Today was supposed to be uneventful, and in many ways it was - except for one interesting experience. Cheekily, I’d say it boosted my ego and it was certainly a huge contrast compared to what happened yesterday. Let me share a little more, starting with the uneventful ones.
- Warm Experiences. I visited the Bedok South hawker centre today for lunch and realised that I had not eaten pork porridge for quite a while. Thankfully the stall was open and the owner’s wife was there taking orders as usual. I paid using my government-issued vouchers. The thing about these vouchers is that most shops do not give change, so we often have to combine them with cash or digital payments to make up the exact amount. But this stall allows me to pay more than the item cost and will give me the change in cash. Such arrangement works very well for me because the coffee stall I usually go to accepts only cash. After getting my porridge, I went to the coffee stall to order my usual caffein fix. The coffee uncle (actually he’s about my age) is so used to my order that he asked his staff to prepare it even before I said anything - kopi-o kosong, mai ka muah (black coffee, no sugar, not too full/ partially filled). This has been my usual order since many years ago as I wanted to limit my coffee intake. I was surprise he remembered my order as I had not visited his stall for months! These small interactions reminded me how stall owners recognise their regulars and remember their usual orders, and such simple familiarity brings much warmth to the experience. I’m thankful for these small, everyday connections.
- CDC Vouchers. I’m also thankful for the vouchers issued under the CDC Vouchers Scheme. These are given to households as a way of providing support and the amount vary every year. Over the past few years, households have received hundreds of dollars annually for reasons that had evolved since the scheme started: initially to help offset the 1% GST increase, and later to cushion the impact of rising living costs due to inflation post-COVID, etc. These vouchers can be used at neighbourhood hawker stalls and heartland shops or supermarkets and is also a mean to help these neighbour businesses sustain themselves. On average, the amount given to me each year translates to free lunches for almost 4 - 5 months in real terms. So today’s lunch was one small reminder of how such policies quietly support everyday living. As a freelancer, I am grateful for this scheme.
- An unexpected ego boost. Yesterday, someone - not particularly young - offered me his seat on the MRT, which created my "happy yet WTF" moment. "WTF" cos it probably bruised my ego (heh heh...). Today I had another experience that, cheekily speaking, gave my ego a small boost instead. You see, after lunch, I went to a shopping centre to window shop and visited the toilet. As I was at the urinal, I noticed someone - probably in his late 30s - washing his hands at the basin and beoing (looking at/ cruising) me through the mirror. The next thing I knew, he came over and stood at the urinal next to me. That was a little unusual, since most people would leave an empty space between urinals. As he stood there, he kept glancing at me - up and “down”. The signals were obvious. But I didn’t respond and left. He then followed me out and walked quickly ahead of me towards the next toilet, turning his head frequently - quite obviously inviting me to follow him... Ok, shan't go into details. Suffice to day, nothing happened. But his behaviour clearly suggested that he was keen in some toilet fun. It has been ages since I experienced such “invite”, and I must admit it gave my ego a little boost. I’m thankful for this moment in what was otherwise a simple day.
So yes, that was my day. It would have been rather routine had it not been for that small episode at the shopping centre. Reflecting, it was funny how the most ordinary days like today can provide such small, warm and amusing moments - a familiar hawker stall, a coffee uncle who remembers my order, and an unexpected encounter that, admittedly stirred me a bit down there... Heh... and for all these moments on an otherwise routine day, I am grateful. And oh, I just realised today is Friday, the 13th. Ok, that's a little random!
:-)
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