So last Monday, the 26th of November, my batch, which is the cool and totally awesome 2007 batch, held a goodbye dinner. Because we are graduating. At least, a majority of us are graduating. (where did my life go?) And among the many fun and tear-jerking things that we did that night was an award ceremony, in which we voted for people in certain predetermined categories and guess what? I won the "Book Worm" category by a landslide. My nerd spirit rejoices with this acknowledgement of profound book consumption. Though I think this pretty much shoots down any preconceived notions that I may have had for being, you know, cool. But it's a small part of me anyway. The nerd has really, and truly finally be acknowledged.
So yeah, I got this really cool hot pink sash which mentions my honorary status as resident book worm written in fairly cheap fabric writing ink thingy, and a cheap brooch. We had a limited budget, trust me, I know. I'm part of the committee. In fact I head the freaking dinner committee. In which now, I will gracefully segue into a small rant on punctuality and the amazingly depressing lack there of.
As head of the committee (unofficial head, I stepped in after the previous also randomly elected leader walked out on us because there was some problems with public opinions being too public and opinion-ish) organizing the thingamajig, I had made an announcement that said activities will start at 1830 hours. I had expected, that as would be doctors and all around already grown up and responsible persons, the latest anyone would be was 1845. And I was prepared for it. The worst case scenario was that we would start at maybe 1900 hours.
But woe is me, yet again, I have been proven too naive. The nerd has a very idealistic view on life in where people actually know how to read a clock. By 1900, there were only maybe less than 25 of the confirmed 71 attendees.
Yes. I call this, the unfortunate Malay Syndrome. Where among the things that happen in Malay syndrome is that, when they say that they are "on the way", it actually means that they are on the way to the toilet to get ready. They have not even dressed yet. The three little words that are guaranteed to make me cringe in despair, "On The Way". So, say you have a date, and you're there on time because you actually have a concept of time and said date is not even there yet. You call them, and they say, "Oh, I'm on my way." Or maybe, if said person is a man of few words, will then reply with OTW. Despair, because now you can safely say, that you will die of starvation before said other party is out of their house. I hyperbole you not.
Okay so maybe I'm being too dramatic. But I expected better of my friends. Even my committee minions were late. And that says something.
Also, I tell you, I am the only girl I know who can get ready in less than 10 minutes. I kid you not. Now that I have made that statement, I expect to be beating them back with a stick any day now. But I guess one of the things that I did wrong that day was because I forgot to factor the fact that women, at least, other women who are not me, basically needs a minimal of one and a half hours to get ready.
So yeah, take note.
Actually, I think the worst thing about this lack of punctuality is the fact that everyone expects it. It is a god given fact that any thing organized in this region will never start on time. And everyone expects this. And because they expect this, they will be like "I don't have to be early, it's going to start late anyway. We'll just be wasting our time if we go there early." And because everyone has the same expectation and reaction, they all come late and the ceremony starts late. And they're all smug like, "We said so."
But, what I think nobody realizes is that, when everyone expects and reacts that way, they are actually causing the entire thing to start late. Can you start anything when there are no participants? No. So we have to wait for them. And we wait for them. And we keep on waiting.
And because this is a mass reaction, even the committee expects and reacts the same way, making lateness inevitable. What happens is a vicious cycle of non-punctuality. (inpunctuality? is that even a word?)
It's a problem of behavior. The hardest thing to change.
And with that little note, have this really awesome poster I found at Pangandaran.
It's a poster that advises you to take Kina. An old drug used for Malaria. (We don't really use Kina anymore because of the bad side effects).
i'mma go read a book
akunona
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