I Don't Have Cash, But I Have My Starbucks Venti

It's Friday, and also our payday.

I was expecting the pay to be credited at 12noon, but at 10am, I was already checking my account via internet banking.

It wasn't in yet. Tried again at 11am, none.

Tried at 12pm, none.

Tried at 1pm, none.

Tried at 330pm, none.

Tried at 4pm,none.

Tried at 5pm, none.

Until I was told it would be credited after 8pm (batch run).

Fine. I got out of the office before 7, so I decided to walk along the Orchard malls to kill the time until 8pm.

At 810pm, I was back to the branch and was accessing my account via ATM. None!

This is ridiculous.

I decided to just go home and wait patiently.

On my way to the bus stop, I decided to buy myself something to drink from Starbucks.

My jiejie gave me Starbucks voucher before, you see. A piece is worth SGD5.

I asked the barrista first if they would honour the voucher (have to be sure, because remember, I don't have money).

She said yes and I asked if they had fruit juice (since the ones on display are just the bottled ones).

She said they have the iceblended - raspberry or mango passion.

I chose the raspberry.

Next she asked the size. I rarely drink at Starbucks now, because I'm not a coffee drinker, and I just like their frappucino, which I can't drink because it's tooooo high in calories and probably loaded with transfat (if you add the whipped cream, which is a must if you're ordering frap). So I've forgotten how they call 'small medium and large'.

She said for the small one, I will just add 50cents, the biggest one I'll just add 2 dollars.

I don't have cash, but I have my pride, so I ordered for the tallest one. Which is weird, because I never order the tallest one.

1. Because it's too much

2. Because when you get to the bottom, it's already tasteless

3. Because it's too expensive

So now, since I felt so poor, and I was using a voucher, I had this feeling that I shouldn't let this barrista look down on me (which she probably didn't in the first place). I felt I should order the one where I had to top up more, to show her I can pay. Pathetic, isn't it?

Somehow, being in that situation, I can empathise with poor people (and I say this without mockery) who are quite arrogant at times. They need to show people that they won't allow to be looked down upon. They need to hang on to their pride, because that's all they've got.

Bah, I hate this feeling. Being paranoid and defensive.