Sunday, September 19, 2010

你“赢”了!

I'm simply amazed... when I visited the EXPO 2 weeks ago. Amazed in the mentality and the behaviour of some of the locals.

In fact, I always think twice before I decided to make a trip to China. No, not because I'm anti-Chinese... but I simply could understand and quite get use to the local culture. Each time I was there, I would be 'shocked' by at least one encounter... haha... the recent official trip was not spared either.

I'm a Chinese, by ethic group. But I think the environment shapes the way I think, I behave... and maybe because of this, seeing the "Chinese" behaving differently from what I do... I still find it hard (or maybe I need more time) to accept "their way".

This time, it's the World Expo, which is a world class showcase.

That reminded me what MM Lee said in the documentary about Singapore, transforming Singaporeans into WORLD CLASS Citizens!

It's not easy to have citizens to behave "world class"... But I applaud the Chinese's effort in puttng up reminders all over the place in the EXPO, and having security guards, policemen stationed at the very popular pavilions (with lots of long queues) to enforce order.




Yes, there are queues... But I'm simply amazed by the fact that the locals would still squeeze their way through... not "like" but definitely in "nobody's business" way! Basic courtesy? NO! NO! NO! They look out for every single chance to slip through a tiny gap!

My worst experience was definitely the almost 4-hour queue to the Japan Pavilion. See the picture below... the one with red fan, the one in green shirt, and the one at the bottom left corner). They 'made' their way before along the way... well, really had no idea where they were when I started the queue... those are typical queue-jumpers who were not ashame of their behaviour. Another observation: Such behaviour does not apply to the older generation, but the young ones too... as young as school children.
Just wondering... what does one gain out of jumping the queue. We would still enter the area together. So, just one step before... Great deal???? Hm... I guess, it matters for those who are really kiasu... (ok... now, you see "kiasu" does not just apply to us!)
Indeed, the best part was the one with red fan had her bag pushed against the one in green. In return, the one in green gave her a fierce look and scolded her for hurting her. Hahaha... 五十步,笑百步 I guess both deserve it... Well, mind you, the green one, you also pushed your way through... Anyway, it gave the impression (or further reinforce the impression) that those with a loud voice wins! Haha... the unreasonable beings!
Of course, there's one more thing that clearly distinguishes the locals from the rest... indeed, there were many times more locals than the rest... their voice... haha... the whole world heard what they say, and they were so used to 'throwing' their voice across... ahahaha... "Human" thunders! Talk about "not noising" (see photo above).... oh! How do they measure the 'success'? I wonder...
Here's another common sight in many pavilions... getting their EXPO passports stamped. Order? No, no, no... but the 'stamping' exercise becomes the key thing people would normally go for... and worst still, they rushed and put up a few "passports" at a go to be stamped. What'st he point of 争先恐后?Hey, hey... focus! What's the purpose of visiting the pavilion!? I wonder... or to many, it's the "到此一游"stamp is more important? Hm...

Be Gracious. Be Courteous.

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