leash. And of course, they haven’t traveled enough so do not know that the leash is one of the mechanisms to ensure that your child does not wander off and get lost. Surprisingly, I don’t get many reactions like that if I was in One Utama. I think it’s the crowd. Oh well.. I was prepared to forgive her for that remark and try not to make it personally. But still I couldn’t help but feel angry to whomever that lady was that said that about my daughter.
But the point is, where has all the civic-minded people gone too? Don’t get me started about motorists. It’s just so sad to see many kiasu and selfish people on the roads these days. And I don’t think I want to touch on that.
Funny how it is these days.
Last Saturday, I went to Mid Valley. There were a lot of people there. I was with my kids, Bie and the maid. First we went to Metrojaya to buy Marsya her Raya shoes (I know it’s too soon, but the shoes were on sale), then to Jusco for Raqib’s pajamas (it’s cheaper there.. I am not the type that buys expensive pajamas for her children). After that, we did a bit of grocery shopping in Carrefour. There were just so many people there. Everyone doing their last minute shopping to stock up their fridges and kitchen cabinets with food in view of the Ramadhan. So of course there were long queues everywhere. And like any respectable human being, everyone queued up for their turns to pay for the items that they bought. And do note that each person has a trolley full of things, so the cashier did take quite a while to settle payment for each customer.
I was standing behind two ladies. I had a basket which I placed on the floor. Raqib was in the pushchair whereas Marsya was prancing up and down with a toy sword (which the Carrefour management has cleverly placed near the cash counters) and was persuading me to buy the sword for her. My maid was minding Raqib in the pushchair. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a rude man just walked over my basket, wanting to go to the other side. I had food in there. So I was mad. I uttered my dismay loudly asking the man to apologise. But he acted like as if he didn’t hear me and just walked away. I was mad. Hello…!! Can’t you be more apologetic? The nerve of that man. He didn’t have the decency and the moral to walk aside the basket like everybody else. So you can imagine how my blood was boiling at that time. But that is not the end of the story.
As I was still waiting in the line, and was about to pay, suddenly I saw a huge Middle Eastern man (one of those Pak Arabs) standing in front of me with a trolley full of things. I looked at him in shock. What the heck? My maid seeing my expression like that explained that she saw the man trying to cut the queue but didn’t know what to say. Here I was, juggling with my two kids (Bie went for prayers), both hungry while one of them was begging me to buy her the toy sword. And to make matters worse, I just had an idiot walked over my basket. Believe me, my anger hadn’t subsided yet. So, I did the only thing that an angry tired mother does.
Me: Excuse me (I tapped him on his shoulder). What do you think you’re doing? There’s a queue here and everyone is queuing up.
Him: I was here first.
Me: No, no.. I was here. Right behind those two ladies. You have to queue just like everyone else.
Him: I was here. You don’t believe me, you ask my friend over there. I had him standing here for me.
Me: What??!! I didn’t see any friend.
Him: He’s just over there (pointing to a friend who had just paid and was busy putting his platic bags in the trolley). He stood for me just now.
Me: I didn’t see your friend. He was not here. I was behind the two ladies.
Him: He was here.
Me: Was your friend holding anything? A basket? Pushing a trolley? I don’t think so. Because I didn’t see any.
Him: I’m not sure, but he was standing here for me.
At this time, even the cashier asked him to queue up like everyone else.
Me: Oh come on. Look at you. You have so many things in your trolley. And I only have a basket. (Oh my God..!! This man is unbelievable. I was feeling very, very mad and I think he saw that. I shook my head, clenched my fist and was about to burst when suddenly…)
Him: Ok, look. Why don’t you go first before me, yeah?
Me: Hhmm… Ok (and immediately carried my basket and placed in on top of the counter. At that time, I was quite embarrassed coz I had apparently created quite a spectacle).
As I walked passed him, Raqib pushed his trolley to the side. Well, with his baby hands, the trolley didn’t even move. But the man, I guess wanting to make amends said,
Him: Even your son is angry with me.
Me: Yeah well.. sorry for that (at that time, I had mellowed down a bit. After all, I got to pay first and not him). I was quite angry so it’s only natural that he follows me too. But yeah, sorry for that (the tone of my voice had gone down at this point in time).
I quickly paid for my things and walked away. My dearest Bie only caught the whole thing at the end. But I told him what happened.
And believe me, that was not all, but because I didn’t hear it but it was Bie, I didn’t have the opportunity to reply to those strangers’ remarks. Well, whenever we go out to shopping complexes like that, I will put a leash on Marsya. A nice leash that looks like a soft toy cow is hugging her from behind. So while I was dragging Marsya to McDonalds, apparently many people just had to make remarks at how I was ‘treating’ my daughter. Some looked at it approvingly, some expressed shock, and one just had to say that I was treating her like a dog. When Bie told me that (we were already seated at that time), I was mad. I just told off a huge Pak Arab, so if I had known who had said that, I would tell her off as well.
Bie said that the person who said that looked like she wasn’t married yet. So of course she wouldn’t know the significance of the leash. I was like, “So? Does that give her the right to comment on my child like that?” .. yeah, I was actually mad. But of course, I tried to rationalize it. Those people who make remarks like that probably do not have kids and find it odd that I would actually put my daughter on a leash. And of course, they haven’t traveled enough so do not know that the leash is one of the mechanisms to ensure that your child does not wander off and get lost. Surprisingly, I don’t get many reactions like that if I was in One Utama. I think it’s the crowd. Oh well.. I was prepared to forgive her for that remark and try not to make it personally. But still I couldn’t help but feel angry to whomever that lady was that said that about my daughter.
But the point is, where has all the civic-minded people gone too? Don’t get me started about motorists. It’s just so sad to see many kiasu and selfish people on the roads these days. And I don’t think I want to touch on that.
Funny how it is these days.
2 comments:
GRRRRRRRRRR...or meowwwww then claw claw???
Good for u Ija for standing up to ur own right. I'd do the same too. I even tapped on anyone's shoulder sitting in front of me in the flight and had his chair lowered too much! No mess mess with manal, ok!
And that leash part,yeah most prolly they never been out of malaysia to the western countries and australia i reckon. And it is not a matter of whether the commentor is married or unmarried. I too will buy that thing and strap it up on my kid yang above 3 years old or so , those who no longer needed to be tucked in the push chair.
Ramadhan kareem to u!
Hi Manal..
Ramadhan Kareem to you too...
It was more like GGGRRRRR...!!! and %$#@&@!!! ... hahahahaha..
Thanks for your views on the leash. Appreciate it.
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