Musings

Andrew and I were walking to the bus stop near Kota Raya, after meeting up with Meng Lee and Vee Han for lunch. I spotted a little makeshift biscuit stall selling all sorts of classic goodies like siew pao and biskut telinga. The stall was basically a flimsy wooden table set up what looked like the entrance to a backalley. A typical slimy KL drain ran in between the legs of the table. The stall was ran by a little old Chinese lady who sat on a stool by the drain, gazing serenely at the busy KL street. I picked up a packet of biskut telinga and handed RM2 to her. She smiled sincerely (you can tell that as the smile didn't just stop at her mouth. Her eyes were 'smiling' as well), and commented in Mandarin that he (Andrew) was quite good looking. Heh. She must have thought that he was my boyfriend. :P And then we continued on to Kota Raya and subsequently hopped on a bus back to Subang.

The point of all this is that Andrew pointed out something interesting about the old lady. You know how you see some poor soul sitting by the roadside, living in squalor and relative hardship? Most of us would feel pity for them. But as for the old lady, she exuded an air of serenity. She smiled happily and looked as if she was exactly where she wanted to be in life. It was difficult to pity such a person. Many of us will spend a lifetime chasing our dreams and needs, our greedy desires. Let's say we do achieve them. How many of us would be satisfied? It's a vicious cycle that keeps on turning. I wish I could be like her one day. And I don't mean selling biskut telinga by the roadside. Hopefully when the time comes, I can be at peace with myself and my life.