Drama at the store

I was standing in line at Forever 21 today, when two African-American girls took their place behind me and started chatting about clothes and stuff.

Several minutes later, one of them (dressed in pink) asked me, "Hey. Were you here before me?"

Either she really wasn't paying attention to whom she was lining up behind, or she assumed I was a timid little Asian who didn't speak English in hopes she could get me out of the line so she could take my spot.

"Yeah, I was here first." I said.

She cocked her eyebrows, "Really?"

"Yes. Really." I replied firmly.

She stared at me for a few seconds, still unbelieving, and shrugged. "Oh."

I didn't like her attitude, but I said nothing further.

Minutes later, she turned to another African American girl behind her (dressed in white) and said, "Bitch, were you talking about me? I'm pretty sure I heard you talking about me."

White's heavily-donned eyes widened and she smiled calmly and replied, "No, I wasn't talking about you."

Pinky laughed but it was obvious she didn't buy it. "Hey, I heard you pretty clearly. You were talking about me. Why don't you just say it to my face?!"

To which White responded, "I wasn't!"

So these strangers bantered for 30 seconds or so until one of them raised her voice and their conversation exploded into an ugly commotion of yelling and verbal abuses.

I quickly paid for my purchases and left, just in time to see White throw her drink at Pinky, but missed and hit the wall behind the counter instead. Brown liquid splashed onto the counter and floor. It was a mess. The sales people looked too stunned to speak. Shoppers were ogling in silence.

*Mr. Security Guard, you should probably come in now.*

Pinky and White were still screaming at each other.

"Well, I am talking to you NOW!" White shouted. She finally stomped out of the store, cursing loudly and flipping Pinky off on her way out. White's boyfriend hurried after her with his head down, probably ashamed of his girlfriend's behavior. I would be, if I were him.

That was honestly the dumbest public argument I've seen. These two girls didn't even know each other and were screaming foul words in the middle of Forever 21, with a large audience around them. All that anger lashing out over a simple matter: Paranoid, egotistical Pinky insisting that White was talking about her, and hot-tempered White letting a stupid misunderstanding tick her off.

What is up with some people these days?

These girls don't belong in the store. They totally belong on Jersey Shore.

Extraordinary

Monday, 12 January 2009.

I awoke to an unpleasant start when my aunt next door rushed into my house and began calling for my mother. She was so noisy. I reached for my phone and saw that the time was only 5.45 am. I noticed that the sky outside was a bright, glowing shade of orange.


Being a little groggy from my sleep, I assumed it was probably sunrise or something. Had the earth tripped on its own axis while spinning? Maybe that was what the whole commotion was about. The bright orange thing in the middle was probably the sun, and the whitish stuff was the clouds. But as I listened carefully, I detected notes of panic from both my aunt and mom in the hall outside. And then I was awake enough to remember that clouds don't look as ferocious as this.

FIRE.

The fire started in one of the factories across my apartment, and it was spreading so wildly that soon, the entire factory was erupting in flames. I could hear explosions even in the safety of my bedroom.

And well, I told my mom that I wanted to go there so I could take pictures. She gaped at me as though I was crazy, but being a typical Malaysian, curiosity got the best of her and she said, "Okay. Five minutes. Go get dressed."

The site was only about five to ten minutes away, but she drove anyway. Who feels enthusiastic to walk all the way at 6 in the morning? There were quite a number of people already gathered there, some taking photos of the scene. The air was filled with excitement, fear and anticipation. I just couldn't wait to take some pictures of the scene. All I cared about were the pictures, and a good story.


From where we stood, I could smell the unpleasant smell of the smoke and feel the intense heat.
The fire brigades arrived not too long after that, followed by several police cars. It was like watching a movie - except this was real. You know what we were missing? Popcorn.

Some curious youngsters ran forward, closer to the burning inferno to have a better look. They got chased away by the police. Some of the bystanders got chased back by the firemen. I got chased back into the car by my mom.

As she drove me home, she said, "Why are you so interested in taking pictures of that?"

I instinctively replied, "It doesn't happen everyday."

When I went back to bed, it was almost 7 am. Before drifting off to sleep, I heard the muffled sounds of the sirens blaring and the amplified voices of policemen shouting orders through their loudspeakers. Realization began to dawn upon me, and I knew what I'm passionate about.
Photography and writing. It was all I actually thought about as I picked up my camera.

So, I'm pretty convinced that I'll go into journalism. I hope that's the right choice.

I woke up late today, and as a result, I was late for my morning class. Lol. On the way home, I stopped by the site just to see the remnants of what was left of that factory. The poor building was scorched and damaged.



Oh well. At least that part of it still remained.