Just got home from my weekly badminton games, got my shower and am snacking away at what I would deem a 'light' dinner (by my standards). Just a burger and a few nuggets. My colleagues would probably be screaming blasphemy at this and I bet they'd (predictably) respond with "Where're the other TWO burgers?". *sigh* Well, I'm happy with my meal right now.
Tiring weekend, it was. Saturday was the most tiring day I've had in a while. Had to drive to and from Sitiawan (Perak) for a cousin's wedding. Being the 'appointed' driver (felt more like slavery), I also had to drive my aunt back to KL on our way back. All in all, that was 600+ km in a day... and all on my expense. I actually didn't mind the trip itself; I just hate the driving part. Unlike my sis, I don't enjoy driving. I absolutely *hate* it when I'm driving alone! Which is why I really don't mind driving if there's company. But long distance is still a no-no UNLESS it was my idea or I'm eager to head somewhere. *cough* holiday *cough* =Þ
Today was pretty eventless aside from the huge amount of catching up I needed to do for a freelance project and preps for a product demo on Monday. Having lost my Saturday, unday sure felt like it was speeding past me unnoticed. I did encounter one moment of revelation close to lunch hour, when I was out in town sending mom to wherever she needed to go to do whatever she needed to do... Yup! Thats my standard Sunday morning schedule. Anyway, it went like this:
We were headed to a florist, but the shop was on the other side of the road (They're ALWAYS on the other side of the road!) and we needed to make this redundant turnabout. While stuck in queue at the turnabout, I happened to notice this elderly man pedalling his mobile drink stall towards the town. He was old, no doubt, and the load was definitely heavy. His pace was slow, and you could just feel the effort needed by looking at him. I was somewhat... inspired. It's rare to see such diligence and drive for survival. Sure, ppl would say it was just a drinks stall... but I'll argue that for that man, that stall could be his only means of survival. You don't even know whether he has a family he can depend on... what more a family that he alone may need to feed? I don't know why but that few seconds of observation triggered severe neurological activity in my head.
Well, that's just the intro :P I still had to take the turnabout, which means I was sure to pass the elderly guy again. Which I did, btw, but he wasn't cycling anymore by then. He had the unfortunate mishap of probably going over a pothole or something (I'm guessing) coz half of his stuff were on the road. He was picking them all up as I passed.
Our stop was quite a distance away. While mom does her purchases, I usually sit it out in the car. This time, I was distracted. I was seriously compelled to go give assistance to the old chap. I could barely get a glimpse of him from the rear-view mirror, but I tried anyway. I only got half the distance before he managed to get back on-the-road. Well, couldn't be a good samaritan today... but then I also managed to observe the harsh reality of our generation (or younger?).
It was close to the heart of town, and many people frequent the area. There were at least 2 groups of healthy, young human beings (notice I'm not using the generic 'people' term) who happened to pass the old man... just like how I passed him earlier, but they were on foot. The disappointing thing was no one BOTHERED to even offer the guy a hand. Heck, from my vantage point, I could SEE them looking at him the same way the average M'sian stares at anything remotely intriguing (mind you, the M'sian definition of 'intriguing' seriously needs reconsideration). Some things don't need thought... everyone keeps mentioning that we M'sians are a caring society. I will admit that there are several occasions I've seen this 'care' that gets proudly lauded about, but I've seen more instances of the exact opposite. You see it in the public transport services, you see it at banks.. heck, anywhere there's a crowd! True, some ppl actually DO have a thought crossing their minds to actually help, but for some odd reason... they won't act upon it.
As I was saying, it doesn't take much thought, if any at all. Maybe I'm blowing it out of proportions, and maybe I was just disappointed I couldn't get to the old-timer in time to help him... I still think it was heartless for them to not even offer.
And all that thought... just from observing a complete stranger and the microscopic events that revolved specifically around him in what would be an inconsequential ordeal over the macroscopic bustle of the town.
Ok, I'm at my last Chicken Tenders =Þ Time to get back to work, hehe.
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