Morning Adventures in LWN Library!

Currently Playing: I'm A Fool by Letters to Cleo

Really exciting morning today. After a quick breakfast, I made my way up to LWN lib at 825am coz i had heard that the chinamen queue to get in and wanted to see for myself. I was expecting an orderly, long, single file queue snaking down the stairs, probably 10 nerds in line.

Apparently, I forgot an interesting fact from my trip to china recently: chinamen dun queue. they SQUEEZE.

and true enuff, wat i saw literally threw the air out of my lungs. A huge, orgy-like mess of 50-60 chinamen nerds stuffed in front of the lib doors to the stairs. from where i was, i cldn't see a single space in between them. ppl were having trouble not falling off the stairs. it was like a revenge of the nerds class photo. reminded me of those "MPE Class of 200_" photos u see at MAE gen office, except with less balding heads.

bo pian... i had to follow the crowd in coz i was supposed to save a seat for alw. ppl were RUNNING to get tables and cubicles. and as soon as they threw their bags on the table and placed the notes so that every empty seat had its own set of notes, they left, presumably to the canteen for breakfast.

I looked ahead of me and couldn't see an empty seat in sight. remarkable. and I had enuff.

Background:
Earlier in the week i managed to get a cubicle coming into the lib at 8.32am. the table directly behind me had 1 set of notes for every empty chair, no bags, no ppl. i know coz that's where i dumped the china magazines that were left on my cubicle by some inconsiderate chinaman the night before. as i studied, quite a few ppl walked past looking for a seat... couldn't find.

very, very tempted to tell them that the table was empty, but decided not to make trouble 1st. the occupants (chinamen, of coz) came in only at 10am. so within that 1 1/2hrs of their absence, how many ppl did they deprive seats from? if u can't wake up early enuff, too bad. there are ppl who wake up earlier than u but can't find seats. fair?

To set things straight: i have no problems with ppl who chope the three other seats on their table coz their frens are coming. i myself like my studying material spread out on a bigger space so it's easier for me, but of coz i will make way if someone requests. but it is another thing to chope an entirely different table leaving 4 seats empty while others can't even find a seat.

Back to today:
so i looked at the table next to me - 2 sets of notes, 2 files. no bag. that'll do just fine. i set down my bag and newspaper and pushed the notes aside.

the thin red-shirted chinaman in front of me turned ard and stood up, telling me the table was for his frens.

"so where are they now?"

"they are coming, in about five minute."

i gave him a skeptical look. "OK. then i shall sit here until they arrive."

he hurriedly calls someone on the phone and walks off. i flip thru my paper.

a plump chinager with glasses comes soon enuff, offering me a table on the lower floor, as the chinamen want to sit together. i graciously accept her offer. i don't want to sit near chinamen who whisper as loudly as they talk anyway.

she shows me to the new table, i presume she is sensible enuff to speak some sense to.

"you're from... people's republic of china rite?" affirmative reply, of coz.

"look... a lot of u all just chope the whole table with four pieces of paper, when there are people who come earlier than ur frens looking for seats. pls be more considerate next time ok? i'm not being personal or anything here... this is just being selfish. OK?"

she probably got most of it, coz after i came back with my bag, i saw her talking to another chinager, who blurted out "mei you feng du"

well, if u ppl behave liddat, y shd i waste feng du on u?

hmm... apparently, the table i wanted to take was an extra one afterall... since they can exchange it for another, in a different part of the lib. so y do they need a whole extra table? they carry that many notes and text books and dictionaries? can't be selfish or "accidentally inconsiderate" coz they dun use it themselves. maybe they are just out to make studying difficult for non-chinamen so they can continue getting their A's...

note to self: Singaporeans Score!!! *sings* Stand Up For Singapore!! i shall not be bullied in my own country!!