Today I went out with my grandparents and my brother for lunch at Turf City. Afterwards, we went to Giant to do some grocery shopping.

We had a lot of stuff to buy, so most people chose not to queue up behind us (long wait) and instead went to other queues. Then these two men came and stood behind us, waiting to pay for their purchases, the thing that struck me most about the two men was that if there ever was a stereotypical look which screamed 'I am a criminal!', they had it.

After a while they too tired of waiting behind us. One of them asked the next counter if it was open. I didn't really hear the answer since I wasn't paying them much attention. Then the man who had asked the other counter walked from the queue behind us and walked past the entire row of cashiers to somewhere I couldn't see him anymore.

Then the other guy looked around his surroundings and then did the same thing as his friend. He was carrying two jars of what looked like Strawberry jam. O.O At that time I was holding on to a squirming Ryan (being super hyper as usual) so I had to shift him along with myself so I could get a better look at the situation as a pillar and obscuring my view, all the while my my mind screaming "Thief, thief, thief!!!". Then I saw that the first guy and the second guy were paying for their purchases at the information counter, set behind the cashiers, which was blocked from my view because of the pillar.

I was instantly relieved, yet I felt kind of guilty inside. I had unconsciously stereotyped and judged those two men. They weren't the criminals I had thought them out to be. Similarly the other day when Marina and I were out and about to part, we were approached by this guy, about 17? at Orchard MRT. He looked and dressed like a typical school boy, nothing suspicious about him at all.

He asked for a donation, $2, supposedly to support the re-hiring of ex-cons (Ohh, irony!). Marina and I obliged and both gave him $2, since the sum was much smaller compared to the $5 we had each given to another charity. Then after we left him, I saw the pen and the flyer inside the packet he had 'given' us in exchange for the $2. The flyer merrily said "This is not a non-profit organisation... supporting young entrepreneurs... direct sales... contact XXX company".

What. The. FUCK? Excuse me? Anyway I wanted to get home so Marina and I both decided to forget the entire thing since anyway, the good intention on our part was there, plus even though we were defrauded out of our money, Someone up there knows what that guy did (Oh man, I sound like McSmiley).

Anyway please do not buy 'pens' for a $2 donation to any group operating in Orchard Road. I have reason to believe that they make up their stories in anyway possible (entrepreneurs what!) to get money in a most unscrupulous way, preying on the kindness of people. I should call the NewPaper or something, hahaha!