Baddy + Superhero = Peace

This Friday night (or Saturday morning rather), my respect for my boss grew significantly. I won't look at him again in the same way. A wee boy (wee means little, commonly used Scot'ish word) like myself would never have dared tug thug X on the shirt out of Peniwok. Our wee Chinese Takeaway is popular among many citizens of Penicuik, a wee city south of Edinburgh - young & old, drunk & not drunk.

Okay, tonight, as I was doing my job taking orders from this man called thug X (not his real name of course; he looked like one of those typical bad guys you see on television; bald, muscley, with a murderer's eyes; in fact he resembles the wrestling star Stonecold Steve Austen), idiot A (possibly drunk) started to take a flower pot off the window sill and act stupid. Thug X was not happy and grunted at him, hence the idiot, like an obedient boy being reprimanded by a schoolteacher, obediently put the flower pot back and went to sit down quietly whilst waiting for his Chips+Curry in a Long Tray (this is so popular among Penicuik teens). Before I could return thug X his £3.60 change, he had returned his attention to idiot A, confronting him centimetres away, grunting away again in his anger.

A fight seemed inevitable at that point. I was contemplating whether to say 'Please take it outside' or 'Stop or I'll call the police!' 'Please don't fight' seemed as useful as 'Do you want BBQ sauce with your Chips and Curry?' I kept silent, fearing the worst - getting a blow to my face seemed likely, given that thug X is unreasonable, hence his name. Instead, I decided to shout for help from my boss, the manager of the shop. Whenever problems arose, he was my first port of call. Problems range from wrong orders to complicated customers with complicated orders. Tonight, this was a new problem for me, but not for my boss.

By the time my boss arrived at the scene of pre-murder, at least 5 punches had been punched at each other's faces. Unsurprisingly, thug X had started throwing his fist first. Idiot A had naturally fought back. His friend Boy B (not quite an idiot), in Idiot A's defense, tried to pull them apart and got a horrid blow on the face as well. The situation began to look hopeless, and it looked like the only way their fight would end would be in old-fashion style - loser(s) dies. Diplomacy was out of the question. Bodies were thrown all over the room, and the shop counter almost went. My boss took control. He seized the baddy thug X by his stinkin' shirt and dragged him forcefully, slowly but surely out of the shop, while the thug's limbs were intertwined around Boy B's neck, with Idiot A stuck in between. I suddenly remembered what my Shukokai Karate coach said about real fights - they don't look as stylish as what we see in the movies.

A couple who witnessed the entire row then caught my attention, 'Ah where were we, honey, what do you want to eat tonight?' 'My love, shall we try Chicken Chow Mien and Singapore Fried Rice?' They were talking to each other of course, not me.

I was so relieved that my boss returned unscathed into the shop. What a brave man!...I thought.

'It's like get'ing away with murder' (Scottish accent: say mur ther sounding like two separate words) is a typical Scottish expression, I think - I've heard at least one Scot say it. Well, tonight came close to it. Phew! Feels good to be on the peaceful good side. Oh, I did not manage to finish reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe from The Chronicles of Narnia tonight. The shop was too busy - with emotion and commotion. Grow up boys! And we weren't even in a bar.

Stay tuned to see what happened to them... and the £3.60 change!

A brand new blog.

it's 3.49am.
Insomnia strikes. Why? It's a holiday, of course.

Why start blogging? I have been inspired by Juls' blog! His blog is captivating, interesting, and at the same time, immensely funny. Juls is the most musically gifted person I've ever met, my role model, a wonderful leader of college. Not to forget, Jace was one who infected me with her unfailing enthusiasm for blogging! Coolness is http://www.xanga.com/jacinthagong

Times have gone by. College life in 2004 was amazing. I met many of my best friends I have ever known for my 17 years of life. It was a life-changing experience, truly. I finally learned of self-esteem after having fallen into a vicious pit of anti-social behaviour in F4 and F5, where everyday was a huge challenge. During those last two years of high school, I had few friends, and a simple Hello was hard to come by. College was where I finally felt I was of some value to my surroundings. That was all I ever wanted for a long time. I felt I was a changed person. Today, Concord memories often play in my mind, reminding me of the good ol' times. The past is the past, and I must move on. We all must.

Edinburgh University. Med school is not easy. Quoting one of Audrey's emails, 'Studying pre-clinical is like doing 50 GCSEs. The intellectual level of work is no higher, but there is lots and lots of it. Keep it simple when revising.' How true. Auds, I should have listened! Nevermind about this semester, I will start revising earlier, work harder next semester. If I don't, there's always the next semester... or the next...

...meanwhile, the ice-skating rink in the park along Princes Street is awaiting me. The other day, a poor lady fell on her bump, and when she successfully managed to get back on her feet (or iceskates) after many frantic attempts, there were two unequal sized wet blotches on her blue jeans. Not that I was staring, but it was hilarious. Bun and I found it hard to stop laughing. I hope the same fate won't await me though...