The nurse had just put in those eye drops that dilate the pupils so the doctor can check your eyes. Knowing from past experience that it takes my particularly insensitive pupils a long time to open up, I asked the nurse if it was OK to get a bite at the cafeteria, since it was past 2pm and I hadn’t had breakfast.

“Ya lah, ya lah, you orang memang macam tu,” she muttered and walked off, the swishing of her uniform pants somehow sounding irritated. (“Yes, yes, you people are like that.”)