Thursday, November 11, 2010

Fast vs slow

頭先放工坐電梯嘅時候, 去到某一層, 電梯門打開了, 但冇人入電梯喎, 咁我就好順手快快按 "關門"掣 (因為電梯成日開左都冇人入內), 在門已經關左一半之際, 聽電梯外有外國人大聲說話嘅聲音, 咁我就即刻按番個 "開門"掣.....果然, 一個外國男人入電梯。


佢一入內(當時電梯只有我同佢兩個人), 就話, "Hong Kong... fast, fast, things are always fast." 攪到我幾唔好意思...我當時真係見唔到有人 (因為每層樓有成四部電梯, 成一字形排, 呢個人當時企左係離開我坐部電梯好遠下), 咁我咪好無聊, 笑笑口, 然後話, "yea, things are fast in Hong Kong." 聽佢咁講, 我以為佢係來香港做野嘅生意人, 咪隨口問佢, "You're not from Hong Kong?" (佢唔好以為我對佢有意思囉, 哈哈哈), 點知佢用廣東話說, "廿四能!".....


乜鬼"廿四能!"呀?? 唔知佢講乜鬼...原來佢想話 "24年"!  聽死人!


冇錯, 香港人真係乜都快過人.....但其實我都唔算係心急成日乜都要快嘅人喇。上次同我一齊去澳門玩嘅朋友, 佢真係一個好心急嘅人, 同佢去親食野, 坐低叫左野食, 成日都話咁耐未黎; 等車等多一陣又話咁耐.... 我都忍唔住開口開佢, "點解你成日都話快d?  你好似好心急咁?"  佢都認佢可能工作關系, 令到佢變得好冇耐性。


當見識過外國人悠閑嘅速度, 再回頭睇番香港, 就會發覺, 香港樣樣野真係速度驚人架!


我試過在英國嘅銀行排隊, 成間銀行只開2個counters咁大把!  我前面只要兩個人排隊, 照理唔會等好耐啫, 但我等左成15分鐘都唔止!  其中一個人, 攞5英鎊都排隊, 仲要同個職員係咁傾計, 簡直離譜!!!  傾計等冇客人先傾餐飽啦大佬!


另一個婆婆, 係來銀行儲錢, 但佢竟然攞左一大袋碎銀出來 (成大堆 1penny, 5 pence, 真係發神經!), 仲要銀行嘅職員一路慢慢數錢, 一路仲可以同阿婆婆傾計囉!!!!! 


在呢個時候, 我可以做嘅, 就係: 慢慢等!  唔知大家有冇試過, 在外國, 千祈咪叫人 (例如waiters, 售貨員) 快d, 唔會有效果的!! 


日積月累之下, 忍耐力應該可以培養而達到最高境界的, 哈哈哈!


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This evening, as usual, I took the elevator and left the building after I finished work.  I was the only one in the elevator and when it went down to one floor, the door opened, but nobody was coming in, so "by basic instinct", I quickly pressed the "door close" button. When the door was half closed, I heard a loud voice of a foreign man (obviously he was trying to get into the elevator), so I immediately pressed the "door open" button for him to come in.


As soon as he came into the elevator, he laughed and said, "Hong Kong... fast, fast, things are always fast.". He has made me so embarrassd, so I said sorry and tried to explain that I didn't see anybody outside (we have four elevators on each floor, and they are lined in a row so he was probably at that time standing somewhere which was far from my elevator).  Out of curiosity (and I got the feeling he wasn't living in HK), I asked him, "You're not from Hong Kong?" (I wish he didn't think I was interested in him, hahaha).  Out of my expectation, he replied me in Cantonese (in which I didn't quite catch what he was trying to say). Anyway, he said he has been in HK for 24 years!  24 years!! Wow.  I wonder why he still hasn't got used to the fast pace of life here in HK.


Nevertheless, what that man said carries much truth!  Most of people in HK are fast - and it seems we can't bear any minutes of waiting.  I think I'm already the kind of persons who are not running a very fast pace of life.  The friend who went to Macau together for holiday last month is a very impatient person. She always complains food wasn't coming fast enough; the buses didn't come quickly and so on.... Finally, I said to her, "Why are you always saying "quick, quick, quick"?  We haven't actually waited for too long yet."  And she then admitted she was an impatient person and didn't like having to wait. 


Maybe many people are simply too used to the fast way of life of HK.  Have some trips in some foreign countries and you will have some very different and valuable experience.


My experience: I was waiting in a line at a bank for some service in the UK.  On that day, only two counters were open and there were two customers in front of me in the line. One old guy was trying to draw some money (5 pounds ONLY).  I wanted so much to teach him to use the ATM machine instead, lol. What's worse is that he seemed to know the bank officer very well that they kept talking and talking at the counter!  Then there was another old lady.  She came to the bank to deposit money.  She brought with her a bag of coins to deposit!!  Mamma mia!  I bet there were more than 200 or 300 coins - some of them were even 1 penny or 5 pence!!  Well, the bank officer was so patient and she was counting all the coins slowly on one hand, and talking to the old lady in a leisure way on another hand! 


At that time, what I could do was: wait, and wait.  Don't dare to complain, becoz it wouldn't make much difference... haha.


I guess.... a person can definitely train himself/herself to be more tolerant and more patient, especially when he or she finds that apart from being tolerant and patient, there's nothing else which can be done.  Hahaha


3 comments:

  1. I totally agree with you. People in HK even love to travel to different countries in very few days, like 5 destinations in just 6 days, that's amazing, lol
    [版主回覆11/12/2010 21:56:00]I don't understand either why some people do so - they're not enjoying their holiday - they're even busier and more stressed than staying in HK and going to work ! 

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  2. 我同男朋友係歐洲旅行時, 佢係會覺得歐洲人跟到香港人速度喎. 例如我地仲有一個鐘先夠鐘搭火車, 佢會覺得可以坐低食個飯先, 我阻止佢, 一個鐘, 我地食得切, 都要人地serve得切先得! 過左好多次佢都係唔多明點解會唔夠時間...
    [版主回覆11/15/2010 19:03:00]一個鐘頭如果食快餐都可以, 在餐廳食實唔夠時間, 哈哈哈! 加上如果叫佢地快d, 佢地只會叫你等陣啦...吹都冇用 !! 

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  3. Ta, finally I started to update my blog setting.  I hope I will have some spirits to write something different soon.  I agree what you said.  But sometimes I wonder if they know what they are rushing for? Like my workmate, she is 65 and she joined the Europe tour last year.  It's 8 days trip with 10 countries.  When I heard of that kind of tour, I just wish she will not get heart attrack for rushing train or plane.    Sometimes we have to slow down our life and enjoy the steps. 
    [版主回覆11/15/2010 22:42:00]Wow great, Pavito!!  So I can visit your blog more often .  For some time, I stopped updating my blog, but after a while, I found that it's still the best way for me to share my feelings and interesting experience with my friends.  I hope you always have the spirit to write things and share with us all .  10 countries in 8 days? This is totally out of our minds how those people can and want to travel this way.  I wonder why people have to rush to see so many countries in so few days? The purpose of traveling is supposingly to widen our horizons and experience foreign cultures, but 10 countries in 8 days only means spending most of the time on the plane and coach bus/train.  I agree with you - sometimes we shall slow down our pace, relax and enjoy our life in a more leisurely way.  That's what life should be, hee hee..

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