Kiasu or desperate? 

3rd August 2003 10:53pm

            Lying on my bed on the train now.. its a six-bed cabin... me sleeping on one of the top cabins... not bad lar.. they even provide pillow case and bedsheets one leh.. aniwae the train is delayed for 50mins and probably wun leave the station until an hour later

            We were having our breakfast at the camper-hostel this morning.. me 打包 3 buns with ham and cheese... as we were one of the earliest at the cafe.. after abt 10 minutes i realised alot of food have disappeared.. so we went back to the table and ask my frens how much food they took.. the gal took 5 buns and the guy took 7!! .. dunno why, but i was really disgusted when i found out.. den i juz told that we shld be more discrete lar.. want to kop oso dun be too 过分 lar...

            the thought of kiasu-ism in Singaporeans struck my mind.. i din intend to take a lot of food lor.. even though we are taking a overnite train tonite and probably wun have any breakfast tom morn.. but i juz thought i juz take enuff for today... but my frens they all like packing for a feww days lidat.. kaoz.. i was quite disgusted initially..  but den during the whole breakfast, we din speak much after wat i said.. i was tinking to myself.. r we really kiasu or is it the circumstances under which we are in now, forces us to be so.. we wanna save money and hence, desperate in a sense cos we have to eat..

An Iraqi in Sweden..

            Just now, juz before boarding the train, i went out of the train station to breathe some fresh air.. we have been stoning in the station for about 2+ hours liao ...cos we got nowhere to go as today is a Sunday and shops close at around 5pm..

            I was taking a photo of a church at a road junction.. den got a man spoke to me.. he is speaking a mixture of Swedish and English.. he said hi to me, ask me where i am from and  why am i here.. apparently he is from Iraq (!!) and he have been staying in Sweden for 6 years liao.. he's quite a friendly man lar.. i even took a picture with him.. but after i got conned, i am rather skeptical about strangers.. den he mentioned about getting something from Macdonalds and started to ask me if i got any money to spare him.. tink thats wat he is saying lar.. cos i dun really understand the Swedish he was speaking.. den suddenly, panic struck me as i am afraid he might pick my pocket or something.. but den again, i really have no money with me liao..cos i spent my last Swedish crowns on some Snickers bars which will be my breakfast tom morn.. i had 2 and a half crowns left.. so i took out my wallet and showed him my empty wallet.. i offered him my 2 crowns but he rejected it anywae.. in the end, he gave me a hug and shook my hand before he left ... den i hurried back into the station... pondering over wat juz happened..

            hmm.. Sweden is quite a friendly country with friendly, helpful people.. but as in everywhere else in the world, there are definitely some 骇群之马 like the conmen.. but for the iraqi.. i dunno whether is he a bad guy or not lar.. but i guess its quite sad to have ppl in the streets asking for money juz lidat lor.. if they basking with some performance and stuff, den its a different thing... but asking for money juz lidat.. hmm.. i dunno lar..