The Toll Booth Girl ...

It's been a pretty lousy day for me. Most of you would probably know about my old bone shaker of a car that has been plaguing me with problems since early December. Well, just when I thought I finally got it fixed, it goes and gives up on me again! I'm on the verge of screaming my lungs out but that would serve no purpose except give me a hoarse throat. And speaking of throats, I have this wound in my mouth that's caused by my gums swelling and my cheek scraping against my teeth that it feels like someone rubbing salt in an open wound! And on top of that, the toll booth girl gave me grieve this morning which resulted in me screaming at her. Screaming is something I seldom do, but I'm turning into a grouch these days and inefficient people (like that toll booth girl) riles me up to the max.

Ok, let me start from the beginning (what do you know, that sarcastic interloper isn't here with his snide remarks ... LOL!). This morning I had quite a bit of appointments to go to cos I had to postpone all my appointments yesterday because of my stupid car. And all these appointments were in totally different parts of this world so it required quite a bit of driving around. On top of that I had to go get my road tax renewed cos my road tax actually expired yesterday but I couldn't get it done then.

So, early morning I head to the mini post office near my house but the place only opens at 9am and I have to drive all the way to the main post office much further away through the morning traffic. The area I live which is USJ, Subang Jaya is synonymous for it's early morning traffic jams. I silently curse as I crawl through the jam at speeds that would make a snail look like it was speeding. After a lengthy bumper to bumper crawl I finally make it to the post office get my road tax renewed without a hassle (whoopee) and start my journey for my first of 3 appointments.

Along the way back from my second appointment, my car decides to stall on me. Right in the middle of the blooming busy road at that! And here I just had it come out from the mechanic only yesterday. It must have this secret longing to have my mechanic caress it's internal parts or something. The problem is not something I can't handle so I get the car started again and as long as I don't release the accelerator, the engine will remain on, but picture this, my mechanics shop is about 10 kilometres away and there is no way in hell I can get there without taking my foot of the accelerator.

The best, fastest and easiest way there would be to use the tolled highways where the possibility of having to stop is lesser except when it come to paying the toll at the toll booth. I have an automated toll tag so that shouldn't be too much of a problem passing through the tool booth without stopping completely. But as luck or rather bad luck would have it, the moment I reach the automated lanes, the damn bar doesn't open and all the alarms start sounding.

'Oh, oh, this is not good'

Never mind. I stop my car and the engine dies off as expected. The toll booth girl approaches me and asks to see my toll tag which as far as I'm concerned is up to date and and has a healthy balance in it. She tries it at the terminal by the side and nothing happens, then she tells me in this rather rude and I mean really rude manner to go and check it in the main office. I ask her why she can't check it at her terminal right here. She raises her voice and says, go to the office, she doesn't know what's wrong. It's not her job. That's when I lost it.


I get out my car, I walk up to her and scream at her and ask her just what exactly is her job? To sit there and look dumb? And what is so damn difficult to check it at her terminal as they're all linked anyway. I don't give her a chance to answer as I continue my barrage at how stupid and inefficient she is, not to mention lazy. What the hell kind of customer services does she practice anyway? I'm a customer, it's not my toll tag that is at fault and she has the means to check it there and then but she wants me to drive all the way to the main office to look into it! Isn't that just ridiculous (well, to someone who's car is giving problems and who's mouth is hurting like hell it is).

By that time I think the poor girl was about to cry so I just get in my car and drive off to the main office. I believe I didn't even pay for the toll ... LOL! I do feel a little bad about screaming at her now that I've calmed down but she caught me at the wrong time, I was already having a bad day, my car was driving me nuts and she just happened to be the one who was on the receiving end of my anger. I'm not normally like this. I'm more the no cares in the world kinda guy and I seldom lose my temper. Ask my wife, she'll testify to that but recently I've changed to being someone who loses his temper rather easily and quite a bit I must say. I seriously don't like it one bit. It's just so not me. Even poor wifey is sometimes on the receiving end of my temper nowadays. Sorry ya, honey? I think it's old age ... LOL!

I finally managed to get the car to my mechanic and that's when it decided to work just fine. My mechanic now thinks I'm in love with him or something. Oh well, I hope it doesn't act up again cos I could so use a break right now. My mood is way in the dumps and my morale is on the low side. But on the up side of things, tomorrow is a public holiday and I get to spend the whole day with wifey :) And now, before I head home, I'd better go see what this assignment called assisted living software is all about. They do give me some strange ones but hey, who's complaining. It's good money :)