Taxi
I'm not talking about Luc Beeson's movie here, but literally taxis. Of late, I've been relying on them to get to work because I have to go to Taman Tun Dr Ismail and there is no easy way to get there with public transport from where I live. So, each morning, my mother drops me off at Old Klang Road and I hail a cab to go to work. I've noticed that most of the taxi drivers I've met are quite interesting. Here are a few examples:
Driver 1: Uncle Wong
Uncle Wong looks like a nice enough guy. He's the kind of driver who will make small talk you even though you ignore him. Talk about paying to be tortured. But most of the time, I will layan them coz the jams at OKR are no pretty sight and it can get helluva boring. However, Uncle Wong has one trait that is quite scary-- one second he will be talking to you, the other second, he'll transform into a road bully. The transition takes less than 0.005 seconds (something like Gaban). If someone cuts him off, he'll follow closely behind and honk his horn incessantly. Sometimes, he'll cut in front of them. One of the drivers that happened to annoy him was a woman, and he immediately spewed a long list of "pseudonyms" for female genitalia. Well, turns out he's my neighbour now. Such a small world.
Driver 2: Uncle Gangsta
Uncle Gangsta is also a real nice bloke. Looks harmless enough and has the penchant of talking your ears off. He talks about everything under the sun-- global warming, the melting of the polar ice caps, the sinking of SEA in 2037... etc. Throw in some eexpletives now and then. However, the different thing about him is his fondness for sharing his life story. I got to know that he started work at 13. Started off working in construction sites. Later as a tractor operator. Then a lorry driver and finally a taxi driver of 19 years. And the best thing was this:
I'm in my fifties now. And what do I have? Nothing. I've worked all my life. Nothing. Have you heard of any taxi drivers who struck it rich? Of course no la! Pokai and run away from Ah Long a lot la.....
A very bleak outlook indeed. He went on to tell me of his fisticuffs with Burmese migrant workers. How he fell big guys with one punch. How he used to follow the triad bosses. How he used to whack bricks with his bare hands... errmmm. At least he has mellowed down and is kind of reformed.
Driver 3: Uncle Dalai Lama
Uncle Dalai Lama is strangest of the lot. A man of little words, but definitely shines with enlightenment and wisdom. The top of his windscreen had two rows of car stickers with Buddhist themes. A wooden Kuan Yin was hanging from his rear-view mirror. A plastic Kuan Yin was in lotus position on his dashboard. And a piece of yellow paper was attached to the bottom of hs windscreen. Talk about protection, heh? But the best thing about him was the fact that he was very mindful of traffic rules and while he drove... he was counting on his prayer beads. Errr... is there some kind of traffic bylaw that forbids such action? Hehe.
Have you met any interesting taxi drivers?
Driver 1: Uncle Wong
Uncle Wong looks like a nice enough guy. He's the kind of driver who will make small talk you even though you ignore him. Talk about paying to be tortured. But most of the time, I will layan them coz the jams at OKR are no pretty sight and it can get helluva boring. However, Uncle Wong has one trait that is quite scary-- one second he will be talking to you, the other second, he'll transform into a road bully. The transition takes less than 0.005 seconds (something like Gaban). If someone cuts him off, he'll follow closely behind and honk his horn incessantly. Sometimes, he'll cut in front of them. One of the drivers that happened to annoy him was a woman, and he immediately spewed a long list of "pseudonyms" for female genitalia. Well, turns out he's my neighbour now. Such a small world.
Driver 2: Uncle Gangsta
Uncle Gangsta is also a real nice bloke. Looks harmless enough and has the penchant of talking your ears off. He talks about everything under the sun-- global warming, the melting of the polar ice caps, the sinking of SEA in 2037... etc. Throw in some eexpletives now and then. However, the different thing about him is his fondness for sharing his life story. I got to know that he started work at 13. Started off working in construction sites. Later as a tractor operator. Then a lorry driver and finally a taxi driver of 19 years. And the best thing was this:
I'm in my fifties now. And what do I have? Nothing. I've worked all my life. Nothing. Have you heard of any taxi drivers who struck it rich? Of course no la! Pokai and run away from Ah Long a lot la.....
A very bleak outlook indeed. He went on to tell me of his fisticuffs with Burmese migrant workers. How he fell big guys with one punch. How he used to follow the triad bosses. How he used to whack bricks with his bare hands... errmmm. At least he has mellowed down and is kind of reformed.
Driver 3: Uncle Dalai Lama
Uncle Dalai Lama is strangest of the lot. A man of little words, but definitely shines with enlightenment and wisdom. The top of his windscreen had two rows of car stickers with Buddhist themes. A wooden Kuan Yin was hanging from his rear-view mirror. A plastic Kuan Yin was in lotus position on his dashboard. And a piece of yellow paper was attached to the bottom of hs windscreen. Talk about protection, heh? But the best thing about him was the fact that he was very mindful of traffic rules and while he drove... he was counting on his prayer beads. Errr... is there some kind of traffic bylaw that forbids such action? Hehe.
Have you met any interesting taxi drivers?
Comments
- drives like a man
- swears like a man
... Very rare
P/S: I wonder, had ur uncle wong cursed me b4.....
i rather walk than to sit in one
Interesting mornings on the way to work ...
We used to take the cab from MidValley to Tun Perak at near the lunch hours to get to work - very draining financially. How does it affect you?
Can't stand the gangsta ones - seem to want to talk about everything, and all I want to do is just sit in silence.