22 June 2010
Another WC night. Poolside this time.
Chen, Hao and myself.
All tables are occupied when we arrive. An extra table is erected for us after some negotiation (by Chen and Hao, while I am busy texting someone on my mobile phone). Ours is next to a table occupied by a local couple, right in front of the main TV screen.
Mosquito zapping lights around us hiss, sizzle, frizzle and crackle throughout the game. Most people don't notice it.
It makes me wonder: What's the purpose of LIFE?
Just a fleeting thought – never mind, watch the game!
Hao takes the seat that's farthest from the screen. Chen offers the best seat to me, the seat that is closest to the centre and, incidentally, closest to our neighbours. I decline, so he sits down, next to the lady, at which point she casts a casual, but friendly glance at us. Chen and I smile back. Hao's eyes are already glued to the box.
Half-way through the match (which is, yes, the all-important showdown between our host country,
“Can you imagine the boredom if you have zero interest in football and yet you have to sit through it with your man, who is totally unaware of your existence, let alone having any form of communication with you, for a good two hours!”
Hao and Chen take a quick, discreet look at her and nod in agreement.
The match ends in a draw. It's not good enough for
(Fast forward...)
23 June 2010
(The following is based on Chen's account.)
The time is 10:30 pm.
Locale: Capital Bar (so named, presumably, because
After a very long day of hard work under suboptimal conditions, Chen feels like letting his (short) hair down, with a drink and a smoke in a noisily relaxing environment, to soak up some vibes that are different from what you would find in an interpreter's booth.
The moment he steps in, he is mobbed... er, by a crowd of gorgeous girls. He finds them friendlier and more diplomatic than their colleagues in, say,
These girls, however, are very buddy-buddy: How are you? How was your day? What's your name? Where are you from? Welcome to
But, alas, there are just too many of them for Chen to cope.
The bar manager (a matronly lady) comes to his rescue. The throng disperses.
At that point, Chen notices a girl who looks vaguely familiar, but he can't quite place her. She is very different from the rest in that she appears distinctly more cultured and reticent, even bashful.
She starts inching her way towards him. Finally, she sits down.
“Do you remember me?”
“Hmm... ah yes, you were sitting next to me by the poolside last night!”
“Yes.”
A conversation ensues. She says that she has a business management degree.
Before too long, the girl decides that their conversation is not getting anywhere, so she asks:
“Who is that slim gentleman sitting next to you last night?”
“Oh, him, he is my boss.”
“Ah, I thought so. I noticed that you offered the best seat to him. Did you deliberately arrange for him to sit next to me?”
“....”
“Well, I also noticed that he was very interested in me the whole time we were watching the football!”
“....”
“Please go tell your boss, please.”
(After regaining consciousness) Chen asks:
“Well, I certainly can do that if I know the price, because he's my boss and I have to get a quote first.”
“100.”
“100 what?”
“100 US dollars.”
“Wow, that's steep!”
“No, it's very reasonable. If your boss goes to
“Okay, okay, what's the lowest you can go down to?”
“Not less than 70.”
“I still think it's too much.”
“If you go tell your boss, I can go down even more.”
********************************************
That's the end of the story.
Hao, quiet until now, queries:
“She didn't ask about me?”
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