Date: 14 Jun 2005
Time: 1358 hrs
Place: The Factory
(sorf) Again I get asked for directions in my cubicle! White haired dude asking where Mag Lum sits. And Pau Lin. And Ah Yoke. And he turns out to be from marketing!
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Saturday, June 11, 2005
passage through little india
Date: 11 Jun 2005
Time: 2340 hrs
Place: Junction of Kitchener Road and Serangoon Road
(both of us) It was just a couple of seconds, standing at the corner, waiting for the traffic lights to change. I was looking forward, and sorf was looking back, just briefly. Without any distinguishing reason (I mean we weren't the only people on the street that busy Saturday night, with all the Mustafa traffic and lonely construction workers on their day off), two Indian men in colourful short-sleeved polo t-shirts and jeans came right at us, pounced on us from behind, and asked "How to get to Lau Pa Sat?" I was stumped, for the first thing I wondered was if these people were seriously wanting to *walk* there. "By?" I asked, and he said "Taxi." That was sorf's turn to go "Huh?", because why would you need directions if you were going to take a cab? I pointed in the direction of Jalan Besar and off they went happily with a "thank you very much" and leaving a puff of smoke.
Time: 2340 hrs
Place: Junction of Kitchener Road and Serangoon Road
(both of us) It was just a couple of seconds, standing at the corner, waiting for the traffic lights to change. I was looking forward, and sorf was looking back, just briefly. Without any distinguishing reason (I mean we weren't the only people on the street that busy Saturday night, with all the Mustafa traffic and lonely construction workers on their day off), two Indian men in colourful short-sleeved polo t-shirts and jeans came right at us, pounced on us from behind, and asked "How to get to Lau Pa Sat?" I was stumped, for the first thing I wondered was if these people were seriously wanting to *walk* there. "By?" I asked, and he said "Taxi." That was sorf's turn to go "Huh?", because why would you need directions if you were going to take a cab? I pointed in the direction of Jalan Besar and off they went happily with a "thank you very much" and leaving a puff of smoke.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
boon lay boondocks
Date: 7 Jun 2005
Time: 1404 hrs
Place: In front of Swenson's Crown Prince Hotel
(sorf) A soft spoken white-haired Asian lady with an ang-moh accent, dressed like a Japanese tourist with a white shirt over a coloured t-shirt, hat and shades, asking how to take the MRT to Boon Lay Interchange. It's surprising that tourists still want to go visit the Bird Park in this kind of heat.
This happened just minutes after being stopped by some Citibank salesperson after half a dozen people walked past him. What exactly goes through their tiny sale-person minds as they filter through the crowds that throng past them? hmm...
Time: 1404 hrs
Place: In front of Swenson's Crown Prince Hotel
(sorf) A soft spoken white-haired Asian lady with an ang-moh accent, dressed like a Japanese tourist with a white shirt over a coloured t-shirt, hat and shades, asking how to take the MRT to Boon Lay Interchange. It's surprising that tourists still want to go visit the Bird Park in this kind of heat.
This happened just minutes after being stopped by some Citibank salesperson after half a dozen people walked past him. What exactly goes through their tiny sale-person minds as they filter through the crowds that throng past them? hmm...
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
personal space
Date: 31 May 2005
Time: 1056 hrs
Place: SPH office
(sorf) I'm the only one plugged into headphones out of 4 people and I get asked directions to Judith Tan's desk!
Time: 1056 hrs
Place: SPH office
(sorf) I'm the only one plugged into headphones out of 4 people and I get asked directions to Judith Tan's desk!
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
what do you call pregnant bimbos?
Date: 25 May 2005
Time: 1735 hrs
Place: Paragon Shopping Center
(sorf) I think this unsolicited accosting on the street is getting way out of hand. Three times in the space of minutes. Twice by survey girls who went out of their way to stop her and once by some guy selling postcards.
Moments before, in the lift coming down, a couple of bimbo ah-lians got on at the 3rd floor to get off at the 2nd. That short journey was sufficiently long enough to overhear a declaration that if she's pregnant she won't wear maternity clothes but sexy things.
I think the headlines for the week were about educated women choosing abortion as their choice of birth control...
Time: 1735 hrs
Place: Paragon Shopping Center
(sorf) I think this unsolicited accosting on the street is getting way out of hand. Three times in the space of minutes. Twice by survey girls who went out of their way to stop her and once by some guy selling postcards.
Moments before, in the lift coming down, a couple of bimbo ah-lians got on at the 3rd floor to get off at the 2nd. That short journey was sufficiently long enough to overhear a declaration that if she's pregnant she won't wear maternity clothes but sexy things.
I think the headlines for the week were about educated women choosing abortion as their choice of birth control...
Sunday, May 22, 2005
a crow, defiant
Date: 22 May 2005
Time: 1113 hrs
Place: Outside Farrer Park MRT
I was trying to find where my favorite prawn noodle stall at the Race Course Road kopitiam had moved to, so I was walking up and down Rangoon Road and Kitchener Road, in vain. There was a crow, standing his ground on top of a metal drain cover, enjoying shade from a nearby tree filled with noisy crows, and generally oblivious to the passers-by. I had passed it twice already in my noodle quest. So I started disturbing it, touching its beak with the bottom of my slipper, when another crow-like creature came out of the MRT exit and (it seems, almost) made a bee-line towards me.
He was a long-haired middle-aged Malay man, dressed rocker-mat style, with a dirty sling bag and his hair flowing out from under his cap. "Where is the Mustafa?" he asked, the article "the" being quite appropriate actually. I pointed him down the road and to the right and off he went, leaving me to wonder what exactly he was looking to buy from "the" Mustafa, and whether he'll be wearing rock t-shirt and jeans for the rest of his life.
(Later I asked the angry Putien stall matriach and she feigned ignorance without uttering a word, perhaps she'd gotten a sore throat screaming at her teenage rebellious daughters. The drinks stall auntie was much more helpful, even explaining why she did not go "support" the stall, among other things. I think people should talk to her more.)
Time: 1113 hrs
Place: Outside Farrer Park MRT
I was trying to find where my favorite prawn noodle stall at the Race Course Road kopitiam had moved to, so I was walking up and down Rangoon Road and Kitchener Road, in vain. There was a crow, standing his ground on top of a metal drain cover, enjoying shade from a nearby tree filled with noisy crows, and generally oblivious to the passers-by. I had passed it twice already in my noodle quest. So I started disturbing it, touching its beak with the bottom of my slipper, when another crow-like creature came out of the MRT exit and (it seems, almost) made a bee-line towards me.
He was a long-haired middle-aged Malay man, dressed rocker-mat style, with a dirty sling bag and his hair flowing out from under his cap. "Where is the Mustafa?" he asked, the article "the" being quite appropriate actually. I pointed him down the road and to the right and off he went, leaving me to wonder what exactly he was looking to buy from "the" Mustafa, and whether he'll be wearing rock t-shirt and jeans for the rest of his life.
(Later I asked the angry Putien stall matriach and she feigned ignorance without uttering a word, perhaps she'd gotten a sore throat screaming at her teenage rebellious daughters. The drinks stall auntie was much more helpful, even explaining why she did not go "support" the stall, among other things. I think people should talk to her more.)
Thursday, May 12, 2005
What's interchange in Mandarin?
Date: 12 May 2005
Time: 1803 hrs
Place: Braddell MRT
I was waiting for sorf to join her on the train, at the Braddell MRT southbound platform, when a female Chinese national and her son asked me how to get to "Wen Li" (Boon Lay?) and mumbled something about IMM. I explained to her as best I could about changing trains but I wasn't sure how to say "interchange" in Mandarin. They got on the next train and left.
Time: 1803 hrs
Place: Braddell MRT
I was waiting for sorf to join her on the train, at the Braddell MRT southbound platform, when a female Chinese national and her son asked me how to get to "Wen Li" (Boon Lay?) and mumbled something about IMM. I explained to her as best I could about changing trains but I wasn't sure how to say "interchange" in Mandarin. They got on the next train and left.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Machine trouble
Date: 07 May 2005
Time: 2345 hrs
Place: Near Upper Boon Keng
(sorf) At one of the ATM machines, there was a foreman and his Thai worker who asked for help regarding his wonky ATM card.
Time: 2345 hrs
Place: Near Upper Boon Keng
(sorf) At one of the ATM machines, there was a foreman and his Thai worker who asked for help regarding his wonky ATM card.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
It's never too far
Date: 30 Apr 2005
Time: 1417 hrs
Place: Le Meridien bus stop
(both) We had just gotten off the bus 167 together when two teenage Malaysian girls asked sorf in Mandarin "which way to Plaza Sing?", and "is it far?"
Time: 1417 hrs
Place: Le Meridien bus stop
(both) We had just gotten off the bus 167 together when two teenage Malaysian girls asked sorf in Mandarin "which way to Plaza Sing?", and "is it far?"
Thursday, April 14, 2005
French dog
Date: 14 Apr 2005
Time: 1609 hrs
Place: Cannes
(sorf) A sweet little old French lady walking her dog stopped to introduce me to her pet. He's called Pearl. Hee hee
Time: 1609 hrs
Place: Cannes
(sorf) A sweet little old French lady walking her dog stopped to introduce me to her pet. He's called Pearl. Hee hee
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Take me to Taka
Date: 30 Mar 2005
Time: 1505 hrs
Place: Orchard Boulevard
An Indian national asked me at the traffic light, "Where is Taka?"
Time: 1505 hrs
Place: Orchard Boulevard
An Indian national asked me at the traffic light, "Where is Taka?"
Saturday, March 19, 2005
film buffs everywhere
Date: 19 Mar 2005
Time: 1829 hrs
Place: In the MRT train between City Hall and Dhoby Ghaut
Thirty-something Chinese man. Yuppie? Groupie? Tapped me on the shoulder and asked me where I got the SIFF catalogue from. Told him it was actually a short films brochure (shown at the temporary history museum) and offered him the SIFF website URL instead.
Time: 1829 hrs
Place: In the MRT train between City Hall and Dhoby Ghaut
Thirty-something Chinese man. Yuppie? Groupie? Tapped me on the shoulder and asked me where I got the SIFF catalogue from. Told him it was actually a short films brochure (shown at the temporary history museum) and offered him the SIFF website URL instead.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Geographically misplaced
Date: 18 Mar 2005
Time: 1103 hrs
Place: Club Street Carpark
Five schoolgirls wearing Geography Club and Computer Club t-shirts asked me "Where is Far East Square?"
Time: 1103 hrs
Place: Club Street Carpark
Five schoolgirls wearing Geography Club and Computer Club t-shirts asked me "Where is Far East Square?"
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
maybe he needs money for shampoo?
Date: 9 Mar 2005
Time: 1435 hrs
Place: Plaza Singapura outside Giordano
(sorf) Balding man asked for directions to POSB.
Time: 1435 hrs
Place: Plaza Singapura outside Giordano
(sorf) Balding man asked for directions to POSB.
ribbons
Date: 9 Mar 2005
Time: 1123 hrs
Place: Spotlight, Plaza Singapura
(sorf) Girl, pregnant, from China, asking for advice, in Chinese, with some English thrown in, about ribbons.
Well, maybe arts and crafts will be the universal language one day. For crafty girls at least. :)
Time: 1123 hrs
Place: Spotlight, Plaza Singapura
(sorf) Girl, pregnant, from China, asking for advice, in Chinese, with some English thrown in, about ribbons.
Well, maybe arts and crafts will be the universal language one day. For crafty girls at least. :)
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Where the young men go...
Date: 02 Mar 2005
Time: 1655 hrs
Place: Outside the Old Parliament House
(sorf) There was a fashion show going on outside the Art House, and a couple asked how to get to YMCA.
Time: 1655 hrs
Place: Outside the Old Parliament House
(sorf) There was a fashion show going on outside the Art House, and a couple asked how to get to YMCA.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
it's holiday time
Date: 1 Feb 2004
Time: 1215 hrs
Place: Kinokuniya, KLCC, KL
Caucasian Tourist in bermudas and sunglasses in his hair asked me the time. Looks like he might have gotten stood up on holiday. Does he not have a handphone to tell him the time?
Time: 1215 hrs
Place: Kinokuniya, KLCC, KL
Caucasian Tourist in bermudas and sunglasses in his hair asked me the time. Looks like he might have gotten stood up on holiday. Does he not have a handphone to tell him the time?
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
cos that's where the money is
Date: 12 Jan 2005
Time: 1210 hrs
Place: City Hall MRT
(sorf) Someone asked for directions to the bank queue.
Time: 1210 hrs
Place: City Hall MRT
(sorf) Someone asked for directions to the bank queue.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
people lie
Date: 4 Jan 2005
Time: 1839 hrs
Place: Outram Park MRT, NE Line
She was short and 50, the target audience of public transport. She asked me how to get to City Hall MRT, and I was about to give her the complicated way to get there, when she then revealed she was going to Pasir Ris MRT. Why didn't she just say that upfront? I told her to follow the green East-West line signs.
Time: 1839 hrs
Place: Outram Park MRT, NE Line
She was short and 50, the target audience of public transport. She asked me how to get to City Hall MRT, and I was about to give her the complicated way to get there, when she then revealed she was going to Pasir Ris MRT. Why didn't she just say that upfront? I told her to follow the green East-West line signs.
you need a laptop, ma'am
Date: 4 Jan 2005
Time: 1700 hrs
Place: Starbucks, Plaza Singapura
(sorf) Asked by some woman how to surf the net.
Time: 1700 hrs
Place: Starbucks, Plaza Singapura
(sorf) Asked by some woman how to surf the net.
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