My Way Your Way

Courtesy begins with me. Or should I say I must give way be it right or wrong. Let me relate an incident yesterday night after a movie at Downtown East.

Narrow pedestrain walkway. Bicycles parked at the right side taking up more space. Left side blocked with wire mesh because of loose soil. The stretch is long and straight. Loud techno music suddenly blasted from behind. Seems wierd to be a cyclist so I thought it was from a car. Continued walking. Reminder - pedestrian walkway. I turned around to look but only saw a cyclist coming from behind and I still thought the loud music was not from him. I stook my ground and didn't give way because it was my bloody right!!! Then...i felt a nudge from a bicycle handle at my ribs. I moved aside before the cyclist with his girlfriend sitting in the front shoved past and yelled:" DON'T KNOW HOW TO GIVE WAY IS IT????!!! NOT HAPPY CALL POLICE LAH!!! YOUR GRANDFATHER'S ROAD AH? BASKET!!!"

Continued walking. He cycled off onto the road but kept turning back. He stopped at the end where there was an opening. He waited there. Upon reaching where he was, he used his bicycle to block my way and once again opened his mouth:"WALK LAH!!!" Oh sure...of course I just turned left and walked on. He even got his girlfriend to get off the bicycle because he thought that looking for trouble was that easy. I guess only an uneducated MF would do that.

Continued walking. Reached the bus stop. He sped by, braked at where I was, stared at me before finally riding by. So throughout the whole time, there was just one loud voice. He turned off the techno music blasted from the speaker to prove this.

That was it. End of the story. No. No scene except his own was created. In my head were the possibilities that I would've done if I was equally a MF gangster:

Punched him
Push his bike all the way back onto the road and shove it so that he falls
When he rides by, trip him
When he rides by, pull the antenna of the speaker to see it smash into pieces on the ground
When he rides by, give him a good choke and not let go

Yes, I saw all these in my head but No, I didn't execute any of the actions because if I did, I will probably be narrating the incident in court and then to the inmates behind bars.

Thereafter, I was scared. I wondered if he will recognise my face and then later bring his gang to beat me up. I sound like I've been watching too many drama mama shows but well, when it doesn't happen now doesn't mean it won't happen at all. I suppose we've to know not to step on the wrong tail. Sometimes I wish I can just be the guy who just yelled. At least he expresses everything, angrily or arrogantly. Keeping quiet and not wanting to rouse a scene is called being civilised?? Or just not wanting to get into trouble? Which is scarier? Emotional or physical pain? If the guy hit me or I get personal with him by saying his behaviour is usually because he has a low self esteem, lack of confidence, bad childhood or maybe a BAS***D child?

As yesterday's events slowly creep by, I cannot stop but want to help people like that. I never want to believe that they are born this way. I bet nature has everything to do with it. It is sad and this is reality. It is like saying if only everyone has the ability to go to school and receive education and become well bred and good samaritans. Wouldn't the world be a better place? WORLD PEACE!!! Then, where will the odd job labourers comes from? Who will be the rubbish collector? Who will be the road sweepers? Yet we see people rushing for seats on the train. We see people pretending to sleep and taking up the priority seats. When a pregant lady or the elderly comes on board, the priority seats are not given up. Seat warmers and all the inconsiderate selfish mongrels.

With all these sociological differentiations and country's business developments moving a tad too much faster than the people, will we too far behind? If we are not too careful, we might just not be able to catch up and inevitably become a developed and ungracious society.