I will be the pattern of all patience; I will say nothing.

Happy National Day, my Singaporean friends. While you guys probably got to watch the fireworks and the action on Marina Bay and the National Day pep talk from the National Library (nice change!), I updated a massive spreadsheet only to have the tech guy tell me he changed the format of the tables. Qoo is not a happy monster.

I thought about watching the webcast of the parade, I couldn’t wake up early enough. My patriotism, it seems, only comes into effect during my waking hours.

I was trying to explain what National Day was, but I couldn’t find a good description. It is somewhat like 4th of July, Independance Day, but I guess in our case, it wasn’t really Independance we sought. We just got kicked out of the federation.

Anyway. Funny conversation today at the store. I was showing a young American fella some green tea. He said he liked Dragonwell, and had actually been to the place where they manufacture Dragonwell. I tried to make conversation, and asked if he saw the dragon there, he said, oh well, it’s in Hangzhou (or something).

He then asked me, in Mandarin, no less, “Are you Chinese?”

Something about the way he asked me ticked me off. Also, if you ask it in Mandarin, the question is literally, Are you China person?

I guess I’m not cut out for retail and/or customer care. I spat out (without thinking, as usual) in English, “We don’t all come from China.”

Shocked blank look.

Still, a minute later he left the store with a quarter pound of tea.