Be nice. / 當好人

自從PK上週送我一台印表機，他在我新朋友名單的地位竄升。周末開完派對，孩子們煙蒂隨意丟棄，雖然我知道打掃環境是他的工作，我還是出去稍微撿了一下垃圾。我慢慢可以了解為什麼他覺得我很友善，因為其他人太自私，可能看到宿舍的工作人員也不打招呼，所以相對之下，我真的是天使來著。

Since PK gave me a free printer last week, he has made it to the top on my list of new friends. After the party last Saturday, kids threw cigarette butts and beer bottles in front of my room carelessly. Though I know it's his or Tom's job to clean our living space, I still couldn't help picking the litter on Sunday evening. I've gradually come to understand why he finds me friendly because others are too self-centered. I wonder if everyone greets the staff working here. So comparatively, the effect of my smiles is greatly heightened. 

昨天進宿舍辦公室，PK一如往常地問：你好嗎？我通常問人家飯吃了沒，當時已經快下午兩點，他說吃不太下，接著就告訴我十三年前得了癌症，還好後來控制下來，不過可能有影響到飲食習慣，我不禁想，哇，如果命運再殘忍一點，我現在就不是和他在說話了。儘管我急著要出去，我衝回房間拿了兩顆蘋果，送去辦公室給他，並且和他說，要按時吃飯。

Yesterday when I went to the site office, PK asked as usual, "How are you my dear?" My habit is asking others if they have eaten. It was almost 2 pm, and he said he didn't have much of an appetite. Then he went on to tell me that he had cancer 13 years ago, and fortunately it was under control. But the disease might have influenced his eating habits. An idea came to me, "If God had been more cruel, it wouldn't be he that I talk to at the moment." Though I was in a hurry to go out, I ran back to my room to grab two apples and sent them to his office. I couldn't stop myself from saying to him, "It's very important to eat on time..." 

出門的路上我邊走邊想，對人好一點，我們並不會有損失，而且我們可能會因此聽到刻骨銘心的故事，也許就是PK經歷許多，對於人們的善意特別有感受。

On my way out, I walked thinking, "It doesn't hurt to be nice." Besides, people might share their life stories with us. I guess maybe it's because PK has undergone so much that he is especially susceptible to people's good will. 

（這是為派蒂拍的派蒂之島，其實這裡派蒂是肉派的意思啦！）

(This was taken for Patty, Patty Island! But "patty" here means meat pie.) 

今天出門時踩到狗大便，擦完靴子後手上還有味道，我想我要發了！結果跑去買刀叉湯匙時，為了要看清楚位於後方的產品，我不小心弄倒了一個玻璃罐，它掉落在一個玻璃盤上，店員馬上衝過來，定睛一看，說：你把旁邊的陶鍋邊邊弄破了，我很肉腳地辯解玻璃罐是直直落在玻璃盤上，他說不如讓老闆裁決，中東老闆看一下之後，充滿佛心地說我不用賠償，我都感動得快哭了，雖然我也搞不清楚事實到底是怎樣，但是我的好人卡再度發揮功力，讓我受到保佑。

On my way out today, I stepped into dog doo. After I cleaned the boot, my hand smelled of that too. I thought to myself, "Something great is going to happen to me!" When I went to buy cutlery, a glass jar fell as I attempted to take a look at a set behind it, and it dropped on a glass plate! Nothing happened to both, but the clerk rushed to me. After he took a close look, he announced, "You chipped the pottery pot." I tried weakly to defend myself by repeatedly explaining that the jar fell directly on the plate. The accident had nothing to do with the pot. He then decided to let the owner have a say. The Middle-East sir took a quick look, declaring, "It's alright." I was almost moved to tears. To be honest, I wasn't sure what the truth was,  but again, my brownie points fully protected me from being taken advantage of. 

（我喜歡這間麵包店的名字，蘇佛克列斯是希臘的悲劇作家，最有名的作品是依底帕斯，就是不小心娶了自己母親的那位同學。） 

(I like the poetic name of this bakery. Sophocles was a famous Greek playwright. His best-known work is Oedipus, who married his mom because of fate.) 

因為很清楚我們不會因為付出變得貧窮，所以在陌生的城市裡，看到需要幫忙的外國人，我都會盡一己之力。昨天採買牙膏之際，有一位操西班牙文的大叔問我超強潔白和防蛀牙有何不同，因為他不懂英文，我先從法文解釋，再轉到西班牙文，他問我為什麼要買潔白功能的牙膏，我說因為我想要有白牙齒，他很高興地說那他也試試看好了，解決疑惑之後就愉快地離開了。今天在銀行有位英文很不靈光的葡萄牙阿姨很怕我們隨機亂坐的方式會讓別人插隊，我很用力地跟她說不用擔心，這裡大家都很守秩序，她手上拿著一本葡萄牙文對照英文的小書，我知道那是害怕不安的象徵，希望多明尼克對她好一點。傍晚去註冊這裡的學生健保，旁邊站了個英文不是很靈光的大陸小妞，我邊寫邊問她有沒有問題。如果幫助別人可以換成金錢，我真的非常富有。

Knowing well that we won't become poor because of giving, I tend to go all out when I see foreigners who need help in a city like London. When I was going over toothpaste in the store yesterday, a Spanish-speaking man told me that he doesn't understand English, so he couldn't figure out the difference between whitening and anti-cavity toothpaste. I tried to explain in English, in French and eventually in Spanish. He asked me why I opted for the whitening one. I replied, "Because I want to have white teeth." Having confidence in me, he said he would like to try it too, and he thus left happily after his question was answered. Today in the bank a Portuguese lady was afraid our randomly-formed line would make someone jump the queue, but I kept reassuring her that no one here would do that. She held a small Portuguese-English book in her hand, which, to me, is a sign of fear and insecurity. I hope Dominic treated her nicely. In the evening when I went to register with GP, a Chinese girl stood next to me. Since she wasn't sure what the questions on the questionnaires were about, I checked with her constantly. If helping people could be translated into monetary value, then I would surely be extremely rich...