I’m unapologetic for the lack of updates. Blogging has had become somewhat a chore for me….nevertheless, I thought I shall blog about something that has been bothering me for quite some time. Over some time, I realised I’ve become aunt agony of sorts….to cab drivers!?! *yikes*

I find an excuse to take cabs to and fro work daily take cabs regularly, so I’ve come across many types of cab drivers. I can profile them into various categories but I can say with some confidence that most of them fall into the "my customer is my aunt agony" category. One thing’s for sure - my Singlish has improved by leaps and bounds.

Category 1: Suffers from inferiority complex so finds the need to tell you in detail of his life before he was retrenched blah blah blah.

My role: I’m supposed to emphathise with him, to tell him I’m sure it’s all right, as long as you’re happy, it’s ok blah blah. Being a cab driver is a very respectful job blah blah blah, you’re very important too cos without you what would I do? I’ld be lost blah blah blah…

Category 2: Gah-men hater - doesn’t know anything about international politics (tony who?) but knows EVERYTHING about Singapore politics. And hates the gah-men. Complains non-stop.

My role: lots of "oh is it"s and "oh really"s and "aiyoh"s or "oh man!"s. This category has been nursing their hatred for too long, you can’t do anything about it. Anyway my knowledge of insider Singapore politics is like er limited so I cannot comment at all.

Category 3: LTA/cab company hater. Being an idiot, you gripe about being charged for peak hour surcharge even though you got into the cab at 9.29 am. One minute later you wouldn’t be slapped with the surcharge. OR worse, you get charged for $4 booking fee if you book at 9.25 am even though your cab comes at 935am. Now you really asked for it. So the cab driver goes into lengthy discussions about how it’s not his fault and LTA/cab company is the really bully. Uses colourful language like #$%@^^$

My role: Lots of "ya loh"s and "how can like that one"s and "really!!??!!"s… This category also has nursed its hatred for too long for you to do anything about it.

Category 4: Suffers from superiority complex. Finds the need to boast about his belongings. "Actually ah, I already have one MErcedes and live in a condo one". "I just drive cab to pass time". Or worse, tells u about all the "fun he’s had when he was young". I encountered one driver just the other day who told me in vivid details of how he was bribed in many instances and made "tons of money" and only drove "jaguars" in his young days.

My role: Lots of "wah, so good one" and "wah don’t like mahjong ah"s and "your car just sitting and rotting at home give me la"s. *rolls eyes*

Category 5: Neat freaks or just grumpy old men who need an excuse to scold you. I rarely eat in cabs but there was ONCE I was REALLY hungry and all I popped into my mouth was a ferror rocher chocolate and the bloody cab driver scolded me endlessly. Even asked me I was taught any manners. He was indian and said I shouldn’t disgrace indians with all these actions. I was like WTH….?

My role: *so shocked cannot utter a word*, start to defend myself but it’s no use. Ask him if he’s born in September. He says yes and what’s the connection with anything. I tell him all people born in September are neat freaks and that it’s perfectly all right to feel that way. It’s his turn to be dumbfounded. (Hah! he totally didn’t see that retort coming! - see it’s very important for aunt agony to know horoscopes well) I cooly alight from the cab, take my receipt as usual but this time take mental note of his cab number. Better not take his cab ever again!!!!

Category 6: "I hate my previous passenger". Complains endlessly about their previous passengers.

My role: Emphathise empathise empathise. Contribute stories of how I’ve encountered such people too and how "they cannot make it one". Embellish with lots fo "ya lors" and "how can like that one ah"s.

Category 7: Stalkers. Ok they’re not exactly stalkers but I keep getting the same drivers! There was one time my friend and I kept getting this guy for 3 straight times. They’re creepy cos they think they know so much about you. They usually live near you and know the security guard at your apartment and wait outside your house in the morning and says "shipyard girl right" the moment you get into the cab.

My role: Make some lame conversation about how shipyard girl sounds unglam and joke about how he shouldn’t wait for me like that cos the security guard teases me about being VIP and having cab waiting for me. Cab driver ignores me and starts talking about his bad day yesterday. And I have to comfort him. Bleargh.

My role as aunt agony is dumb. Why don’t cab drivers have like a hotline to call when they’re bored or something. It’s clear that they’re bored. But all I want to do is read my storybook during my ride. I so don’t wanna be aunt agony…but I feel bad for them so I just do my bit to make them feel good…for like a while at least.

By actually seeing Britney Spears flashing her crotch not once but twice. I’m truly grossed out. Somebody please hand me the puke bucket.

It’s also quite sad to see Britney continuing to look like trash. I mean I never liked her but Kevin Federline’s jerk moves have oozed some sympathy for her. And seriously, does she have to do this to herself? And please, partying like that is only meant for hotties like Paris Hilton. Not Britney. She looks like a goon. Why does Paris even bother with her and dumb lindsay lohan.

I’m insanely crazy over tonytail bands but I only wanted two bands and the shipping costs a whopping $15. Anybody wants to share with me? They’re soooo pretty. I wanted them as soon as I laid my eyes on them in Vogue.

I know I receive a lot of flak for criticising some celebrities but sometimes I really don’t understand why some people can even get celebrity status for being a singer or an actress when they clearly can neither act or sing.

Like Missy Elliot.

I mean, can she actually SING? All she does is say "Yeah yeah yeah" 1 minute before a song or in the middle of a song and she’s actually known as a singer and people like Christina aguilera (who clearly has a divine voice) clamour to collaborate with her.

And missy elliot is not even pretty or stylish. Like Paris. *drools*

And there’s this Pharell guy. He can be a great producer for all I care but why is he known as a singer? All he does is appear in some skanky video with Mariah Carey (who appears as slutty as always enough though she clearly has a divine voice) and say a few words like "Say something". Bah, it would be better if he said nothing at all.

The one who takes the trophy home for being a noise filler is without a doubt Kevin Federline. Without a penny to his name and a single which is an outright insult to the very word music, he’s better off making a name for himself as a back-up dancer once again other than a celebrity baby procreator and noise filler who can’t sing for nuts.

The only smart thing britney spears ever did in her life was dumping him.

I think most of my friends know that I’m a very demanding customer. I usually expect to get what I pay for. To my understanding, that’s the least I should expect simply because I am the one paying. I’m the customer and customer is always right. I know some people think I can be a “mean” customer sometimes but you see I know what the limit (grey lines indeed) is because I used to be in customer service too. I too was on the frontline once and that too at an organisation known to be the best in the world for what it does. (yes, changi airport is always the best!!!) I’ve been on the receiving end of demanding customers (never bad) but I’ve always also believed that they deserved better. I’ve also appreciated being appreciated for good customer service. So as much as I can be a demanding customer, I can also be a very good customer. I believe in giving credit where it’s due. People who exhibit good customer service definitely deserve to be appreciated.

I totally salute the Go-the-Extra-Mile for Service (GEMS) Movement [I think it’s part of the whole “Remaking Singapore” thingy]. I think it’s raising service standards here and those who’re doing their bit to increase service standards should be applauded.

I recently encountered some amazing customer service. I went to an Esprit outlet at Wisma Atria. There I wanted this particular top which was a sale item but my size was no longer available in that outlet (actually my size was available but the collar thingy was spoilt). Then I ran into this amazing lady called TingTing at the cashier where I was paying for some other items. And the lovely girl said she could check out for me if the other Esprit shops in town had that particular top I wanted. I told her I would hover around since it wouldn’t take much time to check that. She soon came back to me and told me that unfortunately none of them around the area still had that top in my size in good condition. But did she give up with that? Nope. She took my number and name and told me she’ll scour around and call me back. I left my name and number with her and went about shopping again (and meet Tby who was excruciatingly late).

I pretty much forgot about it until she actually called me an hour later to tell me that she actually found a shop in Singapore that sold that top in my size and was in good condition. I was pleasantly surprised. It was really sweet of her. She needn’t have done that. But she was willing to go that extra mile. Really nice. I went to buy the top the next day and took a feedback form to fill out.

I think this post is in appreciation of good service more than anything.

And people love my top. Even my doctor said it’s really pretty. lol.

I hate taking the MRT. It’s a pain in the ass. Seriously.

Ok fine, the MRT isn’t that bad. As long as you erase all the moronic people commuting with you. They’re all morons. Here’s why:

1. The people who take the escalator with you - they don’t understand what’s LEFT and RIGHT. Stand ONLY on the left side damnit. Why don’t you get simple english? WHY?!?!?!

2. Why must you RUN for the damn train? It’s Boon Lay for goodness sake. It’s BOON LAY for crying out loud. It’s the first station. There’s NO ONE in the train.
3. Speaking of no one, you have to let the people who want to alight, alight. How can there be no one if you don’t let them get off? So stop standing IN FRONT of the door. Are you blind? Or are you color blind? Don’t you see the damn yellow lines??? Or may be you’ve forgotten to dig your ears this year. You do know it’s said in all the four official languages that you should stand BEHIND the yellow lines right? And don’t you go wagging your skinny little finger at foreign immigrants. Don’t tell me that you, clad in nice little office attire, don’t understand any your four official languages. You … you …. @#$@!$!$#%###
4. I know teenage years can be tough. I know you are feeling very angsty. I know you like to listen to angry angsty rock music. Been there, done that. BUT there is no need to let EVERYONE know what you’re listening to. We know you’re angry with the whole word. Look around you. NOBODY cares. Get over it and become 20 soon. And PLEASE, for the love of God, get earphones. I hate kids teenagers with gigantic headphones.
5. I hate smelly secondary school kids. They act like the word "BATH" doesn’t even exist in their vocabularies. Somebody should enact new laws making it mandatory for kids to have BATHS after their dumb PE lessons or whatever physical stuff they do in school BEFORE they take public transport of any kind. I mean, seriously, this is air pollution. It’s bad enough with the haze that my eyes have been irritated. Now you want to add to my irritation with my poor nose?
6. And moms. Have you heard of the word "PACIFIER"? It’s what you use to keep your damn babies shut up and not cry THROUGHOUT a two hour journey. Ok fine, it ain’t two hours but it sure does feel like it! All thanks to you and your complete apathy towards your fellow commuters.

I think I have a solution to all these problems. You should segregate all the people. You know like in some countries, men and women travel separately, like in separate carriages or something? Yeah, we should have that here too, only there should be more degrees of segregation. Like all the moms can be with their screaming bratty kids in the mom+kids carriage (creates social bonding among moms and kids alike too!). There should be a smelly secondary school kids carriage where they can all interact and stuff. One should be there for people who pretend not to hear/see signs instructing them to practise common courtesy cannot understand any of the four local languages and hence cannot follow basic guidelines.And one for angsty teenagers - they can all pretend to love rammstein together - whatever. And one more for sane people like me who can FINALLY have a peaceful journey and making my damn trip worth paying for, hence justifying whatever fee hike.

Or better yet. Just fine them. Fine them ALL. I’ve enormous respect for the whole disciplinary state thingy. It sure works. $500 for every kid who plays music beyond 20 decibel. There goes your pocket money. No more rammstein cDs for you! Hah!

Today, someone asked me (the Deutschephile) if I liked Germany or America. Without hesitation I said Deutschland of course. Then I thought deeper about it and tried to rationalise why so many people loved America. After being here for some time, I realised that there is something that makes America truly a great country - something truly remarkable and worth admiring.

Not too long ago, people wanted to live the American Dream because they saw America as the land of abundant opportunities. It still is a land of opportunities but now I recognise it to be a land of equal opportunities. Due to my own set of principles and beliefs, I don’t believe that everyone was born equal but I do believe that everyone should be given equal opportunities.

Perhaps I’ve mentioned it before (at least in my old blog) that I’ve long admired America for its Anti-Discrimination laws.  

As far as I know, the federal laws are the most comprehensive in California and I don’t quite know of any country which comes close to providing equal opportunities and stressing the importance of doing so. I used to look at the American Dream with disdain, at least during the backlash against outsourcing and immigration debates in U.S. I wrote an article long ago on the demise of the American Dream too. Even though it was meant to be objective, I think it showed a certain bias.. I’m no longer biased. I hold the view now that the American Dream is worth living for especially if you’re in search of the land of equal opportunities cos I don’t think any country is going to come close any time soon.

Speaking of articles, my latest article is available on newstands this month and it’s on my pet topic of interest. My foreign publications will be available online from mid sept so watch this space!

I don’t like the way some Indian guys think you owe them a living just because you’re Indian. Actually some Indian girls act that way too but it’s the men who seem to pose more of a probelm to me. It’s soooo ridiculous that they actually think that I should smile/talk/make any facial expression if I see them just because we’re of the same race. I mean, like who the hell cares? I do not need to even acknowledge your presence, for your information. I admit I can be a snob most of the time sometimes, but the fact of the matter is that I am a snob irregardless of race. Of course I am more inclined to treat you like dirt if you expect me to treat you like royalty. Quite obviously if you’re a deluded fool you need someone like me to show you what a fool you really are.

I tell you they are not in the majority. Not all Indian men are like that. It’s just the young punks who think they’re oooh-so-hot-even-though-they-look-like-shit and travel in packs who act so barbarically. My rant stems particularly from the disgusting attitude of the young Indian security guards at my apartment. They’re soooooo bloody irritating. They refuse to open the damn door unless I freakin’ flash them a fake smile and a equally fake wave. I hate them. It’s like they get some psychotic pleasure out of infuriating me. I don’t understand why they’re so irritating. They’re not even remotely cute. The malay security guards are so much cuter and yet they’re so decent (I have this thing that cute guys should be jerks) why can’t these Indian morons learn from them? I’m nice to people who’re nice to me and those who deserve niceness. I make it a point to chat up all the decent ones, especially the older ones. I just have to clench my fists and grit my teeth when faced with the annoying punks.

Darn them. I’m ashamed to acknowledge them as fellow members of the human race, let alone ethnicity.

I’m pissed off with blinding highlights. I hate those BLOODY inconsiderate drivers who deliberately use blinding headlights. It’s so glaring I have to cover my eyes to avoid them, if I cannot switch lanes. And most of the time, the vehicles are huge SUVs, vans or sports cars. I hate them. They’re already so big and mighty, do they further need to show their might on the roads? Do they really need the extra ego boost and a good laugh when they successfully chase people out of their lanes? It’s sooooo evil! Next time I’ll bring my brother along and ask him to take a photo quickly for me and put it up on this website. I’m also going to take photos of all those bloody morons who cannot park for nuts in my apartment and school. Idiots. And I swear that most of the culprits in question are MALE drivers. Fools.

Anyway, today I went with my family to celebrate my mom’s birthday. It’s my mom’s favourite chinese restaurant  but it was the first time we’ve been to it after its relocation to the main building. My mom’s kind of obsessed with Chinese and Japanese cooking. Vegetables and soup are always done Chinese style and fish is usually Japanese (teriyaki). Apart from that, and the fact that both of my parents adopt a nazi-style attitude towards any kind of junk food, Ks and Hp do not envision ever eating at my house. Typical Indians. They’ve been to my house a million times and never eat at my place cos’ it’s "not unhealthy/spicy" enough. The way they stuff themselves with Macdonalds’ food is just disgusting. I’ve tried my best to change them, but to no avail. They often joked that I would turn up at both their funerals one day and just scold them, saying "I told them so". lol. Well after the fyp is over, I haven’t seen Hp at all, since she’s in none of my classes. She got married officially today. Ks thinks it’s weird to get married so early. I have once class with Ks so I see her at least once a week. I don’t think I’ll see Hp ever again after we graduate, we were never close. I’ll probably keep in touch with Ks though.

Well well since all of us got pretty generous progress packages from the government, Tby, Dy and I have decided that we’re really serious about our Laos/Cambodia/Thailand backpacking trip. Most probably booking our tickets next week after finalising our travel plans. Only one downer - the monsoon season, so phuket/krabi is out of the question. Damn. I was really looking forward to seeing both sides of the beaches in Thailand. I don’t know if it’s such a good idea actually for me to spend much time in Bangkok. My orientation trip with the firm is in Bangkok as well (unless they cancel it due to the threat of Bird Flu) so I might end up going to the same place in a span of less than a month. Doesn’t sound very appealing. Bleargh. Oh well, at least it’s cheap.

In other news, I found this poll on my school website. Well, I guess the guy who complained about the standard of English of the teaching staff at the school, got people to sit up and take notice after all. Interesting, to say the least. I still maintain that the fellow should stick to improving his own English first. It’s like the pot calling the kettle black man!

ANYWAY, I’m looking forward to our date on Tuesday, Ida! Good to know you’re done with all your presentations as of today! Welcome to the club. lol.

Don’t people get tired of being bitter? I met someone on Saturday who made me think about myself. That person appeared to be a very bitter person, and she did confess to that as well. She was angry about a lot of things and disliked a lot of things that were happening in this world. She said she often felt guilty about eating and I asked her if she starved herself. Indeed she did and she said she starved herself because she thought kids else where did not have food and that she shouldn’t be eating. I was shocked, not because I thought she was noble but because of her apparent stupidity (IMHO) and her underlying hypocrisy that she was probably oblivious to. Just because you starve yourself doesn’t mean a hungry kid in Africa will have food. Infact, you’re just making the people who sell you food poorer. If everyone thought like you, oh well, that would drive the GDP of your country down and you would be responsible for making your country very poor. Then it’ll be your children who will go hungry. Ok, I’m exagerating, but the point is that you’re not helping anyone by being bitter and starving yourself. I found it quite strange that this girl wasn’t skinny, had dyed hair, a gadzillion piercings and had just bought herself a very huge sandwich. I just thought to myself, What a hypocrite! I mean, come on, if you are THAT guilty and bitter about so much (and supposedly oh-so-noble), why are you spending money which could be better used in feeding hungry kids? Shouldn’t you eat your own words?

I don’t know. Don’t people get tired of being so bitter? I think the stage people have missed/bypassed before getting to bitterness is the "being grateful" part. Don’t you see? The reason why our parents asked us not to waste food when we were young was because they wanted to teach us to be grateful for what we have. To cherish what we have that others may be deprived of.

I think people ought to learn how to be grateful so that they needn’t become bitter. I was reading some blogs just now about how the indian and malay bloggers were lamenting about discrimination in Singapore and how they wished things were different blah blah blah [same OLD story]. Look, I would say I understand if I was younger (and you were younger) but hey, if you’re like 25 and you’re still angry with the world, I think you should take a hike. You ought to be grateful for the fact that you’re in a country where the government takes such good care of you and tries its best to promote racial harmony. You’re already better off than half the world population! I mean, just compare it to the times your parents asked you not to waste food. You knew there was "better" food such as ice-cream rather than brocolli but you silently ate the brocolli rather than ask for ice-cream right?

I do understand where the people in question are coming from. After all, I too used to be a very bitter person. I used to wield my mace and had an urge to fight every battle of "injustice". Then I got tired of being bitter, because I realised my biggest mistake was in forgetting to be grateful in the first place. I must learn to give thanks more often.

On another note altogether, I was feeling down so I went to shop and yes, retail therapy does work wonders on me. Sadly, I realised my Forever 21 card was expired only when I got to the counter. Darn. I must grow my money soon.