A few weeks ago, I read a column from the Straits Times where the journalist mentioned that it is always easy to spot Singaporeans overseas. The thing that gave us away is our language usage. Many Singaporeans are prompt to mix the usage of a few languages in the same sentence. We are unable to speak for long in the one language.
Hmmm.....this article seems to quite true. Observing myself, indeed, my Mandarin conversations are interspersed with many English phrases. Inspired to improve my language skills, these few days I have been trying to speak my Mandarin conversations fully in one language. It is a challenge I have to say. Though I can read and comprehend Chinese broadcast news, but due to lack of use, many Chinese phrases do elude me when I am conversing though I will understand them when I hear them. Will need to practice more. Practice makes perfect. :)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Iraq
Just finished "Elvis is Titanic" by Ian Klaus. This book is about classroom tales in Iraq. The author, a Rhodes Scholar spent a year in Iraq teaching English and American History in 2005. Though there were many American soldiers in Iraq, he was supposedly the very few American civilians involved in the education sector. The book showed you a different Iraq from what we often see from the news, it gave us glimpses of the aspirations of some classes of Iraqis from the eyes of an American.
I like another book "Salam Pax: The Baghdad Blog" by Pax Salam. Happened to chance upon this book when I was at a bookshop in North Thailand earlier this year. Reading books is a good way to pass time when you are travelling on the road for hours at times. I am always glad to be in North Thailand as there are often many bookshops near the backpackers district for us to buy and sell our books. Anyway Salam Pax is a Iraqi and the book is a consolidation of his blog in 2002-2003 which supposedly had a huge following as he managed to give a "lighted hearted" view of his life in Iraqi despite the war and troubled times. It is humorous yet gives valuable insights on the war and the impacts that it has on the lives of ordinary citizens. I recommend this book, his way of writing his blog is really intriguing.
I like another book "Salam Pax: The Baghdad Blog" by Pax Salam. Happened to chance upon this book when I was at a bookshop in North Thailand earlier this year. Reading books is a good way to pass time when you are travelling on the road for hours at times. I am always glad to be in North Thailand as there are often many bookshops near the backpackers district for us to buy and sell our books. Anyway Salam Pax is a Iraqi and the book is a consolidation of his blog in 2002-2003 which supposedly had a huge following as he managed to give a "lighted hearted" view of his life in Iraqi despite the war and troubled times. It is humorous yet gives valuable insights on the war and the impacts that it has on the lives of ordinary citizens. I recommend this book, his way of writing his blog is really intriguing.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Taxi driver's blog
I think I must have written too much about taxi drivers that my friend has passed me a link of a blog by a local taxi driver. It is really an interesting blog. I am hooked to it. Think it has a large following too from the number of comments.
Indeed taxi drivers face a lot of different kind of passengers and the stories give us a glimpse about the life of the passengers.
Anyway, he is no ordinary taxi driver but a driver that has a PHD from Stanford. Through some circumstances, he is now driving a taxi. Maybe he is just doing it for a while to experience a different kind of life that he never knew. His blog is http://taxidiary.blogspot.com
Indeed taxi drivers face a lot of different kind of passengers and the stories give us a glimpse about the life of the passengers.
Anyway, he is no ordinary taxi driver but a driver that has a PHD from Stanford. Through some circumstances, he is now driving a taxi. Maybe he is just doing it for a while to experience a different kind of life that he never knew. His blog is http://taxidiary.blogspot.com
Monday, December 14, 2009
Story from a taxi uncle
My blog is at risk of becoming a story about the lives of taxi uncles. Haha :) As some of you may have guessed correctly, I am going to write about the story of the taxi uncle I met today. The uncle saw his taxi friend in front and switched to the other lane to be side by side with his friend so that he can talk for a while as we were waiting for the trafffic. I heard he asked his friend in Hokkien whether his friend bought his car number as it came out as the top price in the 4-d draw.
I asked him later casually whether he recently won 4-d and then he started telling his life story. The uncle has driven taxi for about 22 years. He raised 2 daughters to the university and they are now already coming 30 years old. 2 very filial daughters that gave him and his wife quite a decent amount of allowance every month. He can jolly well retire and survive on the allowance but he prefers to work. In fact he recently brought his daughters to taiwan and even sponsored the trip and shopping there.
Interestingly he also told me that he has quite a luck with all his cabs. Whenever he changes to a new cab, his cab numbers will inevitably come up as 1st or 3rd price in the local 4-d draw within a year. He said his IC number also often comes up as the 1st price in the 4-d draw and proceeded to ask me to buy. Haha but of course I have already forgotten the numbers he gave me as I do not buy 4-d and don't have such luck also.
Seemed really like one lucky uncle. Though luckily he mentioned he is not really a gambler, he just buys not much each time in the 4-d draw.
In addition despite his age he is one hardworking fellow. Starting his driving every day at 4.30am. Wow so early indeed!
I asked him later casually whether he recently won 4-d and then he started telling his life story. The uncle has driven taxi for about 22 years. He raised 2 daughters to the university and they are now already coming 30 years old. 2 very filial daughters that gave him and his wife quite a decent amount of allowance every month. He can jolly well retire and survive on the allowance but he prefers to work. In fact he recently brought his daughters to taiwan and even sponsored the trip and shopping there.
Interestingly he also told me that he has quite a luck with all his cabs. Whenever he changes to a new cab, his cab numbers will inevitably come up as 1st or 3rd price in the local 4-d draw within a year. He said his IC number also often comes up as the 1st price in the 4-d draw and proceeded to ask me to buy. Haha but of course I have already forgotten the numbers he gave me as I do not buy 4-d and don't have such luck also.
Seemed really like one lucky uncle. Though luckily he mentioned he is not really a gambler, he just buys not much each time in the 4-d draw.
In addition despite his age he is one hardworking fellow. Starting his driving every day at 4.30am. Wow so early indeed!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Taxi
These 2 weeks due to time constraint and tight schedule, taxi is my primary public transport. Once these 2 weeks is over, it will be back to bus and MRT for me else it is really burning a big hole in my pocket.
Anyway taking the taxis these two weeks have been a very pleasant experience. The taxi drivers are often very friendly in striking conversations with me. For example, the taxi driver yesterday was a university graduate. He shared with me that he often studied together outside with his friends during his poly years. After his graduation, he worked at Tuas while living in Pasir Ris (opposite end of the island) and took distance learning for his degree course. It got very tough later on when he had a family and had to balance all the commitments. I can imagine.
Another day, the son of the taxi driver was a doctor. I could tell that the taxi driver was very proud of his son, which is rightly so. I think his son should also be very proud of his father for bringing him up all the way to university.
From newspaper reports, I know taxi driving in Singapore is not a well paid profession. For sitting behind the wheels for 10 hours a day, the taxi driver will probably earn $2000-$3000 a month after deducting the vehicle rental and diesel cost. If they fall sick or for other reasons they are unable to work for some days, then the take home pay will be much less. Considering the cost of housing in Singapore and the cost involved in raising a family, I can understand when they told me that with the housing price spikes, even though they needed to get a bigger house for the growing family, it is very difficult for them as the prices are beyond their reach so they will have to squeeze in the present house.
However despite all these, often they undercharge me. For eg when the fare is $8.20, they would charge me $8. Even though is only 20cents, but all these do add up to significant reduced earnings for them if they do this on a daily basis to all the commuters.
And today, the taxi uncle really undercharged me signifcantly. The taxi driver was probably in his late 60s to early 70s, definitely over the normal retirement age. First he was very kind to ask me whether the car is too cold for me. On reaching my home, the fare was $7.20. I told him I have 20cents, so that he can just give me back $3 while I gave him $10.20. But he said no need to give him the 20 cents. Then later he shoved $4 back to me. I took out $1 to gave him back. But he insisted that I keep it. Even though I told him he would make a loss, but he keep insisting and said is ok, since he is on way home. In the end I could only thank him. Hmm.. so I paid $6 for a $7.20 journey. Thank you Uncle for your generosity! Even though I don't know I deserve it.
Generosity and kindness is found plentiful in people, often from people who may not be as well endowed in society. I know millionaire who pinch their pennies, maybe that is why they can get so rich because they are very conscious of managing their money. Hmmm....kindness probably work in cycles. The uncle has started the kindness cycle, and I hope I will continue in his spirit of giving and pass it along to someone else. :)
Anyway taking the taxis these two weeks have been a very pleasant experience. The taxi drivers are often very friendly in striking conversations with me. For example, the taxi driver yesterday was a university graduate. He shared with me that he often studied together outside with his friends during his poly years. After his graduation, he worked at Tuas while living in Pasir Ris (opposite end of the island) and took distance learning for his degree course. It got very tough later on when he had a family and had to balance all the commitments. I can imagine.
Another day, the son of the taxi driver was a doctor. I could tell that the taxi driver was very proud of his son, which is rightly so. I think his son should also be very proud of his father for bringing him up all the way to university.
From newspaper reports, I know taxi driving in Singapore is not a well paid profession. For sitting behind the wheels for 10 hours a day, the taxi driver will probably earn $2000-$3000 a month after deducting the vehicle rental and diesel cost. If they fall sick or for other reasons they are unable to work for some days, then the take home pay will be much less. Considering the cost of housing in Singapore and the cost involved in raising a family, I can understand when they told me that with the housing price spikes, even though they needed to get a bigger house for the growing family, it is very difficult for them as the prices are beyond their reach so they will have to squeeze in the present house.
However despite all these, often they undercharge me. For eg when the fare is $8.20, they would charge me $8. Even though is only 20cents, but all these do add up to significant reduced earnings for them if they do this on a daily basis to all the commuters.
And today, the taxi uncle really undercharged me signifcantly. The taxi driver was probably in his late 60s to early 70s, definitely over the normal retirement age. First he was very kind to ask me whether the car is too cold for me. On reaching my home, the fare was $7.20. I told him I have 20cents, so that he can just give me back $3 while I gave him $10.20. But he said no need to give him the 20 cents. Then later he shoved $4 back to me. I took out $1 to gave him back. But he insisted that I keep it. Even though I told him he would make a loss, but he keep insisting and said is ok, since he is on way home. In the end I could only thank him. Hmm.. so I paid $6 for a $7.20 journey. Thank you Uncle for your generosity! Even though I don't know I deserve it.
Generosity and kindness is found plentiful in people, often from people who may not be as well endowed in society. I know millionaire who pinch their pennies, maybe that is why they can get so rich because they are very conscious of managing their money. Hmmm....kindness probably work in cycles. The uncle has started the kindness cycle, and I hope I will continue in his spirit of giving and pass it along to someone else. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)