Before Yaya was born, my Sunday morning routine involved going to Bangsar for breakfast. The occasion was more like a headcount as to how many of us are still alive after spending the previous two nights drinking and partying. Most of my friends lived around Bangsar and meeting for breakfast was something we never missed. The annai at the Indian restaurant knew us all by our name and used to make the best carrot juice ! ( hangover cure). We sat outside, sipping the carrot juice while promising each other that we will NEVER drink so much again..( to be repeated again the very next Sunday). One such Sunday, a friend was really in a bad shape and needed some pain killers. So we walked to the nearest Pharmacy to find it closed. We sat outside waiting for the shop to open. Meanwhile, we saw this middle aged Chinese lady driving in a Merc SLK coupe going round and round the street where the pharmacy is. Eventually she parked in front of the pharmacy, rolled down the window and asked the matsalleh (white guy) in our group if he knew what time the pharmacy would open. He didn’t know. So she sat in her car and we sat on the floor..waiting.
Soon the discussion started as to why is she desperate for the pharmacy to open. We had various theories!! And we were curious. So even though we were waiting at the shop before her, we let her go in first when the shop opened. ( And she thanked the matsalleh) She marched straight to the pharmacist, opened her hand bag ( very expensive brand) and took out a paper cutting.. She was there to collect a free sample satchet of cosmetic on offer when you buy some magazine. The magazine must have come out that saturday and she wanted to be the first at the shop to collect the free sample because “numbers were limitted”
Obviously, the petrol and the mileage to the car cost a lot more than the sample satchet.. ( and not to mention getting up early to be the first customer) and we all joined forces to mock at her!!
Soon the discussion started as to why is she desperate for the pharmacy to open. We had various theories!! And we were curious. So even though we were waiting at the shop before her, we let her go in first when the shop opened. ( And she thanked the matsalleh) She marched straight to the pharmacist, opened her hand bag ( very expensive brand) and took out a paper cutting.. She was there to collect a free sample satchet of cosmetic on offer when you buy some magazine. The magazine must have come out that saturday and she wanted to be the first at the shop to collect the free sample because “numbers were limitted”
Obviously, the petrol and the mileage to the car cost a lot more than the sample satchet.. ( and not to mention getting up early to be the first customer) and we all joined forces to mock at her!!
Yesterday, Yaya was down with flu and had to stay back home. It isn’t very often I get to spend time with Yaya alone ( she is my first born.. always special), so I took time off from work and picked her up at lunch time to go shopping. ( the word shopping cures her fever faster than panadol). I asked her what she wanted to do and she said she desperately need new books. We had just been to our favourite op shop last saturday and they didn’t have any new books. So we decided to go to the Lifeline op shop ( thrift shop). I parked my car in the car park. There were some people smoking and talking outside the shop. They saw my car..and they snickered, laughed..( exactly how I laughed at the Chinese lady!!)