People-watch

PEOPLE-WATCH

#1
Place spotted: Novena Square Bus stop
Action (by me): waiting for bus

Sir#1: Lak Pati Singh; Blk 534 Pasir Ris Dr 1 #11-276

Sir #1: As I was waiting for my dreaded ’snail-speed’ bus, there was this man wearing an orange polo tee, a pair of Bermudas, and squeaky-clean white sports shoes at the bus stop as well. The middle age man stopped his bicycle by the bus stand.I thought he looked quite proper-dressed, at least it was not sloppy. With his black waist pouch secured tightly around his waist, he walked towards the garden city’s green waste bin by the side.

I observed his bicycle; the front basket was decorated with a stick with a couple of butterflies, and a hanging butterfly peg- his daughter must have love butterflies. Then, directing my attention back to him, he was searching in the bin, quite obviously for cans; conclude from the observation I have drawn of similar acts in the past. My sympathies goes out to him, then I saw a black garbage bag neatly folded over a cardboard box, placed at the back of his bicycle.

Drawing no positive results (nothing taken out) from the bin at Novena Square (maybe canned drinks are less popular with the office crowd here), he left the bin with a fairly disappointed look that encapsulated the day’s gatherings with a small rummage through his cardboard box, quite clearly that it was fairly empty. He must have been counting how many he had collected. He rode his bicycle away.

There goes a story of another ordinary man, with an ordinary day, but an extraordinary strength to go through another day. I admire and applaud him for his strength. At least, we know that they are there to help recycling in a way or another, and reduce the global warming effect on the earth, just think of the scorching weather nowadays that could ‘literally’ bake me into a biscuit.

#2

Sir #2 : Rajendran s/o Ramasamy; Blk 407 Fajar Rd #04-313

Place spotted: Orchard Road
Action (by me): ‘Floating around aimlessly’ while waiting for my friends
Sir #2: Down the busy and crowded streets of Orchard road, there stood a man who was waiting for the traffic light to turn green, along with the other pedestrians and I.

He was wearing a pinkish shirt, quite neatly ironed, but evidently was dirtied with smudges down the shoulders and back area. The Indian man accompanied his pink shirt with a pair of black matte-like pants and a pair of dirty boots. Behind his trousers, there sticking out the left pocket was a bright orange tool. Giving me some suggestions that he is a construction worker.

He then took out his wallet and opened the ‘notes’ compartment. Seeing insufficient money to maybe give himself a small treat, like an ice cream from one of those ‘ice cream-man’ down Orchard road, he kept his wallet back almost ”very obediently”. Weary as he is, from his expression, he continued his journey back home down the busy Orchard road. Maybe he just has to wait till his construction site’s contractor gives him his pay in a couple of days’ time (it was 30th April when I saw him). Another disappointed look I got, about another man’s life after a long day of work, but another story I got to know of another life. The precious 50 cents ice cream.