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Introducing Uncle Frank the Cabbie

with his own monthly 

column in

"TIME OUT SINGAPORE"

PPA

International Consumer

Magazine

of the Year 2011

PICCADILLY CIRCUS in Singapore.

Yesterday, around 5.45pm, I was flagged by an elderly Englishman along Boundary Road, junction of Upper Paya Lebar Road. He wanted to go to PICCADILLY CIRCUS on his own but lost his way around and needed help. I told him I know how to get him there, and jokingly suggested that he would need to buy an air ticket first. Straightaway he knew I was pulling a fast one and exclaimed excitedly "You know where it is? Thank goodness, nobody I asked had the slightest clue to what I was talking about!". He told me he lived in Singapore many, many years ago, during the sixties when he was an ex-British Serviceman doing a year's duty and lived in Seletar Airbase. (I believe many Singaporeans are unaware that there exist such a place except for the famous and well known one in London.) "God Bless You!" he said.

This English gentleman, now a tourist, wants to relive his days when he lived here but was shocked to find great changes everywhere, totally unlike the peaceful, quiet and serene surroundings that he experienced in the past. Suddenly he looked excitedly at the entrance and exclaimed, "It's still there, the facade, but no Guards!". He could not sit still and spied at every corner. Indeed, you could feel just pure nostalgia.

Finally past the entrance and inside, his voice quavered loudly, "Oh my God, its like yesterday, my beloved PICCADILLY CIRCUS!!" and turning to me he said, "I love Singapore, thank you, thank you, you have made my dreams come true my man!" I quickly replied "The pleasure is all mine". He insisted to alight by the side of the road, the metered fare was showing $12.40 and he pushed $20.00 into my hands. "For you my friend, for you and thank you again". He said he wants to walk by himself and be filled with past memories and bade me farewell. I watched him slowly walking away along Edgeware Road and that's when I started taking the above snaps. I felt very happy having his company and sharing his joy as I began to drive off.

Antique Bamboo Chair.

 The past week was rather quiet and nothing very interesting or eventful happened except till last night at about 10.30pm when I picked up an elderly woman along Jalan Besar, near Lavender Food Centre, and she wanted to go home to Telok Blangah Crescent.

 Along the way, we chatted and laughed and we had a very pleasant conversation. You don't believe it, she is 86 years old, same age as her husband, both are Hokkiens, speaks a bit of English, looks fit and healthy, very independent and alert. She has seven children, 3 boys and 4 girls, all married, 15 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. Her husband and herself lives happily with her youngest son. She is indeed a blessed woman.

When we arrived at her destination, she asked if I could accompany her to her apartment as it was already too late in the night, I of course obliged. Reaching her 7th floor apartment, she thanked me and said goodbye. At the same time I noticed this bamboo antique stool which is also a baby chair outside her door. I asked if I could take a few pictures of it with my iphone and she said go ahead. Everything done, we bade farewell and I left. The reason for me taking the above pictures is because I sat in one when I was a toddler and it brought back fond memories of my childhood days. 

Pasar Malams.

Driving along Petir Road in Bukit Panjang recently, there was this Pasar Malam (night market) activity which immediately brought me back to the past, maybe about 40-50 years ago, memories of the times when it was like a huge affair, very exciting with nearly everyone in the neighbourhood participating in the frantic shopping spree or walkathon, noisy, overcrowded pavements with people spilling onto the main road, pushing and crammed up along the whole stretch of the road lined up with at least 30 to 40 stalls selling anything from hairpins to mattresses and even mini nurseries filled with so many potted flower plants, money plants, and of course food, tit-bits and snacks, etc. It was something like a mini trade fair and no one wants to miss it. Usually the whole family in every household can be seen at the Pasar Malams with groups and groups of families in tow. A spectacle I would say.


The scenario is somewhat different today, no longer jammed packed but still thriving with people taking a walk or buying some tit bits or snacks and enjoying their favourite pastime. 


Pictures above show activities many years ago in Smith Street and Trengganu Street, a Pasar Malam scene during Hari Raya festival and a 1967 photograph along Clementi Road together with a cute caricature of a hawker near the Singapore River. 


(Photo Credit: National Archives of Singapore with acknowledgement and thanks.) 

"Meow Meow".

It was less than five minutes when I stopped and parked my taxi at the HDB covered car park near Mayspring Condo to go to the 24 hour food court to pack or 'tah-pau' some snacks home when, OMG, surprise, surprise, a furry commuter lying on my taxi's bonnet was waiting for me to fetch her for a ride last night at about 2.00am, with a couple of 'Meows'.

I had to apologise for not being able to ferry her because I may be charged with 'kidnapping' as her owners were not around then. It took me a while to coax her off my cab, but she kept giving me that 'Meow meow' please lah look until I had no choice but to lure her away with a piece of my 'siew mai' snack and only then she finally decided to take leave.

This night made me smile and feel happy knowing that even my 'furry' friends like to use my cab.

Fare Hike Made The Difference.

Yes, its true, earnings for cabbies have increased somewhat and I think this difference comes from the continuous additional 25% from 8.00pm till midnight everyday including Sundays and Public holidays. I would think an increase of 20% earnings after the fare hike is certainly visible, barring possible further increases in cost of diesel fuel.

These days I have been driving an average of 250km per day, additional 40 to 50 kilometres from around 5.00pm to 12.20am as more commuters, mostly foreigners and tourists make use of our services. Visitors to Singapore have risen significantly and they have been our regular and constant supporters. It has been quite tiring for me lately and I needed more time to rest.

One Of My Favourite Food Joints.

Picture this, a popular and tasty meal that taxi drivers look forward to quite often and very favourable because meals are bought and served very quickly. This famous food joint is at Jalan Besar and Kitchener Road junction, popularly known as "Ka Toh Chien", Hokkien for "Scissors Cut". There is a queue nearly everyday at this food place as shown through photographs taken by me last Saturday evening around 10.20pm when I went for my meal as shown above, consisting of white rice, a piece of fried fish, soy sauced sliced pork meat, fried green beans, fried egg and cabbage curry with chilly gravy which only cost me $5.80. The last photo I took an hour later shows how fast satisfied customers were attended to as the queue disappears but will form once again in a couple of hours time till the shop closes at 3.30am.

Exhaustive Appointments.

The past two weeks were rather exhausting for me having to attend to my medical appointments, four at National University Hospital and two at Chua Chu Kang Polyclinic, all of them from 9.00am onwards and by the time I return home after collecting my medication, its already around 2.00pm leaving me not much time for sleep. Altogether six appointments, which have been most costly, eye tests, blood tests, ECG, heart scan, cardiac and diabetes, about three visits each week. My test results have all been satisfactory except the loss of sleep and appetite have both deterred and prevented me from putting up posts during these times.

Yesterday morning, the last appointment I had at the polyclinic to check up and collect medication for my diabetes ended at 9.45am which was considered quick and early and by the time I reached home after having a bit of breakfast at the nearby food centre, I was already in a 'zombie' state and slept till 5.00pm.

Work lasted for about five hours, but at least I am glad to know that there is this interval for the next four to six months before the next spate of hospital appointments surface once again, so meanwhile, I guess I shall just take it easy, relax, be happy and move on.

Happy Tourists.

Yesterday around midnight, I picked up two middle aged male Australian tourists at Clarke Quay and one of them asked me, "Excuse me mate, where can we find girls in Singapore? Can you bring us to them?".  "Yes of course, there are many Asian girls at Orchard Tower at this time, would you guys like to go there?", "Great mate!" they replied. I said "Maybe, just to let you know, this place is very well known as 'The four stories of Whores' are you still keen?". "Wowee, sure why not, we love it, lets go there now!" both of them agreed immediately. "We will go and have a beer and check it out, hope you are not pulling our legs!". I said "Of course not, and I think you will not have just one beer but many, but try not to get drunk okay?". "No problem mate, but is it safe there?" they asked. "Safe?, yes of course, very safe, not to worry".

Around the bend, near the taxi stand just outside Orchard Tower, there were so many pretty ladies milling around and also near the entrance. They suddenly shouted, "Whoa, woh, fantastic! We love you man, you are good, look at them girls, lets go get them mate!". Their fare was $9.10 and they gave me $10.00 thanking me and were very pleased, laughing and happily poking each other. "Bye, enjoy yourselves and take care!" I shouted after them.

Mall To Mall.

Saturday was simply incredible.
At 5.15pm, I fetched my first passenger, a young man from 6th Avenue to United Square and it started a continuous visit to different Taxi Stands at shopping centres and malls all over the island. Next was this Chinese young lady at United Square taxi stand who boarded my cab and wanted to go to West Mall at Bukit Batok.
From there, another young Chinese lady wanted to go to Lot One at Chua Chu Kang where I waited less than five minutes at the taxi stand when a Malay woman in her forties, with three young children, asked to go to Causeway Point at Woodlands. Yes, when they alighted, two middle aged Indian women came on board just as quickly and instructed me to send them to Sun Plaza at Sembawang.
As I was driving, I thought so far my passengers were all females and all of them alighting at shopping centres and being a Saturday, it was not surprising. When I reached Sun Plaza taxi stand, a young school girl waiting at the taxi stand wanted to go to North Point at Yishun and I fetched her there.
Now as I waited at the taxi stand at North Point, it was just for one or two minutes, two young Malay girls wanted to go to Compass Point at Seng Kang, they told me that this was their first visit. There were about five taxis already waiting in line at the taxi stand there when they alighted and I then followed the taxi queue. This time I had to wait for about five minutes. When my turn came, a young Caucasian woman together with her five year old daughter boarded my cab and asked to be sent to Parkway Parade Shopping Centre.
It was already 8.45pm when my passengers alighted at their destination and I thought I had better take a breather and headed to Joo Chiat Food Centre to have my meal as I felt quite hungry.

After taking my meal, a delicious bowl of prawn mee soup, I slowly sipped my cup of coffee and took a short rest. It was quite tiring ferrying my passengers almost non-stop and over long distances, but it was a good working day.