It’s Not Right: Staffs Looking Down on Customers

I heard this story from a friend. This friend always accompanies his grandma on most of her shopping sprees. One time, they went to a tiangge (bazaar) and were happily examining the different products displayed in one stall. The staff, thinking that the grandma was poor, muttered to herself, “I don’t think they’d buy anything.” I have seen this grandma and there is no way she looks close to a beggar. The comment is loud enough for the duo to hear. Offended, the grandma angrily told the owner of the store that she would buy everything in that stall on one condition – the owner had to sack that impolite staff.

I’ve also experienced this kind of unfair treatment in some stores. I’m always in t-shirt and jeans, but when I enter a more “high-end” store, some staffs would cross their arms and look at me with a huge frown on their faces. But when I did buy something, they would totally transform into friendly, respectful staffs that they were expected to be.  In some occasions that I did dress up, these staffs would always greet me even without my buying anything.

I think staffs are supposed to “serve” their customers. They shouldn’t judge their customers based on their appearance. More importantly, they shouldn’t offend them.

Facebook Shares: A Musician in a Subway

Joshua Bell

This story has been in circulation since 2007 or 2008. But it was only several days ago that I’ve read this amazing story on Facebook (the wonders of Facebook). Read on before I let slip something. :P

In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After about four minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.
About four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
At ten minutes, a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
At forty-five minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After one hour:He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.
This experiment raised several questions:In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?If so, do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made… How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?"

This has been verified by snopes.com as true. I will not forget Joshua Bell’s story and its powerful message. Let’s appreciate life despite our busy schedule.

It’s Not Right: Blocking People’s Access to Public Amenities

the little girl trying to wash her hands as a woman applies lipstick

Every time I go to public toilets, there would always be women fixing up in front of the sinks. What’s worse is they would not let other people wash their hands even if they’re not using the sink. Saying “excuse me” wouldn’t do the trick. I had to be in an uncomfortable position to reach the faucet. Even seeing me having a hard time won’t even make these ladies move. I really hate these types of women and I would love to just wipe my dirty hands on them LOL.

The next time I go to public toilets, I will make sure that I don’t block people’s access to these public amenities that are supposed to be for everyone.

The Little Girl’s Sentiments on Valentine’s Day

Today is one of the most awaited days of the year. Ironically, this is also the most feared day to a lot of people. Back in my high school and college days, girls who carry flower bouquets in Loves Day are the coolest, the prettiest, and the most envied creatures in school. Girls who haven’t received anything feel especially ugly on this day.

In this new world with Facebook and Twitter, Hearts Day seems to be tenfold worse than in the past. After I logged into my account tonight, a lot of my female friends had already posted pictures of flowers they’ve got from their special someone. My male friends, on the other hand, had broadcasted their love to their girl on their walls. Sadly, I also see some friends who are very transparent about their misery. I feel bad for them. I wish that they’ll finally meet their other half, or that they’d realize that whoever is beside them now is already enough for them.

To my readers, you don’t know me personally. You’ve never seen my face. And I’m a very private person. But I will reveal one thing about myself. I’ve never been in a relationship in my entire life. A few years from now, I’ll be 30. I admit that I had my share of these pessimistic feelings that my lonely fb friends have. So this Valentine’s day, other than spending this special day with my family, I have no flowers, no chocolates, and no three magical words to look forward to LOL.

However, to make this day extra special, I want to tell this to myself (and to the world) before the clock strikes 12:

The little girl may not be the prettiest, the most talented, and the sexiest girl on earth. But my family loves me. Okay, but they’re my own blood, so it’s not really something to brag about. I’ll revise. But my friends love me. Even my pets love me (oh really?). It means that they see something in me. It means there’s something to love about me. I’ll remember my strengths (even if I don’t exactly know them) and I won’t let this cold month put me down!

To my prince (if God would really give me one):

You’re the luckiest man on earth. I just can’t explain why. :)

To everyone who’s reading this:

I wish you not just a day, but an eternity of happiness, warmth, and love. :) 

Happy Hearts Day! <3

A Taiwanese Actor’s Accident in Ramada Hotel, South Korea

Last month, a Taiwanese actor (郭子乾) had gotten second degree burns on his legs after being spilled boiling water on his lower body. He was in South Korea’s Ramada Hotel during a vacation with his family. As he was pouring water from the hotel’s water kettle, its base fell off and boiling water spilled on him. He was rushed to the hospital immediately after the incident.

It was the first time I heard of such incidents. Water kettle’s base falling off? Never would I have thought of such things happening. The hotel didn’t want to take responsibility for this accident, and the actor greatly resented it.  Honestly, I don’t blame the actor for demanding actions from the hotel. It was him, afterall, who had burns on his body. However, I’m not sure if the hotel should be blamed either. It never happened to anyone before (or at least to my best knowledge).

Two things I’ve learned here – 1. be careful when pouring hot water in your cup and 2. high-end hotels can never guarantee your safety.

It’s Not Right: Making Fun of Other People’s Wastes

Note: This is the first entry of my “it’s not right” series. It is about the negative things I see people do. My blog has always been cheerful and positive; however, this is not about my whines or pessimism about the human nature. To me, writing these will serve as a reminder to myself so I won’t commit the same mistakes to other people. I want to become the best little girl that I can be. Hopefully, some people will also find my posts helpful.:) I will use the tag “it’s not right” for this type of post.



I was in a fastfood chain, having my lunch before going home. Since I had drunk a lot of fluids, I had to go to the toilet to pee. When I entered the toilet, it was dirty and stinky. I didn’t want to go in, but I had to commute for another 30 minutes or so before I could reach home. So in I went. I went into the cleanest cubicle I could find.

As I was peeing inside, a group of girls came in. They stopped chatting when they got in. I think the pungent smell had made them stop. After the pause, they said “obvious!” almost in unison. They said it loud enough for me to hear. I didn’t understand what they meant. When I was finally done, I got out and passed by these girls. They looked meaningfully at me then at each other as they giggled.

When I was back to my table, I realized what they meant. They said “obvious!” because it was obvious that I was the one who produced the foul-smelling odour that had spread in the toilet. It wasn’t fair! :(

First, it was already stinky before I stepped into the empty toilet. Someone must have dropped the bomb before I got in. Second, defecating is a human nature. You can’t laugh at someone because they had upset their stomach and had no choice but to do their business in a dirty public toilet. Unless their wastes have sweet-smelling odour, these students have no right to make fun of other people’s waste. Grrrr…

Toy Story Invasion at Harbour City

In my previous post “Toy Story in Hong Kong!”, I mentioned that I’d go to Hong Kong during the Christmas vacation. As promised, here are the pictures that I took at Harbour City. I really had this blog in mind as I was snapping these photos!

This is at the Ocean Terminal, along the Victoria Harbour. It was difficult to take a photo since people were everywhere. We had to wait before we could pose in front of our favourite characters.

Woody, the protagonist of the Toy Story movies.

An exact statue (but much bigger) can also be seen at Hong Kong Disneyland’s Toy Story Land.

Jessie, the brave cowgirl.

The annoying yet irresistible green Squeeze Toy Aliens!

If you have watched Toy Story 3, you’d know why they’re so endearing. :D

Inside the mall, there was a huge Christmas tree made of these cute aliens!

I hope I had one of these.

There was also Hamm (the pig), Rex (the dinosaur), and Bullseye (the horse). I apologize to their fans for not being able to take their pictures. Buzz Lightyear wasn’t there though.

My short trip to Harbour City was fun. I felt like a kid. :)

Facebook Shares: Short Speech by Coca-Cola's Former CEO

Just the other day, I came across this photo on Facebook. I’d like to share it here since I love the mesage so much. The speech is made by Bryan Dyson, former CEO of Coca-Cola. Take a few minutes to read it.:)