I don’t know if it’s that I expect too much from others, but there are certain things that really piss me off about people.

1. People have no regard for punctuality, and no, it’s not ok if you send me a text message 10 minutes before the meeting time telling me you’ll be half an hour late because I’d already been on my way there. Most of the time I’m there already! I just feel that there is often a lack of respect for other people’s time. No one’s time is more important than the next person’s.

2. Some people don’t seem to have any qualms about imposing on or inconveniencing others. I usually go for lunch with three other colleagues but I can’t stand one of them because he always expects one of us to let him use our umbrella whenever it rains, instead of bringing his own. I refuse to be the one to sacrifice my umbrella and would walk off without sharing my umbrella. Why should I get wet because of someone else’s incompetence and lack of inconsideration? My other two female colleagues are nicer and more tolerant, and one of them would let him have their umbrella while the two of them huddle together under a small umbrella and get wet!

I say he’s incompetent because his behaviour displays a lack of survival instinct to me. Before I leave home every day, I always check the weather forecast and make sure I dress appropriately and bring an umbrella if necessary. This is what I called being prepared. Obviously this annoying colleague of mine doesn’t do it and even says he never brings an umbrella around. Ppffff!!! I mean, no one’s asking you to take care of others, but please at least be able to take care of yourself! We’re talking about a 33-year-old father of one here and I just find such behaviour so immature.

3. People who are forever tinkering away on their smartphones. On Wednesday I saw a party of seven having lunch at a restaurant. While waiting for their food to arrive, all seven women had their heads down and were busy playing with their smartphones. I often see the same situation with dating/married couples and families. I don’t know, I had thought the point of eating together was to chat??? It’s like you’re there but not there. It just baffles me why people behave like that.

4. Miserly people are really a big turn-off. Two weeks ago, a friend of mine had organised an event which those of us who went had to pay HKD 100 (approx SGD 16) for. At the end of the event, my friend said there was a leftover of HKD 25.60 (approx SGD 4) per person as she had collected extra by mistake. She wrote on the Facebook page that we message her if we want the money back, but failing to hear from us, she would donate the money to a charity that aids the elderly in Hong Kong. To my disbelief, a guy (a friend of a friend who also went) actually wrote on the event page that he wanted his money back! He wasn’t even joking as he had written down his account number for the transfer. OK, everyone has the right to get their money back and the right to decide where they want to spend or who to give the money too. But come on, it’s only HKD 25.60 we’re talking about here. I wouldn’t even call this being thrifty. It’s just being downright uncharitable and stingy.