At this moment, you hear the sound of your table being scratched or lightly tapped. You thought your colleague is standing behind you looking and seeking for your attention. You turned and look, nobody was there and someone just passed by.

There are these kind of people with such habit that what they did were just to go to the destination and on their way will pass by your cubicle. Unintentionally, for no reason, when they approaching your cubicle, lift the arm up, place the palm facing down with the fingers pointing your table and runs the nails across the surface of the table as if wolverine is running his titanium claws over the walls. Or they could be tapping their fingers on your table back and forth as they passing by.

When their fingers reach the end of the table, continue to walk as if nothing happen. And repeat the sequence on the next table. Or they chose selected tables only.

These office bastards didn’t realize that they are disturbing and annoying other people at their work by having this small little bad habit.

Out of ten times I turned my head and look when this happen, eleven times was I saw those office bastards finished running their fingers on my table and continue their walk and not noticing there is a hulk to be with 180 heart beats per minutes pumping and staring at them.

I am getting fed up confronting to them about their bad habit and behavior.

These might be able to help them to stop and drop their bad habit (in order according to severity):

• Send them email and confront them
• Send them email and confront them, cc their boss
• Catch them in the act and confront them
• Lay some printer toner on your table (Remember white chalk under your desk during primary school?) Then offer them to eat something nice as they passing by (Preferably oily food, yeah, finger lickin’ good)
• Spray some super glue on top of your table (Preferably elephant brand)
• Place a motion sensor and hook it up with a few pen knives laying and deploy upon detecting motion at 19.38 degrees with the sharp edge pointing against direction of motion

To solve a problem, first is to find the root of the cause.

Usually I’ll greet or at least nod my head with eye contact whenever I meet these people in office regardless I know them or not, because we are all in the same workplace.

There is this Malay lady whom I guess is from building maintenance management based on her outfit, walkie-talkie in her hand, running from place to place for checkup daily, she came to me when I was playing games working with my eyes staring on my notebook and greet me! I didn’t realize she was around me until she greeted me and I look away from my notebook and greet back to her.

A few more people whom I don’t know and didn’t work with me passed by my cubicle and greeted me and asked me whether I have my breakfast/lunch. Strangely, I barely know them by names except for their faces. It is very kind and friendly of them to someone don’t work for them.

Another case wasn’t happen in office, but somewhere out of town in Sungai Long just after a pouring rain. As I was reaching my car to drive out, an Indian man approached me and informed me not to use the main highway as it was blocked by a tree caused by heavy rain and strong wind blows earlier and it causes a massive traffic jam, advised me to use an alternative road instead.

I thanked him but this Indian man didn’t inform this piece of information to other people as they too going to their car and wanted to drive out I assumed. I don’t understand why this is happening as he will not know whether I am driving out of Sungai Long or am I from Sungai Long itself.

Today, I was on my notebook reading some news online, this cleaning lady came to me out of nowhere and tells me that she will clean my workstation in the evening. I was completely surprised by her action!

• First, I didn’t inform the cleaning lady to clean my workstation.
• Secondly, my workstation is not dirty or messy, it is as clean as Britney spears shaved her head bald.
• Lastly, she don’t work for me, she is working for my client and I’m based in their office as vendor, even though she is responsible to clean up my workstation, doesn’t mean I can instruct them to do work.

Maybe it is my luck, I don’t know as I’m really surprised by their action, their kindness, friendliness. I do hope we can have more of these people around us, I’m sure we will have better environment to work in and to live in. 1Malaysia.

No particular reason for doing this, but one thing I found strange is, where I had experienced many times, that people looked away or avoid greeting their colleague in office. I understand if you are out on the street, it would be best not to talk to stranger, or even smile at stranger.

Once in the office, I was walking towards the pantry/photocopy machine/washroom, on coming is one of the colleague that I have seen many times, despite not knowing the name, I look straight into this person’s eyes as I’m walking and smile/greet/nod my head.

This person sees my eye contact and quickly looked down and dashed away!

I don’t feel disrespectful or stupid, I was wondering do I have anything weird on my appearance, so immediately I went to the washroom and first thing I check on myself the zip on my pants, did I left it unzipped and something left hanging there? No. No giant spider on my head, negative ink stained on my shirt’s pocket. A quick check ran from head to toes and I was completely fine by appearance.

I still left with no answer why was this person react in this way when met me. Maybe I have a face that got rejected by beautifulpeople.com. Ok, I admit.

If anybody smile and greet me, I’ll do the same in return. In my opinion, it is always good to smile and greet your colleagues, because this shows that you are an open to social, friendly and cheerful.

Let’s put this into some situation, you smiled at people, people think that you are friendly, you win! If you are good looking, cheerful and friendly, another plus point!

If people smiled at you, you ignored, people think that you are ego, you lose! If you are good looking, this projected bad image to people think that good looking people are often egoistic and unfriendly, you lose it all!

Remember, your social life begins with a smile!