people that piss me off and other stories.
written: 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday, May. 16, 2007

"Who's sending you stupid SMSes?" she asked.

"That [qualifier deleted] guy lah!" I answered, on the verge of sheer exasperation. "He sent me something asking how my day was. I hate it when people do that. I hate SMSing; it's damn irritating. It just goes back and forth and back and forth and it doesn't stop. Can die leh!"

When I'm sincerely trying to be friends with someone, he (it's always a guy - no surprises there) induces this great urge in me to unilaterally sever any potential friendship that might happen between us. Why? Why do people get the urge to ask others how their day was via fucking SMS? It's really damn irritating. Given the choice I'd much rather dispense with the whole thing with a short 5-minute phone call.

And why do people whom I really don't know that well and in some cases HAVEN'T SEEN IN OVER A FREAKING YEAR get the urge to tell me things I really don't give a shit about? Seriously, my closest friends don't SMS me every freaking day with random info and things that happened to them or whatever that make me feel obliged to answer when I don't feel like it. But it's rude to ignore an SMS so I always end up answering anyway (unless it's something totally ridiculous, like bugging me when I'm having exams) and then it just goes on and on and on and it drives me insane. Texting on my phone is also a lot more painful than ever, for some strange reason (maybe it's the age; my phone is over 2 years old); therefore, SMSing is pissing me off more than ever now.

The only time when I don't mind it when a guy SMSes me everyday and actually want him to is when the guy in question is a boyfriend. Seeing as I'm currently single and have absolutely no intention of changing the status quo, it follows that guys who text me everyday are doing themselves a huge disfavour.

I should learn to put my foot down. Argh.

**

Taking the MRT to work in the morning is truly an exercise in How to be Patient and Tolerant of Other People's Idiocy. Except I'm neither patient nor tolerant, so if anyone ever runs into me anywhere from Bukit Batok MRT station all the way to the place where I'm interning, don't be surprised if you see me with a murderous expression on my face.

Singaporeans fucking piss me off. They don't understand the concept of "queuing". This morning at Jurong East while standing behind a few people who were obviously queuing for the MRT, I was just thinking how miraculous it was that Singaporeans seem to have finally grasped this seemingly-elusive concept of queuing. A second later, some fucking ugly short and fat middle-aged Chinese woman barged her way past me and parked her fat ugly and short self in front of me. WHAT THE FUCK. To make matters worse, the train from Bukit Batok pulled up at the station and a horde of people alighted to transfer to the train heading for Pasir Ris - which means MORE retards barged past me and inconsiderately, blatantly and shamelessly cut my damn queue.

What the hell is wrong with these people?

And there are some idiots who have this apparent need to plaster their fat greasy bodies against the metal poles - never mind that the MRT is packed to the brim. How do they expect others to maintain their balance with nothing to hold on to? Why do they need to lean against the pole? Do they need it to keep from falling over? Why can't they spare a thought for others?

Also, I think SMRT or whomever can save some money and take away the PA message that reminds passengers to give way to alighting passengers before boarding - because hardly anyone does it. Try alighting from the train at Jurong East at around 6ish and you'll find that you're virtually unable to do so. Singaporeans just BARGE their ways into the MRT as if there weren't anyone trying to alight. They push and shove as if their insignificant, meaningless and pointless lives would end if they don't get on the train.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS STUPID COUNTRY? I honestly don't understand why people don't seem to have the capacity for being considerate. Is it that difficult a concept? Don't cut my queue, don't lean against the pole when there's virtually no standing space in the MRT, and don't block my way when I'm trying to alight. The next time someone does any or all of these things, I'm going to tell him off.

It's ridiculous, this country. At times like these I miss Taipei's civility and civic-consciousness. You won't find idiots standing on the left (they keep right over there) on escalators (not just MRT, but escalators in general - yes, including shopping malls), idiots cutting your queue while waiting for the train, and idiots blocking your way when you're trying to alight. You also probably won't find idiots pretending to be asleep or worse, blatantly not giving a shit and continuing to stay in their seats when there's an old person or pregnant woman standing near them.

I hate self-centred, inconsiderate people. There should be a law against that. It should be a criminal offence. Then I'd happily prosecute all these idiots and send them to jail for being inconsiderate idiots where they can congregate and have a ball of a time being inconsiderate to each other. Taste of one's own medicine - best cure ever.

**

I'm still running into what feels like the entire law school population at Raffles Place. Haha.

I had lunch with Mag and Chloe today. Lovely. We don't meet up enough, really.

On a bum note, my lor mee sucked and it cost a whopping $3.20 and I'm tired of the Banquet. I much prefer that two-storey hawker centre where I bought lunch yesterday for $1.60! I need to spend less on lunch so that I have more money for my daily dose of Starbucks. Ha, ha, ha.

Starbucks isn't like super atas or anything but contrary to what I jokingly said to Chloe this afternoon ("When I become a hot shot lawyer, Starbucks will be totally beneath me. Like, totally.") I freaking love Starbucks. I don't know why. The coffee isn't the best, it's overpriced, they put way too much ice in my iced soy latte; but no matter where I am - except maybe Orchard 'cause it just pisses me off - everytime I walk into a Starbucks I feel at peace with the world.

I'm such a consumerism whore. But yes, I love Starbucks. Coffee Bean can go and die lah.

**

My dad told me that this worker in his factory got hit by this huge-ass machine thing that left a hole - yes, a HOLE - in his thigh.

The first thing I said was, "Dad, he can like sue the company leh."

Then my dad went on to rant about how, when they brought the poor guy to the hospital, the fucked up doctor simply wrapped up the wound, told him go back to the hospital on June 20-something, and sent him back.

To that I said, "He can totally sue the hospital/doctor!"

Dad ranted some more about how unprofessional and disgustingly irresponsible the doctor was.

To that I said, "Wait, he can sue the company if the company does nothing and the injury gets worse, 'cause that would mean the company didn't take reasonable steps to alleviate his suffering (or whatever lah)!"

Dad ranted some more and it was only then that I said, "Yeah, the hospital is damn shit lah."

My dad works in Johor Bahru. The worker was taken to some public hospital, also in Johor Bahru. To say I'm disgusted and even outraged by how the matter was "dealt with" is an understatement.

Despite that, the first few things I thought of were who the worker could sue. How disturbing. Actually I don't even know if he could sue the company for the injury, and I don't know either what duty an employer owes to his employee, if any. It seems logical that an employer owes some duty to his employee. It's probably contractual. But I have no idea. That's even more disturbing.

They should bring the dude to Singapore. I can't imagine any doctor reckless enough to send a guy with a garish injury away without properly treating him. Can anyone say 'medical negligence'?

Speaking of which, I was just thinking that I should start making friends with doctors. I need people to give name cards to in the future. But then again they're starting some settlement or whatever thingy for medical negligence cases. Oh well.

I should tell my dad to threaten the incompetent doctor that "treated" the poor worker with a medical negligence lawsuit...but I don't know how to say that in Chinese. That is just pathetic.

**

Work was non-existent this morning, until the boss found time to see me about the contract thingy at 11.45 a.m. It turned out that the clause I drafted incorporated way too much and I misuderstood what the client wanted. I would attribute 50% of that to myself and the rest of it to the client's shoddy English. Oops.

So he got me to amend the reply and after that I had nothing else to do. I came back late from lunch to a message from K saying that she was going to court, to which I responded by jetting over to her side and grilling her for details.

Therefore, this afternoon K and I followed HY and HJ to the Sub Courts where there was much waiting around and even more amusing entertainment from the lawyers who were also waiting around. K got to witness this infamously weird-ass lawyer at work and I got to hear about it second-hand. The said infamously weird-ass lawyer took about ten million years in the judge's chambers which simultaneously amused and annoyed the lawyers waiting outside.

Going to court is fun when you don't actually have to do the work, or do anything at all, for that matter. It's so entertaining just watching these people interact with each other, listening to their conversations, and thinking how it's all really so similar to law school. I can't imagine how anyone can survive sitting in an office all day long with nothing but a blank computer to stare at.

Having said that, watching HY bent over her huge luggage of files and making frantic phonecalls back to the office about a missing file, speed-reading files she's never seen before which she has to settle on her colleagues' behalf, among other things, is also rather sobering. Like, there's actual work to be done and bosses and clients to answer to. How scary, right? I wonder how she does it. ("You do it by doing it." - Sir Jack Pitman in Julian Barnes' England, England. Haha.)

Okay, so this is a really long entry. It's been a really long day. And I have a problem to solve this Friday.

How fun and exciting.

I'm swearing off guys until I'm able to deal with them without feeling pissed off, panicky, crowded, like I want to run away, or any or part of or all of the above.

I think my life is fucking with me when I think of how the only other non-Christian guy who can actually speak real English that I know is my ex-boyfriend. The other one is my best guy friend. This means I'm never getting married.

Lastly, I saw a lawyer who looked scarily like Lawrence while waiting to go into chambers. I almost said, "Lawrence!" And since I was staring at him strangely which he saw because he was looking at me staring at him strangely, I randomly told him, "You look like my friend. Um, that was random."

Okay, whatever. Thankfully HY and I were on our way out. Later on when we went back to wait some more I pretended to be fascinated by my shoes while he was on his way out.

HAHAHA. Totally embarrassing.

**

Edited to add:

Blake's second and third performances were awesome. I absolutely HATE Maroon 5's This Love but I totally loved his version of it, and that unknown Robin Thicke song with Beethoven's symphony in the background was just...awesome. I thought he'd go with You Give Love a Bad Name for the last song but he didn't and that's awesome.

I luv Blake. <3

before sunrise // before sunset

Previously:
- - Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017
I'm moving. - Sunday, Jul. 11, 2010
In all honesty - Tuesday, Jul. 06, 2010
What I want for my birthday... - Sunday, Jul. 04, 2010
On Roger's behalf. - Friday, Jul. 02, 2010