Have just realised that song clip on bloggy is not working due to slight oversight of song-file re-naming. Will amend template in a little while. *haizzz* I can be such a sotong sometimes...
Anywayz, I was down at Beach Road food center this evening and had a "pre-dinner" snack there. As I wasn't very hungry yet, I merely nibbled on some satay whilst accompanying my friend who was feasting on his chicken rice. The touting amongst drink stall owners there was pretty competitive; I was quite taken aback at first. My friend bought sugarcane juice from an Indian stall while I ordered a lychee drink from a Chinese uncle. After receiving our orders, the Chinese ah pek who brought over my drink, confided to us, in the monotonous, broken Malay that all ah-peks use, that the sugarcane juices from that other stall had been diluted with water and thus, weren't genuine. Thankfully, we did not have to listen to his backstabbing for very long as a while later, another ah pek came by and struck a conversation with him.
Of course, for a good ten minutes afterwards, my friend and I scrutinised the suspected "diluted" sugar cane juice very carefully; from its appearance ("Hey~ how come this sugar cane got no foam one har??? Very fishy leh!") and its taste ("Hmmm.. it's a little too sweet???? Hmmmm.." ). Like duh! ~ as if we ought to care so much, rite. Janji ada air untok minom.. Kalau tersedak makan satay (!!!), bolehlah wash it down real quick!! LOL
One lesson learnt though, that where competition is concerned, rules of integrity, sometimes, need not apply. Whether you're cheating your customers by diminishing product quality in order to skimp costs (by diluting sugarcane juices, etc) or by slandering your competitor (taking into account the allegation has no basis) -- It's definitely a dog-eat-dog world out there... Only the fittest will survive.
Later on, after our meal, we were approached by a very, very ancient looking lady, with a painfully hunched back, coarse withery skin and the sweetest smile... who tottered along with a walking stick in one hand and pushing a cart full of keropok-keropok in small plastic bundles with the other. How could I not buy something from her, you tell me?? Well, I was comfortable with just one packet of keropok (which was only two dollars) but she insisted that I take another one at no extra cost because she had already sold alot earlier in the day and was actually making her second round at the food center. Awwwwwww... I was really, really touched by her generosity. I've seen some keropok salesman, especially those door-to-door type, who are in the pink of health and yet still charge ridiculous prices for their wares, and not for charity, mind you. And right there in front me, was an unselfish and amiable specimen of human who, despite her own plight, was determined to eke out a decent and honest living.
These two contrasting incidents, have provided me with serious food for thought. How does one survive in a cutthroat society like Singapore -- and still maintain a sense of civic consciousness and morality? When I really think about it, I feel rather ashamed for wanting more out of this life than what I ought to be content with. But as they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. Or at least, it looks greener... ;)
