Tissue Lady's Journey: October 2007

Somehow..... I always meet interesting cab drivers......

Last Monday, I had to be at Grand Plaza Park Hotel at City Hall by 7am for my event. As I was able to claim cab, I tried to call Comfort but couldn't get through no matter how many times I tried. So I decided to call SMRT and I got my cab almost immediately, saying it'll reach in 5 mins. Fine, so I went to the washroom first before heading down. When I was in my washroom, my telephone rang. Suspecting it was the cab driver, I rushed out, tried to answer and the person hang up. The ringing woke my mum up early in the morning 6.30am loh.. Guessing that the driver had called cos he's already downstairs, I rushed down to find no signs of it at all... (Then why call at all?)

After quite a wait, I caught sight of a SMRT cab behind my block. Naturally, cabs would drive nearer to the lift area to pick up the passengers but this one just stopped very far away from the lift lobby and I had to walk and walk to board the cab. (Slightly irritated already cos this driver woke my mum up, was late and had no initiative to drive closer)

So I boarded the cab and saw that the driver's a lady, quite young, slim and long hair. (Typically how our uncle's wife would look like, I guess)

Me: Hi, Grand Plaza Park Hotel please, it's near Funan at City Hall
Driver: Ok, which way you want to go by?
Me: I'm not sure, any way will do
Driver: (half shouting, another half reprimanding) HUH!! NOT SURE?? You never go before MEH??? CITY HALL WHERE GOT HOTELS??
Me: Ya, not sure, never take cab to that place from yishun before (urgh!!)
Driver: When you make booking, you never tell the operator where you want to go one meh?
Me: I have quick dial, so I just need to press 1 to make booking, no need to speak to operator
Driver: OH I SEE... then next time I dont take booking after 6am already. cos those booking that I take before 6 always got put which place they want to go one.

So we drove on and it started to jam....
Driver: WA SEH, so early already started to jam ah!!
Me: Ya..
Driver: Then why you don't want to take MRT??
Me: Cos I'm already late and I can claim cab fares
Driver: Then you should call earlier ma!!
Me: (%^#$%^#$%^@%)

Her driving skills were super lousy and I jerk badly everytime she brakes cos of the traffic jam..
Me: *jerks*....*jerks*....*jerks*....*jerks*....*jerks*....*jerks*....*jerks*....*jerks*....
Driver: You got wear the seat belt anot??
Me: ya =.= (auntie... of cos lah if not I already fly out liao)

Woman5.0 smsed me, asking if I'm reaching.. I told her I'm stuck in traffic jam and cab driver don't seem to know where the hotel is. So Woman5.0 smsed me saying it's Coleman Street...
Me: Erm, the hotel is near Funan, at Coleman Street..
Driver: I know where la!!
Me: (I thought she just told me there's no hotel in City Hall!!!........#$%$%^&)

Driver's Booking thingy started to beep and beep.. so she saw someone make a booking wanting to go Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Driver: EH!! This one got show where they want to go one leh
Me: (Ya lah, ya lah, my phone spoilt, cannot speak to operator, cannot show you where I want to go, enough!!)

Another beep...
Driver: This one also got show leh! Want to go airport! I like to drive to airport loh, can sleep and relax. Aiyoh, this jam ah... my leg want to cramp already. Tsk Tsk Tsk.. The ERP start what time huh?
ME: (gasps, is this just the 2nd day of her cab driving stint..) *jerks*....*jerks*.... I'm not sure..
Driver: The ERP too cheap already la, all these Singaporeans dont care one..

Reaches the ERP gantry
Driver: OH! ERP havent start ah! aiyah, thats why so many cars lah
Me: *faints*

About 15 minutes before we reach the hotel...the booking thingy beeped again.. this time someone wants to be picked up from Royal Plaza on the Scotts.
Driver: EH Royal Plaza!! *faster press to get the booking and she got it*.. AIYAH!! Royal plaza!! Your hotel is wat?? Grand Plaza ah?? AIYAH, press wrong la, I thought same hotel then faster snatch *HAHAHAHAHA laughs hysterically at herself*
Then her HP rang... she picked up and put it on loud speaker, so I could hear the conversation.. it was the SMRT call centre.
SMRT caller: Auntie, you going Royal Plaza right? Passenger wants to leave now.
Driver: HUH, I can only reach in 20 minutes leh!!
SMRT caller: So late? Then I cancel your booking huh?
Driver: *Laughs* okok!! *hangs up the phone and started to laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh*
Me: ~_~||||||||||||||

As we were about the reach the hotel....
Me: I think it's behind peninsula
Driver: Wat BEHIND!! IT'S OPPOSITE LAH! THINK I DONT KNOW AH??
Me: Ok loh.. (but i'm not wrong, i've been there, it's behind peninsula plaza)

And so we reached..
Me: See, that's peninsula ma, so it's behind..
Driver: Wat BEHIND!! IT'S OPPOSITE LAH! STILL WANT TO DEFEND YOURSELF!!
(She was actually refering to Peninsula Shopping Centre, while I was saying Peninsula Plaza.. 2 different buildings.. but i gave up... AUNTIE WINS!!)

I took down her cab number.. almost tempted to write a complain letter to SMRT... but I guess I should just let her go.. cos she'll be good entertainment to many people on the road.

Ok, my job sends me to places like Hong Kong, KL & Bangkok from time to time. So i decided i should start posting pictures of my trips. So this blog shall also be my travelogue (I wish... if i'm hardworking enough to keep updating, or even be pro-active enough to start uploading my pictures to the com! :P)

Let's start off with one of the Hong Kong trips I went to with Ms Keng & Evil Jo Jo!

We were sitting in the middle part of the plane on our flight to Hong Kong. So Ms Keng, after seeing that the window seats near us were empty, went over to the empty seat, wanting to look at the view outside. And guess what? Ms Keng VS UV rays = Ms Keng had to cover her face with the blanket and try to peep at the view outside from time to time. She was hilarious!!

Check out our spread at dinner in this Jap Restaurant in Tsim Tsa Tsui! We were like pigs who haven't had any food for 5 months. The waitress even gave us the look like we wouldn't be able to afford it. Oh please, we are all Tai-Tais in the making, give us a break!

Gluttons at work. Check out the huge crab leg!! There's an embarrasing story to tell about this dinner. We have sukiyaki as one of the set and as the soup was almost about to hit the pan, we wanted to refill the pot with more soup. We didn't want to talk to the waitress and I saw a teapot that the waitress left on the table a while ago. So clever me suggested to the other 2 that it could be the soup base and we proceeded to add it into the steaming sukiyaki.
Tada!! It was actually...........green tea :P *shhh*