City Living
Originally uploaded by: samantha.hudson
I have lived in this apartment for over a year now and at this point, I still don’t see or meet at least one nice people around. My neighbors are a bunch of “The Invicibles”. I’ve been having some ’scratching-head’ figuring this place out. I thought maybe it was just me, and perhaps there are a lot of other people in this building who can’t figure it out either.
At night, I would usually hear a loud screeching sound of metal gates, a banging of doors & oftentimes, like a scary voices having serious fights next to each other. But I am not complaining because sometime ago, I knew that some people are in bed by 10:30 and I was blaring my music with the bass even if it’s distant, barely audible sound is sure annoying. I do not know whether they could hear me singing The Last Time or maybe they don’t have problems of hearing, or maybe they like loud music themselves, so it doesn’t affect them. But for as long they don’t invade my territory, I’ll remain to keep it that way. Personally, I think any loud noises (music, TV, fights, etc.) are incredibly rude. There was a few incidents that I heard louder crashing of furnitures above my floor, so I start banging my own ceiling with a broom just to get them noticed that someone is already having a nap.
I’ve met a few school kids and they usually stares at me by murmuring at each other whenever I go for a ride in the elevator to buy something from 7-11 or going to and from work. However the very loyal overnight security guard by whom I called, “A-pah”, who stays in the foyers 24hours a day monitoring of the comings and goings of residents and guests with security cameras both in the elevators and at the front door where keypads with combination buttons that allows the residents to gain entry into the building, is the only person in the building that I can literally say ‘a neighbor’ that have ever existed.
Every late evenings when I arrive home, I would find him dozzing off silently and only awakens by my usual greetings, “have you eaten your dinner yet?” He would answer me in a manner as if saying, “don’t be sorry for me, I am not a beggar and I always bring my own food”. I just smiled. He never sleeps on his duty, well he tells me. He’ll sigh and say, all he’s got is work, but at least he’s got something.
One night outside the building, I saw “A-pah” across the street, just few steps away from the gate having a ’silent smoke’ which he hides at his back. I would stop behind as I teases him that smoking can kill him at his age very seriously. I’m thinking he’s already old and what if he gets very sick, who’s going to take care of him? He’d say, “I’m old-lah momantai-lah but I’m okay”. But before I could even think of something to say to him, I’d ask for a light and together we smoke before coming inside the building.
In that moment on while going back to my flat, I was thinking that he’s just enjoying his little life. If I want to see my life now, this is what I’m getting. Life at any time can suddenly become difficult and at the same time can become easy. It’s probably all depends upon how I adjust myself about life. I mean really, positive thinking can simply react positively to a negative situation. I learnt that I must enjoy my life too. You see, he would always ask me questions like, “you live on your own but then you always buy a bulk of stuff from the supermarket?” I jokingly replied that “I like filling up my fridge with anything, mostly just cans of drinks so I won’t rush at 7-11″. He would call me, “Crazy Man”. Well, he has the point. The point is that 7-11 is just 2 minutes across the street and I live all by myself so I can eat in a restaurant anytime I want without spending the time to cook.
Most days, I would talk to him whenever there’s a problem in my apartment, he could at least speak a little bit of English. One time when I found one mornings that someone from the upper floor complaint of a ‘leaking aircon’ from my flat, he’d spoke to the person who wrote the note and told this man that I’d normally work in the evenings so it was impossible that my AC was on all the time and he winked at me.
Every now and then, whenever I see few people riding in the tiny elevator, I would always smile or nodded to a few twice but they’d never returned my glance. I wonder why other people are so like that. A lot of times they are not so neighborly. Kindness can go a long way to make a person feel comfortable, especially in a new surrounding. I understand that it doesn’t cost a cent but it just happens that we all live in the same building. I sometimes think that being rude is equivalent of being mean even if you’re not saying anything against the person. But then, I remembered that silence is sometimes the best answer.
In today’s world, a lot of people don’t take the time to get to know their neighbors. Isn’t that very sad? And I do not think that the measure of a civilization is how tall its buildings of concrete are, but rather how well it’s people have learned to relate to their environment and fellow human beings.
World
by: Five For Fighting
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“Good fences make good neighbours I guess.”
Hi Kitty, nice famous quote there and good to see you here.
I think this attitude is sometimes unrealistic because communities are made up of many different people nowadays and this philosophy will no longer work in these times of change and multi-culturalism. Oh well, I’m not mending the wall.
Hey, I think I remembered, we ‘met’ because of my post about the “THAI PRAWN CURRY”.
And at times when you’re nice to people, and I mean genuinely nice to people, they think you are up to no good.
Good fences make good neighbours I guess.
Thanks for the shout, btw
Pffftt* Asha. Say it.
I might come across as being bias or racist… so I’m not commenting on this topic!
Oops, I just left a comment didn’t I? Pffftt *rolls eyes*
Aba syempre, I do like to mingle with Lolo’s/Lola’s pala-tanong sila lagi parati (ulyanin kaya?) parang mga bata.
I think when I first landed in this building, been living for 13 days when someone from the 6/F jumped off the building at TIGOK sya, basag bungo, no one knew what happened, SUICIDE (”swee-sayd” sabi nga ni Ate Vi sa pelikula nya) daw. It scared the hell off of me after that dahil coincidentally I live in the 13/F (and my rent payment day is every 13th of each month) Sabi ko shit, sana hindi Bad Luck.
aba! at kakunchaba mo pa si manong guard ha! pa-yosi naman oh!
the world wont be that interesting if all mysteries are to be solved … let your neighbors be your own saga of X-files … yung bang unsolved mysteries! hehehehehehhehehe
Dami rin sa atin sa Pinas na ganyan. Our neighbors in Bicol do these “stabbing at your back” all the freaking time, ginawang parang tele-novela din.
I guess in this world of ours, there are just apathetic people who doesn’t know how to greet or even smile, even if you nod, say “hi” to them, or just a simple smile, in other terms, manhid. But despite the fact that they are like that, just be optimistic and greet them, just the way you are, even if they don’t greet you back.:smile:
I’m a good neighbor I think. If I’m living in a nice apartment with other “decent” tenants, I think can get these nice treatment too.
But really, not many locals here practice the American way of saying Hi and Hello” if you see them a million times in your building. Oh maybe they get that British humour throwing back at them saying, “If they’re not having a go with the birds, they’re having a row with the wankers.” If you know what I mean.
I’m glad that I can’t hear my neighbors anymore in my condo. It’s soundproofed and I can barely hear the kid from upstairs when he runs around. I know some people in the condo, but not that many. Some are friendly others aren’t. I’ve lived here close to 2 years and I barely know the people. I’ll leave soon and keep in touch with maybe 2 people. Maybe none. Oh well, that’s life.
“… i have already knocked on their door a couple of times and reprimanded them.”
V is for B(v)rave Girl. Did you really? I thought you knocked and said you wanted a banana!?
I’m a confused “fish” sometimes. Hahahaha.
hmmmm, reminds me of my flat neighbors who usually would listen to loud music in the wee hours of the morning and who were just plain noisy. being a light sleeper, i have already knocked on their door a couple of times and reprimanded them.
lately though, i avenge by holding party sessions of my own, the “lala (fish crackers) nights”, with my two girls/sisters…
HAHAHA Dez, I would be mad if I’m hearing these so called “noises” during my lunch time. But you know, my optical mouse sometimes is too green and my speakers had a loud prolonged “Aaaahhhh” sound.
Shit, I need a partner to say “I like it like that”.
HUSH!
i had a friend ranting about his neighbor’s noise. he once heard (from across the hall) loud voices going “you like it like that?” *spank* *spank*. now if i was a guy brimming with testosterone, i don’t know why he was ranting. but then again i’m not - so i’d find it mighty annoying that you could actually hear such noises. maybe you’d like to have them as neighbors?
“We always greet each other and sometimes talk about the weather.”
That’s a casual conversation. Here in HK, people that you know and meet would greet each other like, “hey you gained weight”, “nice dress”, “wow, expensive bag”, “enjoy the weekend at the bar”, “I’m so tired”.
well I had that kind of experience when I was living on a flat. My immediate neighbour was kind of weird and she wasnt that really nice but the others seem to be very nice. We always greet each other and sometimes talk about the weather. Since it’s the only safe topic to open up with.
In other words, “love your neighbors”, right Neko?
invicible neighbors or not… it’s still home sweet home