Favourite Working Days.

How time passes us by so very quickly, its Saturday once again. Fridays and Saturdays are taxi drivers favourite working days, this is when we are kept very busy with passengers waiting for us everywhere, especially at taxi stands of Shopping Malls, Night Clubs and all places of interests. These are days when we come out in full force and none would wish to take 'off' at all. Takings for these days normally exceed by at least a third compared with other days of the week.
Sometimes, we get carried away, we tend to forget and just skip our meals and coffee breaks until later in the day when hunger beckons, thats when we stop work. It is during this break that we start to feel bodily aches here and there. Taxi drivers who have worked continually for more than 20 years suffer gastric pains and backaches, the most common ailments. Overall, I think being a taxi driver is still the best retirement job. We continue to remain actively involved in daily happenings, keeping our minds alert and active till we reach the age limit of seventy three when we have to finally retire.

Filial Piety ! Huh, whats that ?

Recent articles of parents on the receiving end is sick and utterly disgusting. 'Young teenage girl slaps her mother twice and feeling proud about it, even to the extent of broadcasting and boasting to the whole world'. What has become or gone wrong with our TNG (The Next Generation)? Wait a minute, here comes another one, 'man chases father and mother out of his home, reprimands them for not helping in household chores, only eat and sleep'. My goodness, this is disgusting!
The Government's regular talks and calls for more care and aid towards helping the elderly together with reminders on lessons of filial piety has come to nought. Parents poor upbringing to be blamed, excessive sacrifices and giving in all the time also to be blamed and last but not least, bringing them into this world in the first place have themselves totally to be blamed. This is truly a sad day for one and all. Happinesss, Joy, Hope and Pride may no longer be forthcoming for parents except a sense of helplessness as they may slowly await punishments and regrets one day when they grow old and in their twilight years with senility and dementia closing in.
At the end of it all remember, there still exists a word called 'Retribution' lest they forget.

Pleasant Encounters.

A few days ago, I ferried a lovely, friendly and cheerful German lady from Holland Village taxi stand to Boon Lay Avenue. She had just done a bit of shopping and was going home. She told me that she has been living here for the past 4 years and is very happy living in her HDB flat, mixing and mingling with the locals, learning our way of life, because that is the only opportunity she gets to experience and to know what its truly like being Singaporean, and she loves it. She told me that her best friends are in fact Singaporeans and not any from her 'Ang Moh' community. We had a very pleasant journey, chit-chatting and laughing all the way.
Then last night for the first time, I had the pleasure of fetching an Armenian (my first ever) citizen from IMM taxi stand and he wanted to return to his NTU (Nanyang Technological University) campus.You see, he is a Physic's Lecturer based in NTU for the past 2 years. I was indeed very surprised to learn from him that there are at present only 15 Armenians living in Singapore and all of them know each other very well. Their families would always meet together weekly at the Armenian Church near Hill Street every weekend and, laughing a bit, he blushingly told me that he presently sits on the Advisory Board even for such a small community. He went on to tell me some very interesting historical facts (too long to elaborate) about their early inhabitants and existence in Singapore.
Being a taxi driver, I get to observe, learn and receive first hand information from Tourists from all over the world, Expatriates of different nationalities, their behaviours, criticisms, praises, thoughts and views about Singapore and Singaporeans. And finally, I am happy to conclude that the majority or almost all foreign visitors and expatriates that I have personally been in contact with have expressed and shown love and great admiration for our country with many also declaring their intentions and desire to live here permanently.

'Cheats' here and there.

Reverse actions involving taxi drivers from a neighbouring country, in this case, Vietnam. In Singapore, we often read about fare cheats but in Hanoi, we read about taxi cheats (over-charging). Recently, a couple from Singapore, attending the 80th Interpol General Assembly held in Hanoi were made to pay $360 for a 10km ride which would normally cost only $10 and not only that, they also left an iphone4 in the cab which has yet to be recovered. Earlier this year, a Malaysian woman reporter was made to pay $240 for a ride to the airport which would have cost only $9. The cab she took was found to be an unlicenced one (a 'pirate' cab) which had similar markings belonging to a big taxi firm. She was made to walk to the Airport when she refused to pay $500 demanded by the driver. There is an increase of taxi driver cheats (a criminal offence) in Hanoi and the Transport Authorities are still investigating cases involving the drivers and also the taxi companies.
In Singapore, overcharging is a serious offence and the taxi licence can be revoked.

An "Act of God".

Heavy rainfalls, flooding, stalled vehicles and people wading in flood waters waist high near where I lived during my teenage years were a common disastrous sight. My family lived in the corner double-storey terrace house, ten in a row, along Thomson Road, directly opposite Mount Pleasant Road and the Singapore Polo Club. These row of terrace houses have since been demolished. Everytime when there is continuous heavy rainfall throughout the whole day, the whole area gets flooded and looked like a big swimming pool. Imagine flood waters reaching knee high inside our house and as a youngster, it was always a big thrill and fun time, playing in the flood waters, waiting for chances to earn a few dollars when we help push stalled vehicles along Thomson Road was the most exciting pastime. Many young people would swim near the small bridge, at the T-junction of Mt. Pleasant Road/Thomson Road, jumping off into the swollen swift flowing river, devoid of any sense of danger whatsoever. The roads were impassable to all vehicles and were hardly visible at all to a certain extent.
Magnify the scenario and picture the vast devastation of flooding presently happening in Thailand as I read the newspapers and watched the television news coverage each day of the continuous and un-ending rising flood waters, causing heavy destruction including several hundred deaths already, I can only visualise a little bit, in a small way with what it was like to be in such situations although my experiences were only a tiny fraction compared to the tragic magnitude of sufferings affecting Thai people today, whose lives are being traumatised with properties lost, destroyed and death toll rising. When will the water 'Nightmare' in Thailand go away?

On The Losing End.

Driving along the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) towards Woodlands or from Woodlands towards town has always been very tricky and dangerous especially with many motorcyclists travelling alongside of your vehicle. The majority of the motorcyclists are mostly Malaysian workers coming to work here or going home everyday. They often speed, ride recklessly, weaving in and out between vehicles in a hurry to go to work or return home. There were times when we nearly collide and the m/cyclists would show their arrogance and 3rd fingers or even race beside you and then suddenly cut across your path to vent their anger. What they don't realise is that if my vehicle were to come into the slightest contact with their bikes, they would be flung off their bikes, crash and be seriously injured or killed. If this happens, I would also be faced with a lot of inconveniences, loss of time and income as in having to spend time making accident reports and sending vehicle to workshop for repairs etc. Of course these possible collisions will occur anywhere with m/cyclists endangering their lives or that of their pillion riders when they continue to think that they are immune to getting hurt when they collide with motor vehicles. Motorcyclists have to be made aware that they are the ones, with only their helmets on their heads as protection will always end up getting badly injured and may even lose their lives but not that of the driver of the motor vehicle, should they collide.

Reservoir's Calling!

Premonition!  thats it, after sending a lady passenger to Bedok Reservoir View just after midnight (early Saturday morning), I decided to stop at the first bus stop pass the junction of Bedok Ave. 3 to have a breather and anyway my last job before turning in. Got down from my cab, crossed the road towards the reservoir's edge, lighted up and thought this was indeed a beautiful sight. Its serenity, water, water everywhere, beautiful scenery, tranquil and so very peaceful and calm. Just then, I remembered and recalled about the drownings and deaths that happened hereabouts, the most recent, a female, only a couple of weeks ago. Is this a silent and inviting 'graveyard' or what? Why are people coming here to end their lives? These deathly thoughts raced through my mind and I thought more deaths may occur in future because this place might be an 'in' thing or location for those who have lost 'it". Never did I imagine that another tragedy or death would happen so fast as I read the news online just now. Shocking! This is going to be the reservoir's 6th victim, and also at a time when the Inter-Religious Organization, Community leaders and some residents are gathered on the floating platform at the reservoir this morning to bless it. Its scary to think of the co-incidence and the happening so immediate (the Reservoir is alive?). I don't think I will stop by the banks of this 'reservoir' for any 'breather' in future anymore for that matter.

Ugly and Shameful Behaviour.

Last night, two 73 year old senior citizens, very ill-tempered and with foul mouths, frustrated, angry, agitated and panting as they boarded my cab outside Lavender Food Centre, along Jalan Besar Road at about 8.45pm. They wanted to go to Hougang Avenue 4, and as soon as they seated themselves, loud and filthy Hokkien vulgarities started spewing out from the both of them non-stop and together at the same time. They began by swearing and cursing a number of taxi drivers (about 7 taxis) who did not stop for them when they were flagged even though their taxis had shown that they were vacant. They said they had to walk all the way from Bendemeer MRT station to where we met and it was already more than half an hour ago and yet no taxis will stop for them. They claimed that taxi drivers must be very rich people, earning at least five thousand dollars monthly, thats why they don't bother to stop and pick them up. They said they would have reached home if they had taken the MRT and when I asked why they had not done so, they immediately remarked that there were so many taxis around and they wanted to go home quickly, its not as if they don't have the money to pay for the taxi fare. This loud vulgar swearings and cursings went on and on, to the extent of even wishing taxi drivers be robbed and beaten up and maybe killed if possible because they deserved it, until they revealed that they were ex-taxi drivers themselves which shocked and stunned me momentarily. I understood straightaway that these two ex-cabbies cannot accept being 'The Commuters' now and facing 'unwilling' vacant cabs and its their turn to start waiting and catching errant cabs like what they were and must have been doing in the past themselves. I chose to remain quiet the rest of the journey, not to engage them in any rebuttals or arguments but to quickly despatch them to their destination. I just want to forget this ugly and uncalled for episode from the behaviour of these two shameful senior citizens cum ex taxi drivers with their despicable attitudes. 

Generosity and Thoughtfulness.

Pleasant surprises for me yesterday from two of my passengers. The first was when this middleaged woman whom I picked up at People's Park taxi stand at about 7.30pm last night, she insisted that I must accept a soy-bean drink (in plastic bag) as she had just bought two bags, one was actually intended for her young son when he returns from his grandparents home, but then he will not, 'cause he chose to stay another day. I was reluctant to accept at first, but she was adamant and kept insisting till I finally relented.
The second surprise came during my last intended trip for the day as it was already midnight, when these two young Indian men boarded my cab near Railway Mall. They wanted to go to two places, first Bukit Batok Central and then to Yew Tee. Along the way, one of them requested and asked if I could just stop at MacDonalds for 5 minutes, he was feeling very hungry and needed to buy something home to eat as his wife was already asleep, he did not wish to disturb her. Since this was to be my last trip, I said okay. Less than 5 minutes later, he was back with 3 packs of quarter-pounder hamburgers, one for his friend and the other for me. Wah, I was surprised, at first I refused but he and his friend kept saying "Uncle, you too must be hungry lah, c'mon lah, take, take". They were both very persistent, kind and thoughtful, I gratefully accepted. When we reached their destinaton at Yew Tee, the metered fare was showing $13.00 and they straightaway gave me $15.00 and told me to keep the change as well. Wow, what a pair of great guys they turn out to be, so generous too. This was to be yet another unforgettable workday for me as I thanked them wholeheartedly and wished them goodnight. 

Bring On "The Rotan".

A young drunk and violent passenger assaults 62 year old cabby, punched and then kicked his head twice when he fell down on January 29 this year, was jailed for 4 weeks and ordered to pay only $100 as compensation is, I think a very mild and timid punishment, don't you agree? This young coward, who not only cheats, but even beats up a senior citizen who provided him with transportion and did no wrong, except ask for payment of the metered fare, should not be allowed to get away so easily. This increasing trend of assaults and fare cheating, many complaints, reports and even more unreported ones, have got to end.
Member of Parliament  for Joo Chiat, Mr. Charles Chong, said taxi drivers can be protected against fare cheats by insuring them against fare losses, but is this the issue? I would propose implementing a more severe form of punishment to be meted out for violence and assault by abusive fare cheats and others against service providers, such as, by handing out a mandatory 3 months jail term and a minimum of' 3 strokes of the 'rotan' (cane), similar to 'Road Rage', including a fine, would be sufficient enough to deter and reduce such 'bullying' acts drastically. The compensation for fare losses is usually negligible as against possible injuries sustained.