Shut up and drive.

Every time I get into a cab, I always hope that I will get a driver that will give me a peaceful and steady ride to my destination. I hope that the driver will sense my restlessness and not chatter away when I am just pretending to be interested. When I do get a driver who loves to chit chat, I normally just nod politely and say "yah" every 30 seconds.

Due to my poor time management, I take cabs a lot and coupled with my bad luck, I tend to get more bad drivers than good ones. I remember sometime last year, I was in a hurry to go to school. So I waited for quite awhile before a cab appeared. So I got into the cab and said, "Uncle, Dhoby Ghaut." The driver proceeded to drive for awhile and then stopped. He deliberated for a few moments and then drove again.

I did not really think much of it but a few minutes later, he finally said, "Dhoby Ghaut maybe not enough petrol." HUH. A taxi driver driving with little petrol? How lucky can I get? That is like a popiah seller who does not have enough popiah skin and asking me if she can just put the rest of the ingredients on a bowl for me to eat with a spoon! (Okay, maybe not, but you get the idea.)

I know I should have shouted to him, "Why are you still picking up passengers when you have low petrol?" However, I kept my cool and just gave and awkward smile followed by a, "erm, okay." Luckily, there was enough petrol to send me to school.

That was, sadly, not the worst encounter I have with a cab driver. So a few weeks ago, I was late for work and hailed a cab. Everything was fine, no chit chats, aircon was at a comfortable temperature, driver did not drive unsteadily. It was a good day. I think everything was going on too smoothly, that was why this next thing happened.

I reached my destination and the fare was $5. So I handed the driver a $10 note and waited for my change. After searching for awhile, the driver declared that he does not have enough change for $10. I started fuming again, it was only a $5 change, it wasn't like I was giving him a $100 bill. A driver driving with less than $5 with him? That is like a basketball practise session where the coach forgets the basketball and had no choice but to train with tennis balls! (Again, not really, but you get my drift.)

In the end, he asked me if I had small change. I said no but inside I was really thinking that if I had I would already have given it to him and not be sitting in here waiting for my change like an idiot. He searched high and low, digged everywhere. Finally, he gave me my change. One $2 bill and the rest in coins. (5-cent coins included!) I cursed silently. I slammed the door of the cab without checking the change and walked off.

But as luck would have it, I dropped some of the coins, when I picked it up and finally counted, it was short of 20 cents! I know, I know, it was only 20 cents. But that was not the issue for me, if he had told me he was short of 20 cents I would have accepted it and left. But cheating me? That was low.

I have a lot more stories about bad cab drivers but lets just end here by saying, cab drivers, love them or hate them, I still cannot live without them.

Spoilt.

I don't really like to make short posts but I am here to inform everyone that my laptop just died on me and I am updating on my Nokia e71 (awesome phone).

Be prepared for an extended period of absence!

And by the way, I HATE DELL!

The bug.

A couple of days ago, I went to my friend's place to pass him some material on advertising as he had a project on that module and I had just finished that module a few weeks ago. He is living alone with his girlfriend which may be a good or bad thing depending on how you view relationships.

So when I reached his place, I glanced into his room and noticed a few things that were out of place. By his bed were a deck of playing cards and a "gun" that produces fire, those you see your mom or maid use when starting a fire before cooking. (Someone tell me what it is called please.)

At that moment, my head was thinking what is it that they do before bed that required those two items. However, as they are both dear friends of mine, I preferred not knowing. In the end, curiosity got the better of me and I asked him what are those "props" for. He shook his head and told me that his girlfriend is still in "Chinese New Year mood" and is making him play dai dee before sleeping every night. (LOL!)

I started to think if the winner is supposed to burn the loser with that "gun" but before that thought ended, he told me the "gun" is to deal with a recent problem he has. Bedbugs. I have never had an encounter with those creatures and therefore I thought he was over-reacting.

So in the end, we decided to call two of my other good friends to come over to play mahjong and while waiting for them to arrive, I sat on the couch in the living room to watch the television. In the midst of the game after they have arrived, my left leg started to itch but I paid no attention to it. When I finally scratched it, I realized that there are not one, not two, but SEVEN tiny bumps.

This was when I asked my friend if they had a problem with bedbugs on the couch as well. I did not look in the mirror but according to my friends, my expression after hearing the confirmation was "priceless". We then proceeded to said couch and look for that monster. The freaking bug was the size of an "o" in this font and size, maybe even smaller. I then took much delight in frying that little creature.

The aftermath of this incident, and point of this post, is I now hate bedbugs and they are on my list of hated creatures right up with flying insects and people shouting into their mobile phones. Few days on, my leg still itches a lot and the bumps are extremely ugly. I am going to buy that "gun" and put it by my bed too in case the problem ever happens to my bed. (Please don't!)

When I grow up.

I am not sure whether it is the age or whether the clubbing scene has seriously deteriorated but I do not really enjoy clubbing as much as I used to. I used to club every week without fail during my days at SP and the army, but now, I think I would prefer to go to a place with seats.

However, if there is one thing that never fails to amaze me in clubs, it will be the club's patrons. I mean, I am not a good dancer. I am not even an okay dancer. And knowing that dancing is not my best feature, I tend to try to be discreet at the dance floor and make as little movement as possible.

With the guys at Powerhouse, it is a different story. It is like all of them took some "confidence-boosting" pills that give these really, really bad dancers courage to step up to the podium and dance their nights away. Well, thanks for entertaining me I guess.

I remember one guy from about a month ago, he was dancing on the podium, shaking his head and feeling the music. No, I made a mistake. The only thing he did on the podium was shake his head. He was shaking his head from left to right, to left to right. At one point, I was afraid his head will dislodge from his neck and roll off the podium due to the sheer intensity of his head-shaking.

It does not take a great dancer to know that this type of dance moves although not the worst, but seriously, to do that on the podium? One might think that he wants a career as an extra in a Bollywood production. If that is indeed what he wants, kudos to him, he is one step nearer to his dream.

And last week, to my delight, there were two entertainers in Powerhouse. The first one was on the podium letting his hands do the dancing, with sleek snake-like movements, his hands look set to seduce anyone and everyone on the dance floor. Maybe not, but he caught my attention at least. It got me thinking, why is he doing that? Then I realized, he probably wanted to be a magician when he grew up.

The other one was another classic, so much so that I wished I had his dancing on video. This guy was showcasing all his killer dance moves. His dance moves could literally kill. I am pretty sure most of you had caught "Ip Man" by now. You know how Ip Man amazingly hit his opponents with the very fast fist move. Well, this guy did that on the podium, but about 50 times slower. Well, the idea was there, and you cannot fault a guy who wanted to emulate his idol.

So, these are the people who are keeping me from dying out of boredom in clubs. To all three of you and hopefully more to come, I salute you!

Edit - Happy Lunar New Year to all. May good wealth and good health follow you and your family all year round.

Fear.

I wanted to find out if there was an official phobia for my fear of flying insects and I chanced upon something interesting. I was googling for it and one of the results that appeared was this.

I don't know how this became the best answer until I saw the second of only two responses.

"buy a cd with bug sounds lay on your floor have a friend get a feather close your eyes and turn on the cd have your friend tickle u with a feather and imagine your in a fiels suronded by bugs try it be optimistic" (Exact quote, too lazy to print screen.)

HUH? I can safely assume there is no cure for my fear of flying insects.

More about this phobia of mine, I don't understand why I should tolerate and appreciate flying insects when most of them are extremely hateful creatures. They hover around you and makes you swat the air like an idiot.

Also, they like to fly straight at your face which I can never understand why. Once, an insect flew straight into the throat of my friend when he was talking, he had no choice but to swallow it. (True story.)

Most hateful creature is the golden beetle that hovers around the lights and thus making a very irritating sound. My friends told me that it is called a "kim ku". They have weird hairy legs that give you a shock when it lands on your shoulders. Other notable contenders are bees and wasps.

-

Another result that showed was a phobia list site and that is where I stumbled on some interesting trivia. (Sorry if you have these phobias. I don't mean to offend.)

"Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth."
They have a name for a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth but not a name for fear of flying insects? That's just weird.

"Caligynephobia- Fear of beautiful women."
Seriously?

"Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words."
What an irony!

"Chrometophobia or Chrematophobia- Fear of money."
Come and be my friend!

Reflections.

In 2008, I learned that it is not worth fighting against the pain inflicted by a wisdom tooth. The pain gets worse everyday and does not go away.

In 2008, I learned that a pimple may be just a pimple, but it still can cause you to be hospitalized. So, do handle it with care.

In 2008, I learned that everything you have done can easily be negated. Unless it is beneficial to yourself or your family, never give a 100-percent.

In 2008, I learned that everybody is just using everybody else in one way or another. Me included. Therefore, it is important to know when to thank a person and express gratitude.

In 2008, I learned that there are a lot of weird people driving the taxis and buses in Singapore. Imagine the odds of boarding a taxi only to have the driver tell you that his taxi may not have enough petrol to bring you to your destination.

In 2008, I learned that playing the Nintendo Wii for hours will give you sore arms for days. Think twice before you swing that remote.

In 2008, I learned that Singapore lacks gracious people. I took a bus the other day when a visually impaired guy boarded. It was obvious he needed a seat near the exit and when he asked an auntie, who was sitting at the seat right in front of the TV monitor, if he could have that seat, that auntie said, "No, this seat is only for one."

In 2008, I learned that sometimes words may hurt more than the pain inflicted by a wisdom tooth. And at least you can cure the latter with some painkillers.

In 2008, I learned that Formula 1 may not be that boring after all. After watching the very exciting Brazilian GP, you can color me hooked.

In 2008, I learned that after everything has been said and done, the episode with you is the only piece of history I wish I could change.

And all of a sudden, 2008 is over.

A fresh year awaits so let us all hope it does not suck.

Happy 2009.

Fast away the old year passes.

Christmas is currently less than 24 hours away. I have never been a fan of Christmas, to me, it used to be just another day I get to party and drink. As I grow older, going to clubs don't really excite me much anymore. However, someone special once taught me that Christmas is a day of giving thanks. And thus, I am here to give my thanks today.

Thank you parents for always accommodating to my needs. Both of you have been supportive of my decisions and giving me freedom to do what I want. Sometimes I cannot stand your nagging but that is normal behavior for all children I guess. Thank you both for everything you have sacrificed for me.

Thank you best friends for being there for me all the time. I know I can be irritating some or most of the time, but you guys have never once left me by myself when I needed company. Late mahjong sessions, late texas poker sessions or last minutes dinners are some of the immature demands I have requested from all of you. Thank you for putting up with me.

Thank you brothers for introducing me to the other side of life. You all were the ones who introduced me to fun, excitement and surprises. If I had not met all of you during my polytechnic years, I may have become the son that my parents crave so much. A son who does not go out until the next morning smelling like he showered with alcohol. However, I am glad that I did make friends with all of you. Thank you for being there for me.

Thank you ss for teaching me that Christmas is not all about presents and Santa Claus. Thank you for reminding me that I have to give thanks to the people near and dear.

Thank you cm for giving in to me most of the time. Thank you for your generosity.

Thank you ** for making me laugh out loud often. Thank you for your company and jokes.

Thank you mdis mates for teaching and guiding me. Thank you for making me look forward to going to school.

So, who do you want to thank this Christmas?