On Elbowing the Tech-Savy Crowd

It's those time of the year again. When teenagers and adults alike flock to convention centre for over-publicised PC Fair... I stopped visiting for 2 years after the incident, overcrowded apparently. I could barely breath in the train that when I rushed out at the train station to gasp for air, my muscles cramped. I didn't know better then.

Therefore, I've stopped visiting.

Until two days ago when the girlfriends asked if I wanted to. I was reluctant. Another friend asked if I would be free for a dinner and perhaps movie night followed by brunch the next day. I was up for it, but time was yet to be decided.

In the end, we did head over to the twin towers for the crowds. I asked the girls to go venture by themselves in the crowd while I hang out in the towers. Danced around people of various form and sizes, and enjoyed myself for about a couple of hours before I called them up to see if they're done.

"We're at the camera section. She doesn't know which one to pick, wondering if you'd come over and help us out? Heard about Sanyo?"

I headed over with heavy feet, running through my thoughts what disgusting idea of the fair to make the whole fair just a one way and force all the customers to walk through all the halls even when we're not interested in the damn speakers. It's their tactic I know, but not everyone have the time to go through all the stalls and hang out and flirt with those salesmen asking about how many watts those gadgets would be consuming and what not. Come on! Be realistic. Most of us, we go, we find the stuff, we buy, and we leave.

As simple as that.

So if one is to go and look for digital camera, she'll just head for the digital camera section, pick one that favours her, pay the cash, and leave. How is it that difficult?!

And there are people who would visit on Friday, making note that a 4GB pendrive cost 37 bucks; going back to the fair again on Saturday to note that the pen drive is discounted by one buck, and finally pay the place another visit on Sunday to get it at 35 bucks. Fine. You want to be calculative, go ahead. I'm not rich, but I don't go all calculative over tiny differences in price. Maybe I haven't realized how hard it is to earn money, but I'm sure a lot of people are annoyed with people who are being over-calculative.

At least I know I am.

When I finally managed to find my way through the 2nd floor across the human-packed halls, I was pretty sure I was catching my breath for shouting "excuse me" over the top of my lungs. Luckily the booth that they were at, it wasn't that crowded. Digital cameras, 5MP, 199. What the?!

We helped ourselves with the storage devices. Roomie asked for the genuine antivirus software. And I replaced the neon-lighting coolpad with a silent aluminium one. And we realized we NEED to leave as SOON as possible. Either we'll die of hypoxia in the crowd, or we'll die of suicide being a spendrift.

As most would know, it's a 'one way street'. And apparently, the fair was so smart, they make the detour of the 'street' to the furthest over numerous bends, that in the end, when we finally saw the 'EXIT' overhead, we knocked ourselves over the card board divider. F**k!

Along the final stretch of the 'road' as we were approaching the 'light', 'angels' in orange shirt promoting what w1fi or streamyx and what not just lined up in the middle and extended their arms with pamphlets promoting their product. I'm trying not to be mean, but what's the point of them standing next to each other and still pushing all those precious-tree-turned-waste into the visitors when we've turned down all the previous 'angels'? Stupid really.

I simply smiled at one and say, I need air, excuse me.

We made it out finally.

And I began to wonder, why are we so stupid as to elbow ourselves in such fairs when in actual fact, the products aren't really that cheap compared to them being sold at the shops anyways?

And that was when I realized I'm one of them too.