Went for a little walk in new Ang Mo Kio hub, a interchange-business hub, similar or second to Toa Payoh interchange. When I wandered in Breadtalk I suddenly saw a familiar face. Ya, the manager. How come he's here? I thought he should be in Jurong Point's branch.
I didn't know him at all actually, neither do he know me. It was just a minor incident that led me remembered him. That was one early morning, when I still in transition period of IA life, I went to search for breakfast in JP, hoping that Breadtalk had opened. The shop wasn't opened, and I stopped to look inside from far since it was lighted on. He was busy dazzling around to arrange breads. A worker had dropped a bread and he immediated turned red and scolded her very badly. I didn't make any bad assumption of him but instead I was wondering why did he need to be so nervous and pacey?
This time I bought 2 breads, and he was in the counter there to put it into plastic bags. With thunderous speed, he put in the first. With the same speed, he dropped the second. And he was quick to say to me: I would get another one for you. Well, that's fine. Doesn't really matter to me. But it sparked off my thoughts. Why do he need to be so nervous? From my one-sided assumption, he's too eager to manage his shops in perfect arrangement, perfect flow, and leave customer a good image. I have to say that he's indeed a very seroius worker. But is he a good manager? If I linked the two incidents together, it may not suggest so. I think he's too engrossed into manage "things" instead of "humans". Everyone make errors. It would leave me a very good image if he turn humoureous when he dropped the bread, if he kindly remind his worker not to make silly mistake.
Since Breadtalk is not opened so early, now I usually would buy a bun in 24 hours shop near AMK interchange for breakfast. The two female workers are fine, but I had never see them smile when they are selling breakfast. They look serious in getting their maximum sales of breakfast. I could understand it's hard to deal with flowing mass demand, but... Just on the opposite site, there are always 3 person who give away the free "my-paper", and one of them always wear on smiley face. Opposite. Just opposite. It's true everyone has to deal with his/her own stiffing constraints, but it could be done in different ways. It's not to say that I don't like the bun seller, but if there is another shop just besides, employ the happy distributor and selling the same thing, I wouldn't never return back to the original one to buy. Not even pity would drive me to do so. For service sectors, perhaps the most precious value addition is the smile and happiness, which is costless but also priceless.
Perhaps I am too cruel, because I myself feel tired easily too, and always find myself in the struggle of generating happiness. The passion for life is not necessarily provided by happiness, for different people they have different reasons. It could be anger, hatred, frustration, ego, arrogance, greed, pride, competition and blah blah blah. As long as it drives you to live, it counts.
So why do I live for? Perhaps I live to keep my eyes open, as wide as I can, as clear as I can.
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