Going to save the heavy stuff for another time, and just blog about one thought today. you know sometimes when you're eating at a hawker centre or food court (or more rarely, at a fast food place), there will be a middle-aged to elderly person who approaches you, trying to sell you tissue paper at a really jacked-up price? i wonder about arguments for and against entertaining them. on one hand, i think it's illegal to approach people like that without a license or permit. not to mention that like i mentioned before, most people (myself included) don't really appreciate being approached by strangers when they're minding their own business.
but then, i find myself feeling kind of sympathetic for them. i can't imagine that it's easy to go around asking others for money. and although i'm not like super rich, i'm not going to miss a dollar here or there that much, which puts me in a position to help them. so i should, right? while my instinct tells me yes, a little part of me still wants to be suspicious. different people value face differently, after all. while i might not be willing to ask strangers for money, that doesn't mean others will be as reserved. it is a way to get money with relatively little effort and a high profit margin, after all. but that could also be because i have never been driven to their level of desperation.
one thing does kind of make me uncomfortable, though, and that is that these people tend to be so persistent! like, they'll come up and ask once. while i'm thinking about it, they'll just keep going on and on, stuff like "it's only a dollar...please help..." it really puts me off. of course, i understand why they do it...to make themselves look more in need of help, and thus improve their odds of getting a sale. i don't know. i still don't like the idea of giving cash. maybe what i can do next time is buy them a drink or something.
should probably go back to bed for a quick nap/rest while i can. after missing lab today, i should go in really early tomorrow (like 5:00am kind of early) to make up. still have to run 2 columns and check a few reactions. with any luck, i'll have the compound by this week, if not next.
but then, i find myself feeling kind of sympathetic for them. i can't imagine that it's easy to go around asking others for money. and although i'm not like super rich, i'm not going to miss a dollar here or there that much, which puts me in a position to help them. so i should, right? while my instinct tells me yes, a little part of me still wants to be suspicious. different people value face differently, after all. while i might not be willing to ask strangers for money, that doesn't mean others will be as reserved. it is a way to get money with relatively little effort and a high profit margin, after all. but that could also be because i have never been driven to their level of desperation.
one thing does kind of make me uncomfortable, though, and that is that these people tend to be so persistent! like, they'll come up and ask once. while i'm thinking about it, they'll just keep going on and on, stuff like "it's only a dollar...please help..." it really puts me off. of course, i understand why they do it...to make themselves look more in need of help, and thus improve their odds of getting a sale. i don't know. i still don't like the idea of giving cash. maybe what i can do next time is buy them a drink or something.
should probably go back to bed for a quick nap/rest while i can. after missing lab today, i should go in really early tomorrow (like 5:00am kind of early) to make up. still have to run 2 columns and check a few reactions. with any luck, i'll have the compound by this week, if not next.
-random thought of the day: Is it hard to open up to people?-
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