Cambridge 12 Test 1

"So this was probably about 10 years ago! I was at my friend's house and he told me that he bought a couple of pairs of gym shoes for a ridiculous price. I can't recall exactly how much, but they were certainly a bargain! Anyway, he gave me the details of the website, AliExpress, I ordered a pair of shoes.. and that was that!

Well.. it felt like a lifetime! I think they took over a month to arrive. I guess because they were coming from China. My friend did give me a heads up prior to ordering, but I don't know.. I just assumed that mine might be delivered quicker! It wasn't a massive issue.. I wasn't in a time crunch and I'm a pretty patient person anyway. I don't think I even tracked the order. I just waited for it to arrive.

So yea.. When it arrived, I felt pretty excited and upbeat because of the wait. Now, here comes the painful part! I opened them up and they were the worst quality shoes I had ever bought! I tried them on and they honestly felt like walking on an old worn out carpet! It was devastating! But I guess I couldn't complain since they costed nothing. But you know, like my mum always says, you get what you pay for! I think it just sucks when you are anticipating something and then the outcome doesn't meet your expectation! I still wore them and got a lot of use out of them!

To sum up the whole experience, I'd say that it was an interesting trial, but a total disaster and there isn't a hope in hell that I'll be ordering from them again!"

"Well, I think the standout one is anything related to work! You know, if you're constantly late to work, it's inevitable that you'll get fired. If you're late to client meetings, then you might lose out on a sale or a deal, or you might even lose the client themselves. Other than that, I would say there are some different functions and events which, if you were late, would be considered very rude. For example, weddings and baptisms mean a lot to people as they are intimate and special moments. Turning up late could obviously ruin the whole atmosphere."

"Hah! I think it's strangely important to us! We really take pride in our timekeeping, although I think that we're getting looser and looser with each generation. But you know, there are certain instances where it's more acceptable than others. Like when you're going to a party. People say to come at roughly 9 or 10, but generally people just show up whenever, like maybe 11 or 12. And it's no biggie.."

"That's a tricky question actually.. I mean, obviously we have things like digital alarms and we can set reminders on our calendars. There are also an abundance of apps and software these days which aim at improving time efficiency. Google maps for example, shows us routes which we can follow to get to our destination and then adds time estimates so we have more precise time readings! They even warn us of roadblocks, diversions and heavy traffic areas so we can plan our routes accordingly!"

"Yea, I'd have to agree with that! I think you definitely mellow out as you age and you are much wiser too! I've seen a big difference in my mum's level of tolerance and understanding over the years. She used to have a very short fuse, but now she's super chilled. I don't know whether it's because you have a different perspective or because you've run out of energy to get angry! Obviously there are exceptions, but I think there's definitely a strong correlation between age and patience."