Treat The Elders With Respect

Was in Klang last weekend, to attend a colleague's wedding dinner in Pulau Ketam which also coincides with my working trip in HQ on Monday. So basically, there's no transportation cost for my trip for the wedding dinner, thanks for the ISO thingy. It was a very interesting experience...

First time:

a) having early wedding dinner, at 5.45pm.

b) attending wedding dinner in Pulau Ketam.

c) taking boat to and from a wedding dinner.

d) different dish altogether for a wedding dinner, yummy too!

It's a trip worth the experience I will say. You bet I slept like a log the whole night. True enough, I woke up early the next morning for a jogging session. I have to start somewhere since Penang Bridge Run is only a month away.

Sad to say that I only lasted 12 min, not enough determination I guess. That's why I must force myself to kick start my jogging session. I walked around the park, which is quite huge and when it got so sunny, I decided to jog for another 5 min before I stopped again.

When I jog, I don't really like to stop and then continue jogging. I'd rather do the running one short, as in if I stop jogging, there won't be anymore jogging afterwards. In this case, it's different since I jogged for such a short time and it was sunny.

Just when I was about to finish my round around the park, from afar I saw an old lady in a wheelchair, holding a hat in front of her face, against the sun. I was wondering where was her caretaker. She couldn't be possibly wanting a sun-bathing experience at that hour since she is holding the hat.

A turn to the right told me that her maid actually had the gut to leave the old lady by the sidewalk there, chatting with a maid from another house. I was intending to ask the old lady if she wanted me to push her to a shady area.

Instead, when I was approaching her, she spoke out first: 'Useless maid... really useless'... Enough said, I don't even have to do anything. The maid rushed to the old lady upon seeing a stranger (me) approaching the old lady. I just said: 'Panas tau' and walked away.

But when I turned around to check on the old lady's condition again, I really felt like throwing my shoe over to the maid. She changed the wheelchair direction so that it's no longer hot but she was still standing by the sidewalk, talking to the other maid in the other house.

My God, don't you have a conscience, letting an old lady sitting there, waiting for you to finish your chat? Well, of course I wasn't in her position, so I wouldn't know why would the maid even do that, but at least I'd learnt enough Pendidikan Moral and I always have a strong sense of respect for the elders.

I may not talk much to the elders but I know enough respect not to cause any inconvenience to them. They have served their years to their children and younger generation well and deserve a better treatment.

So to those who have ever thought of hiring a maid or even sending the elders to the old folk home, do consider their feelings beforehand. Even if you really have to do that, do remember to check on their conditions from time to time. You wouldn't want to end up like that in your coming golden years...