@kevinwong this article reminds me of my Korean students.
Being 5 minutes late is a no no - no matter what excuse - they hate having their time wasted. You'd often hear "time gone is never coming back".
But my favorite line is that of a song;"Time is money, the difference is I own it." :)
I think though ... that ... just waiting for someone who'd get there in an hour doesn't have to mean - your time would get wasted. Do something productive while waiting. Bring a crochet or so - (okay that crochet part's a joke).
Seriously ... I'd rant, too if I would be made to wait and worse - get stood up after having made to wait.
In the NL, everything is on schedule and by the schedule. When I have an appointment with the doctor or the dentist the assistant always says please come 15 minutes before your appointment - it's like saying - please waste your 15 minutes instead of mine. :D
But I like that part of sticking to the schedule here very much. It's a great proof of discipline and most Dutch adhere to that.
Wow that's good too know, too bad that the culture in my country.. is all about "chill out man", and "i'm on the way". Lateness is pretty much acceptable here, and too bad for a person like me!
@kevinwong - I feel for you, I'd rant, too if someone does that and worse- tells me to "chill out man". That's too inconsiderate.