Eavesdropping


I had my breakfast at Hai-Ma coffee shop this morning. I ordered Pan-Mee and when I was ready to dig in, a conversation from a neighbouring table caught my attention.

       "Have you roamed the New Year Bazaar?"
      "Yes, it was crowded and my family and I bought quite an armful of things."
      "Did you pass by the stinky tofu stall? The dominant smell wafted through the air and many people mistook it for chemical spill !"
      "I read about that in the paper. But it attracted many customers."
      "I won't go for it. There might be faeces in the marinade!"
      "Many roads are closed for the bazaar, and I wonder if all the stall operators are making profit."

I cast a look at the road beyond the stretch of parking lots in front of me and it was a river of congested traffic. On normal days, not that many cars ply along the road.

The conversion then turned to ............
   
        "I made a quick recce of my house in Vista Perdana."
        "Are you happy with the progress?"
        "Kind of. But I heard some grievances on the shoddy work."
        "You meant holl',ow bricks are used? That's quite common nowadays."
        "I don't really mind that. As long as there's a roof over my family."
        "What is the real problem?"
        "Many occupants of Phase One Project griped about cracks in walls."
        "That's too bad. Some people prefer to have their houses dismantled and rebuild new ones with real bricks."
         "My mother-in-law suggested the same thing. But how troublesome."

Cracks in walls? That rang a bell with me. My newly-purchased home has such problem. I've made many complaints but it always takes the contractor ages to come and mend the cracks in my house.

                                        

The hand-made noodles were a little thick, but I liked their springiness. The minced pork was savoury, with a hint of fish sauce. Not bad. The accompaniment, dried chili flakes, added more Zing to the dish.

My long-awaited Teh C finally arrivEd, its aroma insinuating itself into my nose. I lifted the cup to my mouth and took a few sips.

          "I saw James with his Da-Lu Nuyou(girlfriend from China) last week."
         "Is she pretty?"
         "Not my taste actually. Quite voluptuous. Must be his cup of tea."
         "Hehe, wonder how he got to know her."
         "Girls like that are coquettish. Good in bed too!"
         "Heh, the heck with your fantasy!"

 The conversation became more and more Rabelaisian. I stifled a chuckle and swallowed the last of my noodles.







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