everyone learns the magic words when they learn how to talk - please, thank you, sorry & excuse me. as a kid, these words come as easy as abc. but as you age (supposedly older & wiser), you forget its existence.......... and the irony of it is, the ability to utter these simple words diminishes not only as one ages but also as one reaches a higher level of seniority.
scene 1 - you are queuing up to pay at the cashier. she is scanning the items as you wait patiently. another customer bumps you to join the queue, pushes her items past yours to the cashier. it's like you are invisible. no excuse me. you say 'excuse me, i am not done here'. she looks you down. no sorry. the cashier is embarrased. you turn to the cashier and say 'some people are just so rude, aren't they?'. woman turns red but doesn't say a thing.
scene 2 - your hands are full with bags filled with groceries. as you walk into the lift lobby, a cleaner sweeping the floors rushes to help you press the button in the lift to your floor. a simple terima kasih & she is smiling from ear to ear.
scene 3 - a child does something nice for his parents, is it beneath them to say xie xie nie?
scene 4 - you are working late in the office. in rushing home, you left your empty coffee mug on your desk & think of washing it the next day. the next morning you come in, your mug is all washed & clean in the pantry. do u say nandri to the tea-lady?
scene 5 - a senior officer in the company, your subordinates or peers point out something to you that can help you with your work. is it beneath you to say thank you? they say a simple thank you is motivation enough for the staffs & a little goes a long way. (but jangan asyik thank you, great job, well done jer lah....increment bonus tetap wajib no???)
so there, if you have forgotten the magic words, go take a refreshers course......
ps. this post is dedicated to ju, whom i have only this to say 'tiang kayu, tiang letrik'
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