I was having a hasty and unhealthy dinner at a fast food restaurant when the lady opposite me who was there with her entourage of 7 year old daughter, inexperienced maid attaché, and baby in a stroller advised her daughter on the evils of coffee consumption (I’ve taken some liberties cutting out her Singlish, of course):
Eh, eh, don’t drink that! Get some water! Coffee isn’t for young children; coffee will give you brain damage! You have to wait ’til you’re an adult!
Well, I choked on my fry. Nevertheless, I don’t expect her daughter to grasp the true perilousness of brain damage, but kudos to the lady for possibly one less too-young caffeine addict, and also for melodramatic hyperbole.
Today, or should I say, tonight, was also the date for the Sundown Marathon. While cycling, I met this man who was not participating per se, but following his buddy, who was a participant, along the route, presumably for encouragement. This would be pretty commonplace and humdrum if not for the fact that he chose to do so in a handbike which looked somewhat like this:
Being initially ignorant, I asked him if he made it himself. (In my defense, it was an unfamiliar cool mechanical contraption, and cool mechanical contraptions are often made by eccentric individuals in a well-equipped garage. And no, this is not a residual influence of the Iron Man movie.) Seems like you can purchase these pretty easily! Though I’m sure all that tiresome hand-pedalling is way beyond my ability. Also, because his bike was configured for such a low profile that he was virtually lying straight down, its length meant that sharp corners were quite a nuisance, though he could go reasonably fast otherwise.
