People of the Week & Five Cents

“Dad, there’s a gory dead lizard in my room. No one dares to clear it up, do you mind helping me get rid of it tmr?” 

So the above was my SMS to my Dad, so in the afternoon, he came all the way to my room to clear it up for me. And my Mom, she cut her fingers while cutting up vegetables for dinner, but still continued cooking scrumptious dinner for 7 people, and today she made me spaghetti despite being sick.

My parents are awesome, and it’s not just one incident.

My friend Stef from Canada, she was all eager to help me with my assignment. So there you go, I had extra days to work on it, and I’m still far from done.

My friend Benson, I guess he would have been sleeping in hall, but I asked a favour to get help with my lab, and he was alll eager too, and explains well, even though I am far from done again.

My boyfriend Khai Yuen, thinking about me, before, during, and after sleep.

What can I say? I guess I am a very blessed girl. I am very thankful. And I thank God for showing me how great people are. Some love is subtle and sweet. I love my family and friends.

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It’s Not JUST 5-cents, OK?

Ok, you might say that I am easily pissed. But on Monday, I was pissed because my 5-cents was undermined. This incident happened around 730pm. 

I went to 7eleven to get Tapioca chips, the cost was $1.45. So from my wallet, I dug out $1.50. So I am suppose to get 5-cents change right?? But no, the very eloquent 7eleven lady at NTU (the one who prominently greets people with clearly articulated inflections “Welcome to 7eleven”), she stared at me and told me, “Sorry do you have 5 cents? We don’t have 5 cents”. I looked at her with a blank expression surpassing hers. Okay what does she expect me to do? So I am suppose to be gracious like every other student and say, nevermind it’s okay. Because it’s JUST 5-cents right? No big deal right?

She repeated, “Sorry don’t have 5cents”. So a kind girl behind went, “It’s okay. I have 5 cents!” So the 7eleven counter girl was holding on to the 5-cents not knowing what to do with it, she eloquently repeated to me as if I was dumb, “We don’t have 5 cents”. Okok, so now she has 5 cents from the girl, so she can give me 10-cents right? And it’s not my fault that she doesn’t have change for me! Even if she really didn’t have 5 cents, she could have just given me 10 cents in the first place because I am a customer right? And the customer is always right, right?  Shamlessly, she nearly used that girl’s 5 cents for my change? The proper logic should be this: The girl is chipping in 5 cents for me, so 7eleven should give me 10-cents. Don’t tell me they don’t even have ten cents?? Why don’t they just close down and stop operation then?

For gawd’s sake, this is 7eleven with a reputation, not some Mama store and I am sure she has 5-cents somewhere. Too lazy to take out huh? 7eleven is rich, I am sure they can afford 10 cents and not eat my 5 cents up. They like to add 5 cents to everything. E.g. $X.X5 would be the cost of something. Plus they overprice everything. Like I can get almost anything they sell there for wayyy cheaper elsewhere, except for those products unique to 7eleven. Was 7eleven nice to me when I lacked just 5-cents away from purchasing the item? And in the end, I have to see my ten-dollar note split up, and more coins in my wallet? No, 7eleven never pardoned my 5-cents, so why should I let them go for not having 5-cents?

I demand my 5-cents. But due to saving face, I just be the magnanimous person I really am and said “Nevermind”. So I took the 5-cents off her, and gave it back to the girl and said “Thank You”. Now that I think about it, I shouldn’t have said thank you. It’s 7eleven’s fault. They should rectify the problem. But not one word of thanks from her, and not one look of apology.

I am making a big fuss of this because, it is 7eleven, or cheers. Not some Mama store. I would have found it easier to part with my 5-cent in other ways. Not this way.

What would you have done?

Solution:

My sister said that if there was no one around there, she would say “then give me 10 cents”. And even my really non-calculative, magnanimous sister said that.

My boyfriend would have said ”Nevermind”, but after I persued the question, he told me he would have given 7eleven the 5 cents from the girl, taken the 10-cent change from 7eleven, and then give that girl the change. The logic is as such: Either ways I will have to forgo 5-cents, so instead of letting 7eleven have it. Why not let the girl have my 5 cents?

Good call!

Well, I know this commotion may seem trivial and calculative. But even if it’s just five cents. But I feel this is unjust to my 5-cent coin! And what if I am really poor and every cent I save matters alot to me?

What do you guys think? What would you guys do?