It is publicly known that the area where my office is located is jammed packed during rush hour. Trucks, trailers, passenger cars, motorbikes, containers all rushes out to get to wherever they have to be. People cutting each other's way anytime they see a chance. The streets were build for two lane, but often it becomes 3 and 2 half lanes, half for the motorbike. When it is rush hour, it is very difficult to cut someone's lane since no one would be willing to give up their lane, so once you are on the 1 lane that turned to 2 lane street, you just have to wait and queue.
So there I was in my car driving hurriedly to meet my colleague's car in the office vicinity. I had this prejudice of this person that he was such a turtle that he worked like a snail. I was very impatient, instead of stopping by his car I drove off once I saw his car ( I am pretty sure that he saw my car too). I purposely drove past him, around 15 meters away I called his cell. " Let's race. We'll stop at this dessert place halfway to our meeting place, whoever reach the place last will treat the winning one a a bowl of green peas in coconut milk". In my heart I knew perfectly that I was cheating, and I know he knew, but he agreed.
Our distance grew approximately around 50 km, moreover the streets were jammed packed and I thought there was no way he could beat me in that situation. I was queuing for the red light (the shortest way to the dessert place is through the red light, the other way is way longer and equally jammed), there were approximately 50 cars and trucks in front of me.. I am so certain that I was going to win the race that I planned to exploit my winning by timing our time difference. "There's no way he could beat me" I thought and I was enjoying so much of the drive.
Not long, I was 5 meter away from the parking spot when I saw a bright red car, suspiciously looking exactly like my colleague's car, taking my parking spot 1 second, right under my nose. I was stunned.
It was my colleague!! At that point of time, I was a split second away.., I was in shock disbelief.
I asked him how did he do it and he told me. At a point, he was sure that he wouldn't be able to catch up but then he saw a chance to cut lane, every time he saw chance to cut lane, he took it. And at one point he was able to cut 3 cars after mine's lane. He joked and summarized the incident "Exactly like Rabbit and Turtle's Story".
I couldn't stop laughing, couldn't agree more...
The story goes like this:
One day rabbit and turtle is having a race, rabbit run very fast and turtle walks very slow, when the race began, turtle started walking the race very slowly but in an instant rabbit was able to pass through Mr. turtle. Rabbit was laughing proudly and she ran for a bit and is able to pass turtle by much. Rabbit then saw a tree and the shade was nice, she then stayed under the shade waiting for the turtle but she falls asleep. Finally, against all odds and with much time, turtle slowly pass sleeping rabbit and in the end reach the end point first.
Moral of my story... never ever feels that you are better than someone. I felt so stupid planning my winning when the race hadn't end yet and didn't even noticed when he passed my car. It got me awake, I learnt my lesson. Definitely the lesson learnt worth more than a bowl of green pea in coconut milk..
Olala..
