Others' Behavior

Watching the way some people behave can sometimes be disconcerting, but who are we to judge or comment?

Bad Toilet Manners

Yet again another encounter of bad toilet manners today. Here's a notice I've placed above the toilet bowl for the user.

Toilet Manners

This is a regular sight in the toilets of office building at level three of The Synergy, International Business Park (IBP) @ Jurong East.


Welcome to Singapore!

Here's where the civilized and the not so civilized stay together!

Could it be the user has forgotten to clear his stuff after doing business?

Unfortunately, this is not the worst of sights! There are days where the bowls are overflowing with waste spilling off.

Totally disgusting!

Onboard the Bus

The back of the shuttle bus was empty but the front was crowded. Stuck at the entrance, I had no choice but to relentlessly push my way to the back saying out loud "excuse me, excuse me."

The culprit was a guy with an oversized backpack probably housing a laptop and other stuff standing half way in the middle of bus at the exit door. A few passengers and I have to stare at him while I continue to say "excuse me" and added "I am going to the back" before the guy took down his bag to let the passengers move to the rear.

As a constant practitioner wishing to encourage and push people to put into practice acts of social etiquette, I sometimes find it really difficult to forbear such inconsiderate acts.

May all of us, especially those carrying backpacks, always remember we are not alone in our own world and pay attention to the needs of others!

People I Avoid

Three groups of people I always try to avoid or overtake, especially when in a rush, running late, or in a crowd.

First, people with gadgets. These are the people who are on mobile phones, listening to mp3/4 players, playing Sony p2p gamer, or the likes.

Second, people with prams, trolleys, or children.

Third, people of a particular ethnic group with cultural practices that tend to be oblivious to people around them and seemingly always blocking others from moving forward.

I may sound like one who is being critical or harboring prejudices, but it is the truth and the facts of my life. For me, avoiding or overtaking them not only guarantees earlier arrival at destinations, but also ensures time saved with faster pace, that is, as a pedestrian on the walkways, minus hazards from bicycles.

Intolerable Agitation

I am an attention grabber, not because I am handsome or a hunk, but because I get agitated with inconsiderate people blocking everyone's way in train, bus, shopping mall and on the streets, agitated enough to express it in action of hurried gesture and frustration with ever growing impatience.

I know this is not good for my heart, especially when I have recently been admitted to hospital for irregular heartbeat. Yes, my agitation and impatience have taken their toll on me. With my desire to always be considerate and to put others first before me, I have expected too much of others to do likewise, and in this, I have been constantly disappointed to the point of agitation.

It appears I am one who does not know how to take things easy, and with the high expectation I set for myself, I have been miserably mistaken and over confident to expect the general mankind to recipocrate. All I learn daily is that rather than responding in kind, people take advantage and become even more inconsiderate. To give in to their abuse however is pushing me to the limit, and I am breaking down, not knowing how to enjoy or live my life while I am still here on earth.

Life is full of disappointments, and it is too much to expect much from others. Maybe I should care less and behave like the inconsiderates, but then it is against all I hold fast to and believe in, and I cannot, because not only is it against my principles, but it is just not me.

Teach me, therefore, O Lord, to stay calm in the midst of agitation, not expect too much of others, and to live life peaceably in co-existence with people of different cultures and different behavior.

Bringing Up Parents

"To teach graciousness to children, begin with their parents."

An example of parents needing parenting:

A father goes to the supermarket and place his trolley in the middle of a passageway with child in the trolley. He then begins teaching his child by pointing to things in the supermart saying, "This is an apple, that is an orange, the other is ..."

This 'anecdote' happened at the NTUC FairPrice Sembawang supermarket in the morning today. The passageway totally blocked, and other shoppers were unable to get through. The stares from the people at the father did not help, because the parent was totally oblivious to surroundings, because his world is the child, not earth.

For help on being gracious, read 'Learning to be Graceful'. For a biblical perspective of building graciousness, read 'Gracefully Yours'.