The Fabulous "JERSEY BOYS" Concert.

Rainy Days.

"Fiery" and "Burning Heat" yesterday afternoon and then just before 6.00pm dark clouds started looming in the heavens and all of a sudden, heavy rainfall and thunderstorm breaks out with flash floods forming fast and furious as predicted. I personally drove through flood waters with my passengers along Cambridge Road and Truro Road. It has been a very, very long time since the last time I remembered driving through flood waters but, honestly, I secretly enjoyed the thrill and adventure.

The change from feeling extreme heat to nice and cool weather was just awesome. The sudden change in the weather was unbelievably quick, its like gently turning to the next page when reading the newspaper. Anyhow, as usual when the rain comes, heavy traffic jams started appearing here, there and everywhere. Driving in these miserable conditions can be rather hectic with rain water often getting into the cab when passengers board and alight most times with wet umbrellas. After and hour or so, I decided to hang out at a nice cosy coffee shop and enjoy a hot cup of 'kopi' whilst waiting for the rain to subside a bit before I start working again.

During recent days, it was raining almost everyday and worst of all it had to happen most of the time during the evening 'peak' hours between 5.00pm to 8.00pm when passenger traffic is normally huge. Today's weather will likely be the same but for me, I will not be working this evening because I will be enjoying myself at a MBS theatre watching the "Jersey Boys" concert.

Changing Times.

So fast, the days and the first week of 2013 have already gone past. This year is already showing signs how swiftly and quickly we are again moving day by day. Anticipation of the next festival is now gathering momentum as we start to buy the coming Chinese New Year goodies. Everywhere, in petrol stations, shopping malls and eateries, signs welcoming the next big occasion are steadily getting into place. The pace and speed of everyday life's activities have not relented and I daresay this year 2013 will come and go just as fast as last year maybe even faster. It's frightening isn't it?

Times have changed tremendously in this new generation where expectations are set higher with greater needs for continuous high technological mobile gizmos, futuristic living standards and unprecedented lifestyles and changing scenes in human behavioural patterns such as society's acceptance of marriages between same genders, violence against the weaker sex such as gang rapes, more horrific abuse of untold torture and brazen killings of innocent children. I wonder where all these will lead us to. The world was warned so many times that it will end by certain dates with predictions and more impending ones, scary, but until this very day, it has survived each and every threat and so life goes on.

To begin my first blog for this new year in such a sombre, alarming and disheartening fashion is quite unlike me but then, feelings and thoughts of happy and wonderful days ahead have not ceased either. Lets make this another fruitful and exciting year ahead and continue to look forward to whatever will be, will be. Don't worry, be happy and stay healthy always. Cheers!

Fastest and Nearest Way to the 'Loo'.

Last night, after having dinner at Old Holland Road eating house off Bukit Timah Road, I also bought three durians to bring home and, still feeling good and fresh, I decided to start working for my taxi rental for the day.

My first passenger was a pretty young lady who flagged me near my home at around 10.30pm. She said, "Uncle, I need to go to Chua Chu Kang St.51 in a hurry. Could you go fast?, Could you please go by the nearest and fastest way, thank you". "Okay" I replied, "This should be the nearest and fastest way there" as I made a U-turn. "You must be in a great hurry to meet up with your boy friend?" I asked. "No, no, no, I need to go to the 'loo' badly" she quickly replied unabashedly. OMG, I immediately started laughing. In all my years driving a taxi, this is the first time any passenger ever asked me to quickly send them by the nearest and fastest way to the 'loo'. They would usually say they will be late for work, late for an appointment or interview, or late to fetch their children from classes but not hurrying to go to the 'loo'. It was so amusing it kept us both laughing and we began chatting along the way. I asked, "Why didn't you go to the 'loo' before you catch a cab?". She said she was waiting for a cab for quite a while and did not feel the urgency earlier. We continued chatting and laughing and I offered to drive her to the nearest petrol station toilet but she refused as she told me she is quite particular about public toilets and insisted she has good resistance and could still hold on. It was simply 'funny' as we both continued laughing and chatting mostly about toilets. Suddenly she said, "See, my friends are already laughing at me". Apparently she had been sending and receiving messages at the same time through her mobile whilst we chatted. We finally reached her apartment, she paid the metered fare for $9.20, said thank you, bade farewell and quickly sprinted away in the direction of her home.

What an interesting and hilarious meeting it was. A happy and memorable end to year 2012 for me.

This is the last day of year 2012 and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all, my friends ........

                             "A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2013"

 

 

A Kind of Weird Quietness.

Christmas Eve, Christmas day 2012 have passed and I must say, this year was unlike past years' celebrations. Why? Well, somehow this Christmas is not vibrant nor exciting but rather drab, quiet and for me the feelings and expectations were not there. It was surprising that I did not receive Christmas wishes on Christmas eve before midnight unlike past years when my hand phone would just keep ringing in calls and messages of beautiful designs from everywhere, bringing good cheers and thoughts, and making taxi driving, fetching passengers such wonderful and enjoyable time, although I must also admit I was not initiating or doing my part to say the least. I only managed to receive one Christmas 'wish' message at 11.38pm from my Iphone and after that, none throughout the night until much later, on Christmas day and even so, late in the afternoon when a few messages of Christmas cheers started ringing in. Overall, it felt like any other ordinary holiday atmosphere, nothing unusual and just imagine, hardly any "Merry Christmas" wishes from my passengers or merry making, laughter, singing inside my cab. It was quite weird for me as I start to recall those past nostalgic years' of Christmas celebrations. They were good and happy past memories.

Wet Wet Christmas.

Wow! Christmas is just around the corner, and each day when it rains, you tend to imagine that the rainfall is like snow falling in our tropical island don't you think so?. The weather is so nice and cool and the wind blowing with falling leaves everywhere creates a picture of nature's unmatched beauty, yes? Ahh, but for the downside, on the other hand, which causes wet misery, late appointments, dinners, long taxi queues, missed flights, cancelled sporting events and spoiling romantic dates and so, so much more, not mentioning continuous massive traffic jams and accidents. With all these happenings, yet it will never dampen nor alter the frantic Christmas shopping rush year in and year out, which brings me once again this time of the year to wish one and all just like wishing all my passengers everyday............
                       
                                               "MERRY CHRISTMAS" and GOD BLESS !

                                                         

                                                     

Quick and Sneaky.

Last Saturday nearly midnight, as I drove along Holland Drive, I decided to pick up one more last passenger before I call it a day. I reached Holland Village taxi stand and there were three taxis already waiting in line but there were no passengers in sight and so I drove past. Further down the road, a group of young people flagged me. I stopped and this young lady boarded my cab in the back seat together with a young man who sat in the front seat beside me and this young lady called out to the others standing outside, "Get in quick, sit one in and one out". I turned to look and three others, all boys got in immediately, making a total of five passengers. I said "Hey you guys, I cannot fetch five of you, only four adults allowed in a taxi". This young lady quickly pleaded, "Its okay lah Uncle, so nearby and one of my friends is so small size". I looked at the last one in and he was indeed skinny and looked 'smallish' in size, I then decided to ask where they wished to go, and the guy seated in front said "Uncle we want to go to AL AZHAR restaurant, Bukit Timah Road, you know Cheong Chin Nam Road?", "Yes I do, well okay, I'll shut one eye this time, but remember, before you board a taxi the next time, the five of you, please tell or ask the taxi driver first for permission as it is against taxi rules and regulations and not just slip in freely on board as you like". All of them answered in unison "Okay Uncle, thank you Uncle". Not often do we relent and choose to take a risk, which is not healthy and wise, but we would definitely drive extra carefully in such circumstances.

Believe it or Not?

Wow! Finding $1.1m in the back seat of your cab? I simply cannot believe anyone can just forget and leave the taxi without their huge sum of money. For me, put it this way, if I were to carry a cash sum of even $5,000/-, I would keep checking and making sure the cash is with me all the time where ever I may be. I suppose money is of no big deal to some people who are filthy rich and what is $1m or $2m to them, peanuts I guess. For the taxi driver who found the $1.1m and immediately reported and handed in the cash to his company, the first thing that can hit him I think, must be 'shock' and then 'fear' and it must have taken him a bit of time just counting the cash and 'shivering' whilst doing it don't you think?, I mean, how often does one get a chance to hold on to such a huge sum of cash in their lives? Sometimes I wonder if all this news can really be true or maybe just a gimmick, or maybe to advertise, create, or make oneself popularr and to also cause sensationalism, what do you think?

A few days ago, a male passenger and I were discussing about this incident and he told me that his wife recently found a handbag containing $16,000/- lying near where she was having her dinner and in the bag was also the person's identification and address and she immediately returned it and you know what? the guy told me his wife was rewarded with a piece of cake maybe worth $8.00 and he was angry about the whole episode, especially about the reward. He told me that carelessness and forgetfulness is of no excuse at all, people have themselves to blame and he still believes in the saying, 'Finders Keepers'. Well, I think it all boils down to the financial status of the 'Finder' rather than 'Conscience" for it can be a blessing in disguise, a 'Windfall' for him as he could be desperately in need of financial help which he cannot get anywhere. Sometimes we don't give truthful answers nor act sincerely when faced with 'Temptations' of the world. It is always such a long, long story.

Ugly Attitudes of Local Drivers.

I have been driving along the streets of Singapore for so many years, as a taxi driver for 15 years, yet so many things about the ugly habits and attitudes of local drivers have not changed over the years. The total lack of courtesy very evident till this day as well as selfishness, aggressiveness and impatience, all these just as active. In those days, road rage was a common occurrence, people get beaten up even for the slightest bit of 'honking', shouting or vulgar hand gestures. The law was not as strict then and speeding was rampant everywhere.

Today, drivers' habits remain the same, no improvements at all and discourtesy, impatience are all still there except for road rage which have soften down due to strict laws and harsh punishments for those who are involved. Minor accidents are usually caused through inconsiderate, negligent, 'kiasu' mentality and wilfully refusing to give way to other vehicles which often filter in and out of heavy moving traffic flow or in parking incidents. Nasty and fatal accidents are usually caused through speeding and drink driving.

Best Wishes.

                                            Wishing all my Hindu Friends and Readers

                                                          "HAPPY DEEPAVALI"