I was doing the tours for the swedish design exhibition at the museum over the weekend. Nobody asked for the free tours on the 2 days I was there, but I was psychologically prepared for that given president and kk's earlier warnings and advise.
The official advise and instructions given to me were to 'gather your own group' at the counter. I guess the subtle meaning behind the instructions was for us guides to take more initiative and gather our own group of listeners cos nobody is gg to do that for us.
So I tried to 'gather my own group' as much as I could. In no time I felt like I was soliciting. Like trying to find people to go for the tour just so I can knock off. I must have looked desperate and redundant, asking the people who bought tickets whether they wanted a free tour of the exhibition to go along. Dunno why, but I somehow felt like I was some external agent soliciting for business beside the counter. Like those people peddling postcards beside the national monument's ticketing counter.
Explaining design things to disinterested people is as bad as looking redundant at the counter. So I decided to just approach those who came specifically and asked for the swedish design thing. Since I was there already, might as well hope for a more meaningful exchange with people genuinely interested in the exhibition. I was a guide, albeit I felt like a commission-based tour-leader.
That aside, the experience was a refreshing one. Most people whom I walked through with were polite enough to stay through the tour. Interestingly, the females will be the attentive ones with intruiged looks on the their faces. Their male counterparts will shuttle between different things all the time and shoot out-of-the-blue questions. A British grandfather even tried to tip me. Dunno whether my face turned black on the spot, cos I was mildly insulted. But I guess that's just what tourists do, haha.
My spontaneous points of informationsoon became like a prepared speech. The 爆点s became the same, and I can somehow guess when the people will nod in agreement, and when they will give empty gazes of disinterest, haha.
I was asking this white-collar-type local guy whether he wanted a tour of the swedish exhibition, and his reason for not wanting one was 'No, I'm not a Swedish'. So i guess he was solely interested in the Sang Nila Utamas.
The museum was strangely empty and cold for the weekend I was there. Maybe everyone doing cny shopping elsewhere la. Visiting the museum is not a national pasttime I guess. The service-providers there were usually helpful and to-the-point, albeit some of them felt too much like they were just doing a job. A female security guard there impressed me though - she knew where everything was, and was comfortable with both lost tourists and wandering toddlers.
I joined ky and pl on day1 after the stint for a good korean bbq dinner and a fruitless bday present shopping session. On day2 yl and lij decided to come for the tour, after which we went to mind's. A packed weekend, and I was rather beat by the time I got home.
On another note, I will finally buy my air tickets later. Everyone, parents especially, seem so concerned and worried of my procrastination. But I am worried myself. The air-ticket saga has dragged on for like a month now, and I am all too happy to just settle it.
And cny bring just around the corner, suddenly it feels like I am severely unprepared for the exchange. A sudden wind of kan-chiong-ness. Maybe I should start packing the bag soon.
After 3 steamboats and 4 yu-sangs, the CNY celebrations are pretty much almost over. And CNY had been a convenient distraction from the fact that I am going to fly very soon.
