Date: 17 Mar 2006
Time: 2347hrs
Place: Yishun MRT
Near the ATM I was in line about to withdraw money so I pulled out my PDA and was using it when a middle aged man with very short hair wearing a blue t-shirt and slippers asked me if he could borrow my pen. So I told him I had no pen, and he insisted that I had, pointing to my PDA stylus. I had to tell him that you couldn't write with it and I had to repeat myself a few times. Don't think I managed to really convince him in the end but he went to ask someone else for a pen. Wonder what important note he was writing... or maybe it was just 4D inspiration.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
iPods are no defence
Date: 15 Mar 2006
Time: 1100 hrs
Place: Dhoby Ghaut MRT
(sorf) 50something lady in pink top and tailored skirt ran after me to ask for directions on how to get to Boon Keng station, in mandarin. I was plugged into iPod. She had to chase me and touch my elbow before i realised.
Time: 1100 hrs
Place: Dhoby Ghaut MRT
(sorf) 50something lady in pink top and tailored skirt ran after me to ask for directions on how to get to Boon Keng station, in mandarin. I was plugged into iPod. She had to chase me and touch my elbow before i realised.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Mustafa attraction
Date: 12 Mar 2006
Time: 1544hrs
Place: Rangoon Road
(both) Waiting outside the Singapore Pools branch at Rangoon Road for a cab, and a 30ish man, who's got either a Thai or Japanese accent (we can't place it), carrying a backpack in shorts, and running shoes, asked us where "the Mustafa" was. Pointed him at the restaurant with the big green sign and told him it was just next to it. The guy walked over and he must have walked really fast because the next thing we knew we spotted him crossing the road over.
Time: 1544hrs
Place: Rangoon Road
(both) Waiting outside the Singapore Pools branch at Rangoon Road for a cab, and a 30ish man, who's got either a Thai or Japanese accent (we can't place it), carrying a backpack in shorts, and running shoes, asked us where "the Mustafa" was. Pointed him at the restaurant with the big green sign and told him it was just next to it. The guy walked over and he must have walked really fast because the next thing we knew we spotted him crossing the road over.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
"In the next 5 minutes you will be rejected..."
Date: 25 Feb 2006
Time: 1307 hrs
Place: Bugis basement
Eating nasi lemak and nasi goreng near the Delifrance and minding our own business when some middle-aged Chinese man came straight to me and asked if I wanted my fortune read and immediately offered that I would make a lot of money in two years but this year I would have a lot of difficulty and that I should buy a talisman from him.
Time: 1307 hrs
Place: Bugis basement
Eating nasi lemak and nasi goreng near the Delifrance and minding our own business when some middle-aged Chinese man came straight to me and asked if I wanted my fortune read and immediately offered that I would make a lot of money in two years but this year I would have a lot of difficulty and that I should buy a talisman from him.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Susan?
Date: 16 Feb 2006
Time: 2000hrs
Place: Restaurant, near Raffles City
(sorf) Some woman at the next table thought I was someone named Susan. Moments later, they now recognise me by my real name. The woman was with an actress friend. She said my piece on Jack was spot-on.
Time: 2000hrs
Place: Restaurant, near Raffles City
(sorf) Some woman at the next table thought I was someone named Susan. Moments later, they now recognise me by my real name. The woman was with an actress friend. She said my piece on Jack was spot-on.
"Honey I'm good with a hammer"
Date: 16 Feb 2006
Time: 1930hrs
Place: Royal Selangor
(sorf) Royal Selangor has a hilarious t-shirt that says "Honey I'm good with a hammer". Ran into extremely chatty salesman who didn't know that singles could buy HDB flats, and ended up explaining property rules to him.
Time: 1930hrs
Place: Royal Selangor
(sorf) Royal Selangor has a hilarious t-shirt that says "Honey I'm good with a hammer". Ran into extremely chatty salesman who didn't know that singles could buy HDB flats, and ended up explaining property rules to him.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
iPods are no barrier
Date: 14 Feb 2006
Time: 1155hrs
Place: the office
(sorf) I'm busy as heck, plugged into iPod and surrounded by people but delivery guy asks me "Where is Patricia?" Adoi...
Time: 1155hrs
Place: the office
(sorf) I'm busy as heck, plugged into iPod and surrounded by people but delivery guy asks me "Where is Patricia?" Adoi...
Monday, February 13, 2006
Lian's gotta eat
Date: 13 Feb 2006
Time: 1926hrs
Place: office
(sorf) Middle aged lian just accosted me unceremoniously outside lift with question "Can go to food center?" S'poreans really have no manners.
Time: 1926hrs
Place: office
(sorf) Middle aged lian just accosted me unceremoniously outside lift with question "Can go to food center?" S'poreans really have no manners.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Skip to the loo
Date: 11 Feb 2006
Time: 2128 hrs
Place: Esplanade Theatre
A Chinese lady asked me in Mandarin, "Where's the toilet?"
Time: 2128 hrs
Place: Esplanade Theatre
A Chinese lady asked me in Mandarin, "Where's the toilet?"
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
While she was shopping...
Date: 8 Feb 2006
Time: 1604
Place: Paragon
(sorf) Elderly white guy laden with backpack laptop bag and his Chinese girlfriend's Isetan shopping just asked me if this is hotspot and if have to configure to use.
Time: 1604
Place: Paragon
(sorf) Elderly white guy laden with backpack laptop bag and his Chinese girlfriend's Isetan shopping just asked me if this is hotspot and if have to configure to use.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Shaheen fan
Date: 03 Feb 2006
Time: 1941 hrs
Place: Esplanade
(both) We're standing at the top of some stairs about to go into the concert hall at Esplanade and some Caucasian lady with a red shawl (walking by with some friends) comes up to sorf and tells her "I *love* your dress!"
The dress is a vintage Alfred Shaheen from the 60s, cream with bright pink butterflies. I have no idea how the colour stays so bright after so long. Sorf says it's because it's polyester.
Time: 1941 hrs
Place: Esplanade
(both) We're standing at the top of some stairs about to go into the concert hall at Esplanade and some Caucasian lady with a red shawl (walking by with some friends) comes up to sorf and tells her "I *love* your dress!"
The dress is a vintage Alfred Shaheen from the 60s, cream with bright pink butterflies. I have no idea how the colour stays so bright after so long. Sorf says it's because it's polyester.
"No success can compensate for failure in the home"
Date: 03 Feb 2006
Time: 1855 hrs
Place: Outside Suntec City
Kumar from Sri Lanka and his angmoh friend, wearing the standard Mormon attire (white shirt and black pants), were walking along the road between Suntec and Marina. They stood out from the mess that was the construction going on. At least they weren't pushy, just giving me a brochure and his name card, the back of which had location and times of church services (in Singapore there are 4 and one in JB) and the somewhat disturbing quote "No success can compensate for failure in the home" -- no attribution.
The front of the card: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. www.lds.org.sg . Singapore mission office. 6735-6723. KUMAR. 6455-5124"
Time: 1855 hrs
Place: Outside Suntec City
Kumar from Sri Lanka and his angmoh friend, wearing the standard Mormon attire (white shirt and black pants), were walking along the road between Suntec and Marina. They stood out from the mess that was the construction going on. At least they weren't pushy, just giving me a brochure and his name card, the back of which had location and times of church services (in Singapore there are 4 and one in JB) and the somewhat disturbing quote "No success can compensate for failure in the home" -- no attribution.
The front of the card: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. www.lds.org.sg . Singapore mission office. 6735-6723. KUMAR. 6455-5124"
This is why you should have lunch with colleagues...
Date: 03 Feb 2006
Time: 1510 hrs
Place: Outside Maxwell Market
Some angmoh architect, wearing glasses and a coloured striped shirt and singlet and jeans, asked me where 1617 Duxton Hill is. Turns out that's where he works at and he got lost trying to get back after lunch. At first I pointed him to Ann Siang Hill, then realised that Duxton Hill was the other direction, and once he looked the right way he said that things were starting to look more familiar now.
Time: 1510 hrs
Place: Outside Maxwell Market
Some angmoh architect, wearing glasses and a coloured striped shirt and singlet and jeans, asked me where 1617 Duxton Hill is. Turns out that's where he works at and he got lost trying to get back after lunch. At first I pointed him to Ann Siang Hill, then realised that Duxton Hill was the other direction, and once he looked the right way he said that things were starting to look more familiar now.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Floor 6B? Isn't this stolen from Being John Malkovich?
Date: 31 Jan 2006
Time: 1400 hrs
Place: Plaza Singapura
(both) We're in the lift at Plaza Singapura, which inexplicably indicated that it was on floor "6B" when we were on the 5th floor, a lady asked us which floor is the cinema and we helped her press the "7" button.
Time: 1400 hrs
Place: Plaza Singapura
(both) We're in the lift at Plaza Singapura, which inexplicably indicated that it was on floor "6B" when we were on the 5th floor, a lady asked us which floor is the cinema and we helped her press the "7" button.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
kong si mi? part 2
Date: 15 Jan 2006
Time: 1409 hrs
Place: Hong Kong
(both) We're about to cross from Canton Road to Peking Road and this guy, with a shaven head, wearing a windbreaker, asked us something in Cantonese again, something about where to buy something, and he was with his girlfriend.
Time: 1409 hrs
Place: Hong Kong
(both) We're about to cross from Canton Road to Peking Road and this guy, with a shaven head, wearing a windbreaker, asked us something in Cantonese again, something about where to buy something, and he was with his girlfriend.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
kong si mi?
Date: 12 Jan 2006
Time: 1431 hrs
Place: Hong Kong
(both) We're walking down Hollywood Road waiting to cross the street and we get asked directions by a young woman wearing an orange lined jacket. She must have assumed we were natives because she approached us from behind and just blabbered a long string of Cantonese, a language neither of us understand.
Time: 1431 hrs
Place: Hong Kong
(both) We're walking down Hollywood Road waiting to cross the street and we get asked directions by a young woman wearing an orange lined jacket. She must have assumed we were natives because she approached us from behind and just blabbered a long string of Cantonese, a language neither of us understand.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
the bank with the key...
Date: 07 Jan 2006
Time: 2029 hrs
Place: Just outside Mustafa
We're going to do some late night shopping at Mustafa and just as we were going into the entrance a young Chinese man came up to me and asked me, in Mandarin, where the nearest ATM was. He looked very much like an ah-beng and spoke almost no English. He was very polite though. He told me the bank had to be "the one with the key", and I could understand that he meant the POSB because that's the shape of their logo. I told him to go down Kitchener Road and then turn left on Jalan Besar as there's a POSB branch there.
So perhaps there was some good in having those symbols for the government bodies shaped like what they were. Like the PUB symbol looking like a lightbulb, or the HDB logo looking like a house.
Time: 2029 hrs
Place: Just outside Mustafa
We're going to do some late night shopping at Mustafa and just as we were going into the entrance a young Chinese man came up to me and asked me, in Mandarin, where the nearest ATM was. He looked very much like an ah-beng and spoke almost no English. He was very polite though. He told me the bank had to be "the one with the key", and I could understand that he meant the POSB because that's the shape of their logo. I told him to go down Kitchener Road and then turn left on Jalan Besar as there's a POSB branch there.
So perhaps there was some good in having those symbols for the government bodies shaped like what they were. Like the PUB symbol looking like a lightbulb, or the HDB logo looking like a house.
Black Eggs
Date: 07 Jan 2006
Time: 1139 hrs
Place: Mustafa supermarket
(both) We're at Mustafa and some black dude (probably from Africa) wearing a cap and an Argentina football jersey asked us how much eggs were.
$1.90 for ten.
Time: 1139 hrs
Place: Mustafa supermarket
(both) We're at Mustafa and some black dude (probably from Africa) wearing a cap and an Argentina football jersey asked us how much eggs were.
$1.90 for ten.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
just follow where the Chinese are heading?
Date: 05 Jan 2006
Time: 1532 hrs
Place: Dhoby Ghaut MRT
(sorf) Middle aged couple at Dhoby Ghaut MRT asked how to get to Chinatown.
(we get lots of questions at the Dhoby Ghaut interchange. evidently the place is just really badly designed, if after about three years of it being open that people still get lost and confused.)
Time: 1532 hrs
Place: Dhoby Ghaut MRT
(sorf) Middle aged couple at Dhoby Ghaut MRT asked how to get to Chinatown.
(we get lots of questions at the Dhoby Ghaut interchange. evidently the place is just really badly designed, if after about three years of it being open that people still get lost and confused.)
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Super-market search
Date: 14 Dec 2005
Time: 1202 hrs
Place: Harbourfront
I'm outside Tower One, near the base of the escalator, two Malay men (probably Bruneians), both wearing caps, t-shirts and 3/4 pants, one in his 20s, another in his 30s and fatter, looking for a big electronics supermarket. I pointed them back to Harbourfront.
Time: 1202 hrs
Place: Harbourfront
I'm outside Tower One, near the base of the escalator, two Malay men (probably Bruneians), both wearing caps, t-shirts and 3/4 pants, one in his 20s, another in his 30s and fatter, looking for a big electronics supermarket. I pointed them back to Harbourfront.
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