It must have been at least 12 years ago when a fortune-teller came to our office one day. This was in Brunei (I was working there for a good 13 years or so).
Anyway, the fortune-teller — his name was Mr Singh (can't remember his full name) — claimed that he's very famous in his field. For a fee of BND100, he'd read my fortune. Now at that time, BND100 was a big sum to me — hell, it still is! — so I turned down his offer nicely. But Mr Singh was very persuasive. He looked at my face and said that I had 7 happiness coming. That was so nice to hear, considering that I just lost my hard-earned BND20 bet the day before on a football game.
Mr Singh went on and on about my good fortune. I never knew that I was such a lucky person. However! at the end of that long chain of good fortune, there's one "black mark" — a mishap according to Mr Singh. Safe for that "black mark", everything was perfect. Fortunately, Mr Singh, being the brilliant fortune-teller that he was, was able to remedy that "black mark" so that the negative spell could be eliminated. I was fascinated. But still, y'know, BND100 was my half-week wages. Then I thought of a compromise; I offerred Mr Singh BND50 (that was all the money I had on me).
Mr Singh became annoyed. He said it was an insult on his name. Absolutely no one ever bargained with him on his fee. He said it's not even enough to cover the cost of his hotel room. I felt ashamed, and Mr Singh left with a sour face.
That night I kept thinking about Mr Singh. Mind you, 7 happiness — except for one miserable "black mark". Think about it, what is the price of BND100 to remove that "black mark", and then everything would be perfect. Oh I must get Singh to help me. But how was I going to get hold of Singh? Then I remembered that he's staying in a hotel. That should be easy, because back then, there're not so many hotels in Brunei. So I started calling the hotels one by one from the cheapest one up to the most expensive one. When I finally got to the most expensive hotel, there was indeed a Mr Singh who flew in from Singapore earlier that day. I was put through to his room.
I introduced myself and immediately apologized to Mr Singh. I said I was the one he met that afternoon — the one who declined his service for a fee of BND100. I said I've changed my mind and would like him to remove the "black mark" so that my fortune would be perfect.
There was a pause on the other end. And then came the answer from Mr Singh:
Now look here, I'm no fortune-teller — I'm a Government servant!
And again I felt ashamed for the second time that day. So remember folks, never ever take things for granted; never assume that there is only one Mr Singh around. They are all Mr Singh! The next time you meet a Mr Singh, make sure that you know his first name too.
As for the fortune-teller, he failed to get my BND100 that day. I guess I am doomed with the "black mark" for the rest of my life...
Anyway, the fortune-teller — his name was Mr Singh (can't remember his full name) — claimed that he's very famous in his field. For a fee of BND100, he'd read my fortune. Now at that time, BND100 was a big sum to me — hell, it still is! — so I turned down his offer nicely. But Mr Singh was very persuasive. He looked at my face and said that I had 7 happiness coming. That was so nice to hear, considering that I just lost my hard-earned BND20 bet the day before on a football game.
Mr Singh went on and on about my good fortune. I never knew that I was such a lucky person. However! at the end of that long chain of good fortune, there's one "black mark" — a mishap according to Mr Singh. Safe for that "black mark", everything was perfect. Fortunately, Mr Singh, being the brilliant fortune-teller that he was, was able to remedy that "black mark" so that the negative spell could be eliminated. I was fascinated. But still, y'know, BND100 was my half-week wages. Then I thought of a compromise; I offerred Mr Singh BND50 (that was all the money I had on me).
Mr Singh became annoyed. He said it was an insult on his name. Absolutely no one ever bargained with him on his fee. He said it's not even enough to cover the cost of his hotel room. I felt ashamed, and Mr Singh left with a sour face.
That night I kept thinking about Mr Singh. Mind you, 7 happiness — except for one miserable "black mark". Think about it, what is the price of BND100 to remove that "black mark", and then everything would be perfect. Oh I must get Singh to help me. But how was I going to get hold of Singh? Then I remembered that he's staying in a hotel. That should be easy, because back then, there're not so many hotels in Brunei. So I started calling the hotels one by one from the cheapest one up to the most expensive one. When I finally got to the most expensive hotel, there was indeed a Mr Singh who flew in from Singapore earlier that day. I was put through to his room.
I introduced myself and immediately apologized to Mr Singh. I said I was the one he met that afternoon — the one who declined his service for a fee of BND100. I said I've changed my mind and would like him to remove the "black mark" so that my fortune would be perfect.
There was a pause on the other end. And then came the answer from Mr Singh:
Now look here, I'm no fortune-teller — I'm a Government servant!
And again I felt ashamed for the second time that day. So remember folks, never ever take things for granted; never assume that there is only one Mr Singh around. They are all Mr Singh! The next time you meet a Mr Singh, make sure that you know his first name too.
As for the fortune-teller, he failed to get my BND100 that day. I guess I am doomed with the "black mark" for the rest of my life...
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