Him:Hello... Is that you Adi?
Me: grunting(just woke up from sleep)
Him: Do you know that you are supposed to work this morning?
Me: Yeah.. But changed already. Now I'm in rota 4. So tonight then i work.
Him:Who tell you to change rota?
Me:I don't know. Somebody call me yesterday. Told me that I'm in rota 4.
Him: Who?
Me:I don't know!! I think a Chinese paramedic or somebody told me.
Him: Who???
Me:I don't even know!!
Him: If you don't know who, you better come work now! Because you are supposed to be working today, morning shift.
Me: Fine then. I come work now.
Him: You know what time is it already now?
Me:(paused and then) I don't know. All I know is that I'm supposed to switch with the Chinese new medic. He is supposed to be working now.
Him: Really? I'll check. (pause)
Me: He's working now right?
Him: Ok...What shit else he say, i can't remember because I just put down the phone, knowing that the extraneous complication is resolved.
One, why would a medic call me using the office phone to inform me that I've changed to Rota 4 for no apparent reason? That's why I don't bother to find out my source, who was it that informed me. And again, that previous day I was awoken by the very informative call.
Two, don't they have an occurrence book??? If there is any changes, shouldn't it be in that book? Why the hell then do they come up with an occurrence book? For show? It's there for a reason, shortie.
Anyway, does the previous conversation sounds like I'm a racist? Maybe I lack the vocabulary to properly describe the persons involved. Because I don't even know who the new medics are that have been drafted in last Friday. All I know is that there is a new Chinese medic in Rota 4, not of his name or anything. And there's 3 new medics, 2 are Malays and 1 is Chinese. So, I thought the word Chinese might help pinpoint him to the correct new medic.
As for the phrase "chinese paramedic", I can't even recall his voice, I don't even know who he was. If I say male paramedic, do you think it will help? Or will I be labeled instead as a sexist? I think not. Sue me for being wrong because he was not a paramedic. It was a medic by the name of Kenny. I didn't talk much with him and he talked quite professionally. So, blame me for not recognising his voice and thinking he's a paramedic.
Yesterday, he sounded me out over the phone. And this morning, he gave me a full blast of what he believes I need. First, about yesterday, over the phone incident, he told me the importance of verifying who said what. And only paramedics have the right to inform others of these type of changes. I covered Kenny's ass by telling him that it's on Affandi's order that he called me instead. And Said called again to double confirm it. So, fine. I scored a point and he still wants to argue on. Sorry for deflating your ego but I can't have you accusing around.
The next point he wanna argue is by telling me that he is already biased against me when I came to station due to my face-offs with him during my hospital medic times, I presume. I just said "I know" which even ticked him off to rattle on. I argued my points and reasoning diplomatically and he tried to follow suit from which I can see he's struggling to control his words. Fast and sharp. That's how he is. Me? I'm just calm with all those sarcastic smiles. Irritating? I know. I laid out all my reasons for him to believe. It's up to him whether to believe me or not. All other paramedics think I'm good enough a hospital medic, why him the anomaly? Unless the rest have been giving plastic smiles and fake words-of-praise all these times. Which is a far reaching thought. But it's still possible, having seen how plastic some paramedics can be.
With me having rest my case and showing my flaws, he don't know what else to fight on that basis. So, he moved on to the next one. My MCs. He told me that I've raked up 6 days worth of MC. Which I totally denied. Cos I knew I only took a one time 5-day MC. And he said he'll check again. And I told him he should! Cos if it's really 6 days, it need to be reevaluated again. And he told me not to play soccer if I can't really take care of myself. Truth to be told, it was actually skateboarding that injured me. Knowing it's a bad name to those shallow people like him, I lied and said it was soccer. I told him that I could take care of myself.
Injuries are part and parcel of sports. It's a question of timing. For me, it was a bad timing as it was only my first month in station. And seriously, I've never been this badly injured due to skateboarding. Even that fall from 11 steps at Bt Batok skatepark hurt me only a while. And that was like at least 3m high. This fall was just about 2m high from a railing. Just a question of my landing. Which really twisted my arm. Forgive me for injuring myself that day and for informing late about it. I didn't know the standard procedure. I've given my word that I will take better care of myself. Which is true even till now.
So why the hell need you to repeat it again? And still need to remind me about my old MCs during my hospital medic time. Ok fine, maybe I 'keng' once or twice. But I got food poisoning and dehydration for 2 of that days and another 2 for eye infection. Another 2 for having flu, fever, cough and sore throats all rolled into one. Sue me for being weak. That's one of the reasons I quitted on ERS. I knew my body will not be able to stand up to it. My internals are a bit haywired. And it's far more important than my physical attributes. Physically, you can throw me against the wall and I can still stand up and fight. That's the benefit of skateboarding. It makes you immune to pain.
When he ask all the questions with "You know or not?", I guessed he wasn't looking for "I know" as an answer. More of a rhetorical question. And when I answered with "I know" to most of his questions, I guessed I pissed him too much unintentionally. Which is weird. Cos I think he want to piss me off in the first place. Why else would a person in the right frame of mine proudly declare that he's bias against me? Scare me? Trying to piss me off more likely. Sadly, it doesn't have any resounding effect on me. And him being on the receiving end instead. What a laugh..
And why is racism the title instead? Cos it's an important event that really piss me of about human nature. Last night, while on night shift, it was just me and Affandi. I'm on standby for 433 till 9pm. He opened the topic on a friendly term. He asked me why I said the taboo word. The 'Chinese' word. I told him my reasons. He just nodded. Don't know if he accept it. He told me instead that
HIM misinterpret my words as me being racist. How Affandi knows? Cos Hazlina was told by the man himself. And last night, she was in the office before going home with Affandi before I entered. I guess the topic was to tell Affandi what's going on. And then Affandi told me. Interesting! Words can get back to me in a day. I wonder who else receive that news. Knowing people, I'm sure they will sensationalize on the racist and Chinese part to even bother telling the whole story.
And me wanting to mend things, I broached the topic with
HIM after he told me off this morning. I was feeling cocky, you see. He just tried to ignore the subject. Talked bad about someone and dare not speak in his face. Hmph! Asked me who said it. And I proudly said that he was Affandi. Don't know if it will affect their working relationship. Learnt my mistake to know my source already. And so I asked again why. And he said it's okay now. Cos he already asked to Affandi on why Affandi changed the medics. It was down to the Chinese and Malay ratios. So, that isn't racist then?
I understand the logic because every Chinese will be fighting for leave in Chinese New Year. So, it's better to have the numbers even out. 1 Chinese or 2 in each rota. As for Rota 1, Melvin is going to ORD in May. That's why I'm out of Rota 1 to put 1 more Chinese in. So how will it affect us then? Next year Chinese New Year? Not funny at all. I'll be clearing my leave before ORD-ing next Feb. Unless for the next few batches, there isn't any Chinese. What are the chances eh?
And so, he ended the conversation as being okay. So, what happen to the rest that have listened to his words? Will they know what's going on? Or will they think of me as a racist? To some, I'm still quite new. So, words from a paramedic hold a higher regard.
Balls to those who think I'm a racist! Maybe my words every now and then might make me sound like one. But, I'm never one. Depends on what you interpret its meaning as. The closest of me being racist is towards Malays. Which is interesting news because I find Suria a bore. I find Malay movies a cliche. Indonesian movies are romantic and scary. But other genres truly suck big time. No malay dramas for me. I prefer English movies the best. Next up will be Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, French, Thai and maybe Hindi in that order.
I love chinese chicks. My primary school crush is a Malay girl as well as a Chinese girl, Zhu Ming. In secondary school, I have plenty of crushes, 2 Chinese having made my list. One was very cute. Im a sucker for cuties. During my JC days, I liked one Chinese girl from outside school and seriously gave up on that back then. Why would I be be racist towards the Chinese? Behind those half-closed eyes and flat chests, lies wonderful personalities that totally pushed those average Malay girls to the back of my list. Who will deny their cute faces and nice legs? Indians may lack the colour but they totally make up for it for their curves. What strengths do Malay girls have? Oh yeah... The skills of applying make up and showing butt cracks to everyone.
My good friends now may indeed be Malays but my best friends in Primary School are Malay and Chinese. The closest one to me is Yap Bao Lei. I wonder what happen to him now. In secondary school, my clique is made up of Malays due to the fact that 2 thirds of the class are Malays. But that doesn't mean I don't mix around with the Chinese except for one. Cos he totally disgust me with his nasty habits and snob personality. Who will want to be near a guy who digs his nose, never iron his clothes, scratch his armpits always and ,I suspect, never bathe every morning due to the strong smell?
Having said these, you can totally deduce that I'm no racist unlike what he may still think of me now as. If from here you think I am, maybe our mindsets are of different wavelengths. And one more thing, I support Sharp boot boys. They are anti-racist.
