Polyclinics

Haven't been to a polyclinic since I was like..10?? That was when I moved from my first home to my second. Both in the west. Before I was 10, whenever I was sick, my parents would bring me to the polyclinic in Clementi, the one that's now the Big Bookshop I think. I remember the smell in the polyclinic. The same one I smelt today at the polyclinic in CCK. I also remember the looong, loooong waits...and the general sickly feeling of the place. Plain, almost dingy...spartan.

Didn't quite expect what I saw today. New, rather pleasant..organised. There was a reception, pre-registration counter, registration counter, consultation area, pharmacy, hospital referral counter....really organised. Everything was labelled and clear, systematic. Even the approximate waiting times were given, updated ones.. Call me a mountain tortoise but I was rather impressed.

It also felt really good when I simply flashed my civil service card and the cashier immediately waived my bill of $14.50. Heh.

So, when I stopped going to polyclinics, was that like, an upgrade?? Did I become too uppity to wait like the normal folks? Was it simply cos of time? I'd like to think that... It surely made a difference paying nothing, compared to paying an average of 35 bucks... But would I go there again? The average wait time when I got there was 2 hrs 30min...when I left 45 min later (my dad's sick too, he helped me get a number way in advance...heh) the wait time was more than 3 hrs...

So are there 'invisible' hierarchies in our society? Have I unwittingly upgraded myself or elevated myself into the next 'rung'? You'll probably say I'm thinking too much, huh?

Coffeeshops and such

And I don't mean the branded KOPITIAMs... the average non-airconditioned ones with surrounding shops selling stuff like chinese medicine, cheap tees, ABC stores, and the likes of such... Stuff that perhaps some hoity-toity folks would turn up their noses at.

It all felt so new..and yet so familiar...I think I kinda missed all these things. I remember trudging past all these stores when I was much younger, being dragged from shop to shop while my grandma or maid shopped for groceries. Now, everything I need to get I get from shopping centres..like JP or IMM you know? Where everything I feel I could need is gathered all under one comfortable roof...one that wouldn't let water in to drown my legs or something. And yet, I miss those other things. Yes, yes..I'm one contradictory creature. And in a way, I feel sad, knowing that one day all these things/places would probably cease to exist, and the younger generations would never know what used to be.

I bought only 2 things there today. First, I ta-pao-ed some noodles for lunch, then I bought some liang teh for me and my dad. (It was quite uncanny that the doctors prescribed almost exactly the same meds for both of us..the exception being that he was given an additional thing..Vit C) At both shops where I made my purchases, I was struck by how friendly and caring the two shopkeepers were. I've almost forgotten what that feels like. For the longest time, almost all the interaction I've had when buying stuff was impersonal, you know? Few are truly concerned about you as a person. I mean, afterall, we're strangers right? But the lady at the noodle shop was all smiles and cordial, even if all I was buying was a packet of $2.50 noodles. No grumbling, black face...no "I'm-so-busy-I've-no-time-for-you" vibes...even my request for some soup was met with a smile and cheerful acquiescence. The lady at the medical hall was sooo motherly, I loved it! Ha. After I made my purchase, she pointed at the sky, reminding me in motherly mandarin not to get myself wet with rain because it might make me feel worse...a simple gesture...but at that point of time, I was really touched.

Is it only people in CCK/Teck Whye who are nice???

Geez.