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Has anyone notice that people are becoming more and more forgiving about tardiness in recent years? Or is it just people I choose to surround myself with?

There used to be a time when, as students, we were taught to go to bus stop for the school bus on time or else you don't get a ride, arrive at school on time or else you get penalized for tardiness (which at the end of the school term, affect your grade on conduct), be at the exam on time or else the proctor won't let you in, be at the pitch on time or else you don't get to play. As adult, sit at your office cubicle on time or else you get warned, arrive at your date on time (and better be early) or else you make a bad impression on your potential partner in life, arrive at client meeting early or else you may lose thousand or million dollars of business...

I can keep going on with the list.

My parents taught me well by setting perfect examples. Be it taking us to the school bus, to Sunday school, to church, to visit grandparents, to family gathering, to friends' gathering, the Leungs are always on time and early. To me, it is the most basic manner to be punctual. End of story. Period. Well, unless there's unavoidable excuse -- the MTR broke down and we got trapped in the train, amber or yellow rain and the road is flooded, the car got a flat tire and die -- you get what I mean.

My question is (somebody please enlighten me with a reasonable and convincing answer!!), why am I always the one waiting for the late people these days? I try my best to be on time, unless I get locked up in the zoo / 火坑. People are turning tardiness into a habit, and then assume it's very much okay and forgivable, and take it for granted that it is THE norm to be late. They abuse the fact that I abide to the basic manner and respect each occasion by being on time. There is a reason why we set a start time for events, be it work or social. Why am I being penalized by being punctual? Why are people these days seem to think and act like as if tardiness is the norm and there is absolutely no need to apologize, let alone have the courtesy to call/notify me when they know they'll be late?

The only people who still make an effort and insist to be punctual: my Mommy and Daddy, my sisters A & K, my ex-boss E, my LYM friend J (she and I both know very well that, from the LYM days, that our tardiness translates to fewer minutes on the horseback!!), my uncle H & auntie S, FAA people (well, most of them anyway)...gosh I am having such a tough time trying to come up with this list. The beauty of these people is, they ALWAYS call me before the start time (not half an hour after) to notify me and they ALWAYS apologize when they arrive.

Basic manner. Human etiquette 101, my friends.

There, I vented. Thanks for listening.