Date: 24 Jan 2007
Time: 1100 hrs
Place: IOI Plaza
I had just crossed Middle Road to IOI Plaza when a middle aged balding man asked me in Mandarin, where is 30 Kelantan Road? He was showing me the address on a piece of paper that looked like it was some kind of test results slip for a medical checkup. I gave him the rough directions (he seemed to know the place as "dan shui jie" or ordinary water street?) and he went off.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Nobody loves you when you're down and out
Date: 23 Jan 2007
Time: 1123 hrs
Place: Lift lobby at home
(sorf) Two guys in the lift lobby just asked me which way is out.
Time: 1123 hrs
Place: Lift lobby at home
(sorf) Two guys in the lift lobby just asked me which way is out.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Boo-jees
Date: 13 Jan 2007
Time: 1546 hrs
Place: corner of Bencoolen Street and Middle Road
(both) This tall Caucasian was gazing befuddledly at his map and he asked us where Queen Street was. We asked him where he wanted to go, and he said Bugis except he thought it was pronounced "Boo-jees". We pointed him the right way (towards the Library) and sent him on his way.
Time: 1546 hrs
Place: corner of Bencoolen Street and Middle Road
(both) This tall Caucasian was gazing befuddledly at his map and he asked us where Queen Street was. We asked him where he wanted to go, and he said Bugis except he thought it was pronounced "Boo-jees". We pointed him the right way (towards the Library) and sent him on his way.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Sim Lim Forest
Date: 10 Jan 2007
Time: 1408 hrs
Place: SMU, outside School of Economics
(sorf) Two Asian guys (don't know where they are from because they have a funny accent) stopped me outside the School of Economics to ask where Sim Lim is. One dude was in a white shirt and black pants and the other dude was in a black shirt and blue pants. I sort of waved in the general direction of the electronics heaven and told them that it was quite far, about a ten to fifteen minute walk. And they thanked me and walked away in the direction of Hotel Rendezvous.
Time: 1408 hrs
Place: SMU, outside School of Economics
(sorf) Two Asian guys (don't know where they are from because they have a funny accent) stopped me outside the School of Economics to ask where Sim Lim is. One dude was in a white shirt and black pants and the other dude was in a black shirt and blue pants. I sort of waved in the general direction of the electronics heaven and told them that it was quite far, about a ten to fifteen minute walk. And they thanked me and walked away in the direction of Hotel Rendezvous.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Do you speak Ikea?
Date: 28 Dec 2006
Time: 1730 hrs
Place: Ikea Tampines
This new Ikea is turning out to be really popular and the queues at the restaurant are just amazing. I just stepped in to get some coffee and cake when a little girl wearing pink and a tartan skirt and pink Crocs asked if she could speak Chinese. It took me a while to understand that she meant if I could understand Chinese. I said I could and she then asked me, in Chinese, to help her reach for the cup that was on the rack. And as I reached for it the young Malay Ikea employee tipped it out and I passed it to her.
She should stay away from toe-eating escalators while wearing those pirated Crocs.
Time: 1730 hrs
Place: Ikea Tampines
This new Ikea is turning out to be really popular and the queues at the restaurant are just amazing. I just stepped in to get some coffee and cake when a little girl wearing pink and a tartan skirt and pink Crocs asked if she could speak Chinese. It took me a while to understand that she meant if I could understand Chinese. I said I could and she then asked me, in Chinese, to help her reach for the cup that was on the rack. And as I reached for it the young Malay Ikea employee tipped it out and I passed it to her.
She should stay away from toe-eating escalators while wearing those pirated Crocs.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Nursing the media industry
Date: 18 Dec 2006
Time: 1827 hrs
Place: Novena Square
(sorf) Lady in office gear asked me which side of the road she should take the bus from if she's going to Mediacorp and nurseries. There was an insane cab queue.
Time: 1827 hrs
Place: Novena Square
(sorf) Lady in office gear asked me which side of the road she should take the bus from if she's going to Mediacorp and nurseries. There was an insane cab queue.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Do angmohs like ginger?
Date: 9 Dec 2006
Time: 1620 hrs
Place: Centrepoint
(both) We're in Cold Storage at Centrepoint when we were approached by an old lady who was looking for young preserved ginger (for eating with century egg porridge). She was directed to row 4 by the staff but she couldn't find it. We helped her scan the shelves and I managed to spot it. She thanked us and remarked that young people have sharper eyes, though sorf said that I had sharper eyes than her because I spotted it but she couldn't. And we told her that this place was rather "angmoh".
Time: 1620 hrs
Place: Centrepoint
(both) We're in Cold Storage at Centrepoint when we were approached by an old lady who was looking for young preserved ginger (for eating with century egg porridge). She was directed to row 4 by the staff but she couldn't find it. We helped her scan the shelves and I managed to spot it. She thanked us and remarked that young people have sharper eyes, though sorf said that I had sharper eyes than her because I spotted it but she couldn't. And we told her that this place was rather "angmoh".
Saturday, November 18, 2006
waiting for mom
Date: 18 Nov 2006
Time: 1018 hrs
Place: Dhoby Ghaut MRT
(sorf) Sitting at Dhoby waiting for mom and 2 guys from China asked for directions!
Time: 1018 hrs
Place: Dhoby Ghaut MRT
(sorf) Sitting at Dhoby waiting for mom and 2 guys from China asked for directions!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Sumimasen
Date: 19 Oct 2006
Time: 2109 hrs
Place: Tokyo
(both) We are in the Tokyo Subway walking from the Hanzomon line to the Marunochi line, looking for the exit to the Marunochi line, and I was looking lost while trying to figure out this pacer gadget and counting my steps, when this middle-aged guy wearing a beige jacket, comes up to us from behind, and asks us something in rapid Japanese. (Our best guess is that he was asking where the Akasaka line.) I said, "er... I don't speak Japanese" and he went to ask one of the station attendants.
Time: 2109 hrs
Place: Tokyo
(both) We are in the Tokyo Subway walking from the Hanzomon line to the Marunochi line, looking for the exit to the Marunochi line, and I was looking lost while trying to figure out this pacer gadget and counting my steps, when this middle-aged guy wearing a beige jacket, comes up to us from behind, and asks us something in rapid Japanese. (Our best guess is that he was asking where the Akasaka line.) I said, "er... I don't speak Japanese" and he went to ask one of the station attendants.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Wi-Mac
Date: 27 Sep 2006
Time: 1531 hrs
Place: MacCafe at Great World City
(sorf) Someone just asked if I can be connected to the internet.
Time: 1531 hrs
Place: MacCafe at Great World City
(sorf) Someone just asked if I can be connected to the internet.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Lock on your soul
Date: 30 Aug 2006
Time: 0800 hrs (approx)
Place: Incheon Airport, Seoul
(sorf) I had just landed and I collected a cart for my baggage and was waiting at the conveyor belt. I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked around to see a 50-ish Korean lady in a very colourful outfit spoke a stream of Korean at me. It turns out she couldn't figure out how to pull out a trolley from the line of trolleys by pressing down on the handle and so I had to yank one out for her.
Time: 0800 hrs (approx)
Place: Incheon Airport, Seoul
(sorf) I had just landed and I collected a cart for my baggage and was waiting at the conveyor belt. I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked around to see a 50-ish Korean lady in a very colourful outfit spoke a stream of Korean at me. It turns out she couldn't figure out how to pull out a trolley from the line of trolleys by pressing down on the handle and so I had to yank one out for her.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Car-ma
Date: 27 Aug 2006
Time: 1016 hrs
Place: near home
(sorf) Happened to borrow my sister's car. It's a bloody weirdo magnet. Some weird monk came up to me downstairs to wish me "Amitofo"
Time: 1016 hrs
Place: near home
(sorf) Happened to borrow my sister's car. It's a bloody weirdo magnet. Some weird monk came up to me downstairs to wish me "Amitofo"
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Pick me up
Date: 23 Aug 2006
Time: 1551 hrs
Place: NTUC
(sorf) Some dude from South Africa just tried to pick me up at NTUC!
Time: 1551 hrs
Place: NTUC
(sorf) Some dude from South Africa just tried to pick me up at NTUC!
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Tagalog chat-a-lot
Date: 12 Aug 2006
Time: 1536 hrs
Place: Cathay
(both) Sorf had just come out of her hair appointment and these two Filipino ladies, in their forties, one with a black sleeveless top, came straight up to us and asked "Where is the Plaza Sing?", and then we told her where it was and then she told us that she was looking for "a SIM card" and she was "walking round and round" and could not find one. I told her that on the first floor that she could try the Starhub shop.
Time: 1536 hrs
Place: Cathay
(both) Sorf had just come out of her hair appointment and these two Filipino ladies, in their forties, one with a black sleeveless top, came straight up to us and asked "Where is the Plaza Sing?", and then we told her where it was and then she told us that she was looking for "a SIM card" and she was "walking round and round" and could not find one. I told her that on the first floor that she could try the Starhub shop.
Circle Line will kill them
Date: 12 Aug 2006
Time: 1415 hrs
Place: Dhoby Ghaut MRT
I'm walking towards the escalator that goes to Plaza Singapura when some Chinese man, wearing white t-shirt, black pans, spectacles and ruffled hair, probably Singaporean, walked up to my side and slightly behind me, and asked me how to go to Toa Payoh MRT. I told him to take the travellator to the other line and five stops up towards Jurong East.
Is the station really that confusing?
Time: 1415 hrs
Place: Dhoby Ghaut MRT
I'm walking towards the escalator that goes to Plaza Singapura when some Chinese man, wearing white t-shirt, black pans, spectacles and ruffled hair, probably Singaporean, walked up to my side and slightly behind me, and asked me how to go to Toa Payoh MRT. I told him to take the travellator to the other line and five stops up towards Jurong East.
Is the station really that confusing?
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Enter the lost dragon
Date: 30 July 2006
Time: 1938 hrs
Place: road junction near National Library
(sorf) Waiting at the traffic lights outside Sunshine Plaza headed for the library when a young guy in a dragon print shirt and shorts, with his girlfriend, asked in Chinese where the train station was. Told him Bugis and he asked if it was very far. Said no, just 2 lights down, and on the left.
Time: 1938 hrs
Place: road junction near National Library
(sorf) Waiting at the traffic lights outside Sunshine Plaza headed for the library when a young guy in a dragon print shirt and shorts, with his girlfriend, asked in Chinese where the train station was. Told him Bugis and he asked if it was very far. Said no, just 2 lights down, and on the left.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Queue cutter
Date: 27 Jul 2006
Time: 2157 hrs
Place: IKEA
(both) We're right at the cornermost cashier, waiting to pay for our purchases, when this middle-aged lady wearing printed pants rudely interrupts us from behind and asks if we would mind if she could pay for her scented candles first. The candles weren't very classy and to think that she travelled all the way down to IKEA just to buy these cheesy candles. We said no and she had to go back to the tail of the queue.
Time: 2157 hrs
Place: IKEA
(both) We're right at the cornermost cashier, waiting to pay for our purchases, when this middle-aged lady wearing printed pants rudely interrupts us from behind and asks if we would mind if she could pay for her scented candles first. The candles weren't very classy and to think that she travelled all the way down to IKEA just to buy these cheesy candles. We said no and she had to go back to the tail of the queue.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
mm chee dou...
Date: 25 Jul 2006
Time: 2005 hrs
Plaace: Outside Novena Square
(sorf) A very harried looking bespectacled young woman outside Novena Square asked in Cantonese what road she was on.
Time: 2005 hrs
Plaace: Outside Novena Square
(sorf) A very harried looking bespectacled young woman outside Novena Square asked in Cantonese what road she was on.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Chemists that don't do chemistry
Date: 18 Jul 2006
Time: 1010 hrs
Place: Maxwell Market
I'm at Maxwell Market just having a nice coffee when an Australian lady, wearing a t-shirt with the word "DIOR" splashed over it, comes up to me and asked where the nearest chemist was. I told her to head over to Raffles City to look for the pharmacies there.
Time: 1010 hrs
Place: Maxwell Market
I'm at Maxwell Market just having a nice coffee when an Australian lady, wearing a t-shirt with the word "DIOR" splashed over it, comes up to me and asked where the nearest chemist was. I told her to head over to Raffles City to look for the pharmacies there.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Dove
Date: 16 Jul 2006
Time: 1755 hrs
Place: NTUC Toa Payoh
I'm with my younger brother looking at the foldable table on offer and this man asks me from behind, in Hokkien, whether the Dove shampoo could be used for washing the body or washing the hair ("ji gei xi shui tao meng ah si shui xin gu eh?"). My younger brother told him that it was not for body washing. I think he had some problem with his eyes. He's probably a bachelor, quite dirty looking, carrying an umbrella.
Time: 1755 hrs
Place: NTUC Toa Payoh
I'm with my younger brother looking at the foldable table on offer and this man asks me from behind, in Hokkien, whether the Dove shampoo could be used for washing the body or washing the hair ("ji gei xi shui tao meng ah si shui xin gu eh?"). My younger brother told him that it was not for body washing. I think he had some problem with his eyes. He's probably a bachelor, quite dirty looking, carrying an umbrella.
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