People Watch
SPECIMEN 1.
Subject: (rather old, probably in her 50’s) Caucasion Lady
Possible Name: Nina Adams
Possible Residence: A Condominium at Bukit Timah
Place: MacCafe at Lido
Time: Tea Time
Fashion: Sleeveless white top, Beige 3/4 Skirt, White sandals
Consuming: A (????) struddle, caramel frap
Alibi: A caucasion man, probably her husband
Report: The lady seems to be very comfortable when her husband is around. They talk normally and did not seem to be bothered by people (mainly teenagers) who were walking past their table. At times, she would hold her husband’s hand and smile as he talks to her. Other times when they are just sitting down, sipping their drinks and eating their (???) struddle, she would turn and look down at other people walking in and out of Tang’s. When her husband went to get the newspaper from the newstand and she was alone, she took out her mobile phone for a moment to fiddle around with it and then made a phone call. After that, she went back on to look at people walking past her. I wonder if she was people watching as I was or if she was just staring into space. Whatever it is, when her husband came back, the mobile phone was back into her skirt pocket and she took her husband’s hand as he was flipping the papers.
SPECIMEN 2.
Subject: A Chinese Young Lady (Maybe in her late teens, or early 20’s)
Possible Name: Joan Chan Mei Ling
Possible Residence: A private house at Ang Mo Kio/Bishan
Place: MacCafe at Lido
Time: Tea Time
Fashion: A halter top, Denim mini skirt, Glittery slippers, half of her hair chopstick-ed.
Consuming: A cafe latte
Alibi: None
Report: The entire time I was watching her, she was alone. She came to the smoking area, looked around for a while, and settled at the table next to mine (and my cousin’s). Drank her latte with the healthier sugar (Equal brand, the diabetic’s choice) while listening to her iPod Nano (black) and texting on her cell phone (Nokia N70, message alert tone: Cassie’s Me and You). While waiting for a reply on her cell phone, she plays around on her iPod, looks around and smokes a Viceroy Menthol Light. I think she’s the type of girl who gets what she wants and goes clubbing every Saturday night and sometimes on Ladies’ Night if her friends asked her to. After half an hour, she finishes her latte, calls (or pretending to call) someone on her phone and then walks away, turning back after a few steps to see if she had left anything behind.
HOW THEY MIGHT HAVE INTERACTED.
Nina and her husband sits at one of the tables at the Non-Smoking Area at the café and then they start to talk about everything under the sun. The conversation picks up and then suddenly, a cloud of smoke flies above them, polluting the air around them. Nina turns around and sees a Chinese girl smoking at the table behind them. Particular about second-hand smoking, she goes over to the girl’s table to remind her that that particular area is a non-smoking area.
“Excuse me, this is a non-smoking area,” says Nina as she points to the red sign saying, well, Non-Smoking Area. Seeing that the girl cannot hear her because she is listening to her iPod, Nina taps on her shoulder and the girl’s shoulders jerks a little bit due to shock.
“Yes?” Joan asks, sounding completely innocent as she looks up to the Caucasian woman that stands before her.
“This is a non-smoking area, Miss. Do you mind putting that cigarette out or moving to the smoking area instead?” Nina asks politely.
Looking at Nina in her sandals and her very relaxed outfit, Joan replies, “Well, this is Orchard Road. Would you kindly head to Takashimaya and dress up a little?” At that, she puts her cigarette in her mouth and blows the smoke into Nina’s face.
“That was unnecessary, Miss. I just want to point out to you that this is a non-smoking area. If you wish to smoke, there is the smoking area up there,” says Nina, who is a little less patient by this time.
“I’ll smoke wherever I want to. Are you part of the management of this café?” Joan questions Nina as if challenging her to get into a verbal fight that she is sure that she will win.
“No, I am not. But I think that you are a young lady who is smart enough to read that big red sign which says ‘Non-Smoking Area’ and have eyes good enough to see that there are empty seats up there for you to smoke your lungs silly,” Nina answers, her hands now become fists.
“Well, I’m almost done anyway,” says Joan in a sing-song voice as she stubs out her cigarette at the bottom of her seat. “I won’t pollute the air you’re breathing anymore, ma’am. Happy?”
And at that, Joan gathers her stuff, gets up from her seat and walks away, leaving Nina stunned at what had just happened.
