Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Day 05: Cold Storage & Tissue Paper

Tarpaued 3 bucks of leftover sushi from cold storage and 1.20 worth of yoghurt for dinner tonight.
Feeling a little lonesome and tired, but it’s nothing some beer and cheesy satellite tv can’t cure. 

I can’t believe that freaking charge you extra 25 cents for chilled drinks. I will never, ever buy chilled drinks from Cold storage here anymore. 25 cents is like 60 over cents okay. Can make 6 minute phone call already, tiu.

I must tell you the strangest thing they do in Singapore. Here, when you want to go makan anywhere, you will inevitably find tissue packets on empty tables. Now, these tissue packets are not litter, neither were they left behind because it’s really cheap in Singapore and people can’t be bothered to remember to take their tissues with them. But it’s a curious system of … table reservations. That’s right. If you see tissue paper packets on tables, do not take it and throw it away. Instead, you need to go and look for another table as those tables with tissue packets are BOOKED. It’s rather strange how the people are generous enough to bother respecting tissue packets and letting it sit there as if it’s a person. Especially in a society as self-absorbed as this, haha. Can anybody explain to me how this came about? I’d be very disappointed if there is no interesting story of history behind this strange phenomenon.

Oh shit. It’s past 12 already, how can that be? It was only 10pm 10 minutes ago man, wtf. Damn. Time passes by too quickly when you’re multitasking and up to your neck with worries.

Goodnight!

16 comments:

  1. It'll be interesting to do an experiment. Invest in 20 tissue packets.. you get the rest. :D

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  2. thts when the kiasuness kicks in

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  3. you update more in singapore than in malaysia, STAY THERE! :P

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  4. I am seaching for some idea to write in my blog... somehow come to your blog. best of luck. Eugene

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  5. Nah, it's just a way of saving seats/tables with something that's a possession but not expensive if lost...

    I really don't see what's kiasu about that...now if someone were saving 5 tables...

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  6. as if tissue packs not pantang enuff, they might resorted to sanitary pads?

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  7. The first time I thought when seeing the tissue packing was "wow even their hawker place is so good, they provide tissue for every table"...until my office mate told me otherwise.

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  8. 'Can anybody explain to me how this came about?'

    It's because the deliberately contaminate the tissue packet with the plague. You can try to eat there, but you'll DIE! :-)

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  9. It makes perfect sense to me. Try go to a hawker center alone, order your food at the stall and then they ask you for your table number.
    You may be too young to know that the system actually worked here in Malaysia years ago in cinemas at small towns. In those days, most of such cinemas had free seating. It was common for patrons of an afternoon show tying handkerchiefs at the back of the seats to reserve seats for their friends coming for the evening show. And believe me, no one removed those handkerchiefs then.

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  10. Holy cow, I'll be starting work there in November as well. This piece of info will come in handy.. :)

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  11. What are the three things that are a must to bring when you go enar by for lunch?

    1) Wallet (Duh!)
    2) Handphone
    3) Tissue

    If you have one hour for lunch, 15 mins to walk (back and forth), 10 mins to find a seat, another 15 min to wait for your food. you be left only 20 mins to eat.

    Imagine you and your collegue took turns to wait will Q-ing for food? Bloody hell 5 mins for the one waiting by the table!

    So with 3 assets with you, which one is the most "safe" for you put as a reserve sign so that both can go for lunch w/o losing the table?

    Actually this usually only happen in CBD areas because lunch time is really pack and it is a culutre there. When i first work around there, i am as amuse as you.

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  12. It's so refreshing to read some honest opinions from a M'sian
    about Singapore. I'm Singaporean, by the way, and I'm laughing out loud about our quirks and dumbass habits!

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  13. missy teo: you've hit the nail on the head. I think it's a wonderful system!

    People who knock it are:

    1) loners who don't have lunch companions
    2) workaholics who dun eat/eat damn late/tapao back to eat at their computers
    3) slackers who eat damn early
    4) idiots who've never tried eating in CBD during peak hour and are just mouthing off e.g. Glenn Ong on Class 95.

    :)

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  14. And if these people who made their "table reservations" with tissues suddenly change their mind while queuing and move elsewhere, will they be courteous enough to pick up their tissues to "free" the table?

    On another note, what if you DO take the table with the tissues. Do they pick a fight a with you?

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  15. hansolo - HAHA!I think some people wont be happy reading tt sia -->(esp my boss)

    blackdove - 1) if they change their mind, they will change their "reservation tag" too, coz this asset cost 30 cents + they need it to reserve another table ma..

    2) They wont pick a fight la - lunch time 1 hr nia, no time to eat le, fight what? somemore Singaporeans are kiasi one

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  16. its the clinical mentality la

    u c ah, in msia, u wait for tat toilet than u muz die die wait tat toilet, any1 who came later than u but wait for other toilet may able to pee wee earlier than u if her toilet open earlier than the toilet u waiting

    but in sg ah, u dun queue in front of 1 toilet, u queue at the entrance of all toilet, so which open 1st u go which 1 la, fair or not

    its in their brain nerve oredy la, u come early u deserve it 1st, ur tissue is on the table means u oredy here n u spot the table 1st, so i came later i cannot throw away ur tissue paper n take ur seat, tats equal to cut queue oredy, n tats jus NOT rite

    summore they so pannai complain, later shout at u how, malu la itu macam

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