Category: Random

The other day when I was taking cash out of an ATM/cash deposit hybrid, I thought to myself, “What an awesome invention.”

No, it wasn’t the first time I had ever used one in my life, but it made me realize what a great idea it was. People take money out all the time, and people deposit money all the time too. Why not just let the cash swap hands with the machines as the intermediary?

Obviously, this system only works in places where there are enough people depositing enough cash, but in my experience it’s been pretty good so far. Banks don’t have to worry so much about refilling their regular ATMs with cash and people don’t have to worry about not having any cash to withdraw.

A simple but elegant solution to machines not having enough cash at all times. While we slowly progress towards being a cashless society, I’m thankful we have these machines in the meantime.

You know if there’s one thing that I’ve noticed in my life is that a lot of things I used to detest are things I enjoy now.

From the earliest example I can think of – smoking. When I was young, I remember my uncle letting me try a puff of the cigarette he was smoking. What followed was me coughing miserably and spitting out whatever I had put into my mouth (no, cigarette is not euphemism for his cock here). Fast forward to a few years later, when I would accidentally drink a can of ash (I saw an unattended can of Shandy at a party – turns out that people were using it as an ash tray). Also, is it just me or did everybody smoke in their own homes back then? Or did I just grow up around a lot of smokers.

Anyway, for the longest time I wouldn’t touch a cigarette. Every time I was offered one, those experiences I had with smoking would pop up in my head and I’d reject the offer. How I started – that’s another story. But I’ve spent a quarter of my life as a smoker. I also rock a vape and consume the occasional snus.

Spicy food and cilantro. Two more things that I avoided like the plague when I was younger. I had no tolerance for spicy food and I thought cilantro had a terrible scent. I always made sure I didn’t order anything spicy and if my dish was served with cilantro, I’d remove it.

Now – I love them both. Sure, my tolerance for spicy foods still isn’t amazing, but I can at least eat spicy food now. I actually enjoy adding chili to a plate of food that’s bland. Same thing with cilantro. I can even eat it on its own. No idea how it started, but I just started eating them one day for a reason I can’t recall and I’ve been doing it ever since. Not sure if I’ll ever enjoy petai or celery in the future, but we’ll see.

Coffee. I never drank it as a kid (the most I had was Neslo – a blend of Nescafe and Milo) because I thought it was bitter and unappealing. I didn’t understand why my parents, uncles and aunts all enjoyed it.

Now? I drink it more than once a week. Sometimes even daily. My love for the drink started when I had to stay awake for some work and I thought I’d give the drink a shot. Turns out it was something I enjoyed. Initially I had to take it with milk, sugar, or blended with other ingredients. Now I love it black and bitter. Hot or cold depending on the weather.

Pop, folk and electronic music. When I first discovered music, I was very open-minded. I consumed everything the radio had to offer. Then when I found out what I liked, I only listened to songs from that genre. It has been many years since then and now I find myself listening to everything and anything – as long as it catches my attention. I don’t let its genre stop me from checking it out. I remember back then I called all electronic music techno shit. Pop music, ballads and boy bands were for sissies. Not anymore. I can put my mp3 library on shuffle and songs from every kind of artist or genre will pop up. And you know what? That’s what I like.

I still love baked beans and rice, peanut butter sandwiches and cartoons. I doubt I’ll ever stop.

A few weekends ago, I was tasked with approaching some strangers in a mall to get some answers for a survey. While it may seem like nothing to most people, I didn’t find it very easy to do. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone and had my colleague’s help to carry it out. While I had to work up the nerve the approach strangers to ask them the questions, she went in like a pro, approaching crowds left and right with no hesitation. It was interesting watching the immense skill gap between the both of us.
I’m not physically incapable of talking to strangers, but I’m the kind of guy who dislikes being approached by strangers in public. Be it to sell me shit, talk about religion or beg for donations – I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve thought to myself, “I’m glad they came to me!” whenever it happens. For me to put myself in those shoes was immensely difficult.
I’ve had jobs approaching strangers before – but that was as a promoter in a supermarket. Having a product to push and being in a controlled environment made it much easier. It also helped that people would be curious about the stand I was in front of. All I had with me in the mall was a notebook, pen and company name tag.
Anyway, not much to say about that experience except that it was eye-opening for me. I guess we’re all proficient at different things in life, and I’m the kind of guy who’s more comfortable behind the scenes instead of out talking to people on the streets. But it’s a skill I’ll pick up one day, as it’s more beneficial to have than not.