Inevitable Changes.

Driving a taxi is getting very tiring nowadays, especially the older taxi models such as the Toyota Crown which I am using. With manual gears, my legs ache with so much action each time there is traffic congestion, or slow moving vehicles which is a common daily occurrence and worst if accidents happen or when vehicles breakdown this ultimately causes massive jams. I need to change to an automatic vehicle in the near future to protect myself from possible bodily injuries in the long run. With all the talk and debates on the sensitive subject of 6.9 million population soon, things will inevitably happen and I dread to imagine future frightening traffic 'snarls' with an additional few hundred thousand more vehicles on the road, it is indeed scary.

With the increase in vehicle population, it is no longer enjoyable just driving around, be it for leisure or for work. Each day when I get behind my wheels, I know I will be 'swarmed' in a world of crowded vehicles of all sorts and also, most of my passengers, about 70 per cent of them will likely be foreigners. More and more long queues of passengers at taxi stands, more visitors here, there and everywhere augers well for cabbies' earnings but these also come with a 'price'. Complaints against taxi drivers are on the rise even for very minor issues. Taxi Drivers getting abused and badly beaten up are making headlines. Being a service provider in this vocation is always a risk. I mean, being together with strangers, anything can happen. Right now I am getting ready to join the crowd.

Rain, Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day.

"Oh what a night....." by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and how true it was as I drove with the heavy rainfall earlier in the evening and through the night. My first few passengers were carrying very wet umbrellas and brought rain water into my cab when I picked them up by the roadside kerbs. In just a short while the inside of my cab was simply wet and also on the backseats as some inconsiderate passengers placed their wet umbrellas on the seat. There is no fun driving during heavy rainy days. Roads get clogged up and the highways with vehicles bumper to bumper were just 'crawling'. Looks like this evening we are going to face another repetition of continuous rainfall. Anyway, I will be attending a Kangen Water Distributors dinner and get together this evening from 6.30pm onwards which allows me some time off and away from the roads till after 9.00pm.

With the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations just around the corner, hordes and hordes of people are busily moving here, there and everywhere, doing frantic last minute shopping sprees. The crowds at taxi stands, by the roadsides and everywhere are frustrated and fuming as they try to 'catch' a cab with many of them soaking wet. It is through times like these that's when taxi drivers earn their bonuses, and after that start 'sweating' with all the cleaning up they have to do with their taxis after their shifts..  

Start of Events and Festivals.

The first month of year 2013 and we faced a horrible tragedy on our roads. The horrific accident that took away the lives of two young boys, aged 7 and 13 years. There are many accidents that involve taxis nearly everyday and I am asked frequently why this is so. Well, taxis are on the roads everywhere, 24 hours a day and therefore their risks in getting involved in accidents are very much greater. Nowadays, we see more and traffic police on the roads and this is good. With many eyes on the lookout for reckless, speeding and errand drivers, it would be safer for road users especially the young and elderly pedestrians. Heavier penalties and punishments would definitely be a deterrent to irresponsible drivers of all categories of motor vehicles.

It is fast how January has passed us by, including the first Indian cultural festival which is Thaipusam, held last week with awesome displays of fire walking, carrying of heavily decorated kavadis, pots on heads and the spiking of stainless steel bars into bodies was really a spectacle to behold in broad daylight and during night time too as hordes of devotees walked along the crowded city roads from temple to temple, chanting and singing, watched by throngs of spectators, tourists and locals.

The next most colourful and long celebrations will happen next weekend and its none other than the widely celebrated Chinese Lunar New Year festivities. Taxi Users will find great difficulties in securing taxi services during this period as most Chinese taxi drivers stop work and go all out entertaining relatives and friends including themselves, spending  time with their own families by providing transportation , doing errands and most of all, for visiting purposes. Taxi drivers have already been doing great business last week and this coming week. It is like 'bonus' time for Taxi Drivers when their taxis are truly in great demand throughout the day and night till the eve of New Year's day when all will be enjoying their 'not to be missed' Re-Union Dinner with Family and Loved ones.

Year Of The Snake.

Another two weeks more and its Chinese New Year once more. Already you can see Chinese New Year decorations in Chinatown with the 'light up' now on together with this year's 'Snake' theme and as expected the supreme colour 'RED' appearing everywhere. The only difference is the disappearance of the sound of firing crackers, the red coloured carpeted remains of crackers strewn along roads and streets which have vanished altogether. Present day Chinese New Year celebrations have lost its magical, 'sounds and cracker smells' and for me it just feels like another one of those religious and commercial holiday 'splats'. Many traditional values of family unity like the 'MUST' to be home, gathering together, with family members which we ultimately call 'RE-UNION DINNER' has lost its vibrancy and compulsory attendance for most families with most of us giving absurd excuses to avoid attendance by doing the disappearing act, very common and favourite excuse is, just say and tell this famous phrase - 'away for holidays overseas'. Preparations for this auspicious day is actually a compulsory ritual for all to do 'inescapable' cleaners' job, tiresome, troublesome and frowned upon by all before the big day approaches. Nevertheless, with all these downsides and unforeseeable future, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you one and all.............                                    

                                                  "A Happy and Prosperous New Year"

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 !