He just does that to show he COULD’VE snuffed me.

I was part of the Recce team, Long Range Support. My buddy was the sniper and i was the one who call for fire support.

My buddy can hit from 800 meters, head shot, moving target. He's very good lah. I always call for the fire support, sure will hit the target one. Once i point the laser, the planes will fly in and fire the missiles. Sure on target one.

Range only 400 meters. So when we go range, the target suddenly becomes very big. We used to have 56 bullets. So, 56 / 56 lah.

We can run and hide for two days continuously from the enemy. We always run and hide. Sometimes we will run, hide and even flank the enemy. The commandos will chase after us, so we keep running. We can even slowly pick off the commandos, until there's only half a team left.

We also like to find and "kill" the enemy. You better don't smoke. If you smoke, i can find you. If you fart and i am downwind, i can find you. If you cook, i also can find you. If you shit, i also can find you.

Our intake will have 30 people. Then we will slowly filter off, until there's less than 10 remaining.

Although we run so much, we take it as fun lah. Finding and "killing" the enemy is fun.

I suppose the end message is this:
Take everything as it comes. Embrace it and look for the positives. Once you do that, you won't find it a chore anymore.

Words of Wisdom from Very Wise Taxi Drivers Part Three

As i sighted the taxi pulling out from the opposite apartments, i thought to myself, lets see if he drives in my direction. If he does, i'll flag it. As fate turns out, i did flag the taxi and boarded it. Trying to strike up a conversation, i asked, "Just started your shift?"

"Should have started at 7pm. Had to start late because my day job had a late meeting. Sigh... Lost ten dollars already." Came the grumbling answer. "No choice lah. Work part-time is like that one. I tell you arh, i work for six years already."

"Heh. Meetings are a waste of time." i chuckled, still not quite understanding what he meant.

"Sometimes no choice lah."

"Every time a meeting is called, they talk and talk and talk. In the end, nothing is resolved." I declared.

"Yarh lor. Sometimes, i work until so late i can't drive afterwards. I just tell my partner that i can't drive and pay him accordingly. Luckily, he's quite understanding"

"Wow. You drive after your day-job? Very shiong leh, like that. After work already so tired, still have to drive taxi. But don't drive also good lah. If drive, lagi dangerous. You are so mentally tired." The message was slowly filtering into my slow brain and i realised how difficult this taxi driver's life is.

"Yarh lah. Thats true." Was his agreement.

"Wah. Uncle, you worked for six years already. You not tired?" Disbelieving, i noted his white crop of hair. How does he manage it at his age? I thought

"I numb already. But sometimes because of family, i have to work. I give myself another two years. My daughter is almost going to graduate. Once she does that, i'll stop." He replied wearily.

"Local uni?"

"No no. My daughter is in Australia."

"Really? Perth? Or Sydney?"

"Yeah, yeah. She's in UWA."

"Wah. Australian dollar is going up."

"Yarh lor" Was his grim reply.

"Well, when she comes back, at least you can rest from all this driving."

"No lah. She's not coming back." He said flatly.

"Then what? She work and send money back? Also good lah. Australian dollar so high."

"Hopefully she sends money back lah." He said hopefully.

When we finally reached my place, the fare was $10.40. I gave him $15.00, told him to keep the change and wished him a good drive.

I know it might not be much, but i sincerely do hope that it helped in some way. Driving a taxi after a long day at work is not easy.

To that taxi driver,
I wish you all the best. I hope your daughter comes back to help out with the family and that you don't have to drive a taxi after your day-job any more.

Words of Wisdom from Very Wise Taxi Drivers Part Two

Whenever i work late into the night, i usually take a taxi home if its after 10pm. Reason being because i'm usually dead-tired by then, and if i had to take the train, i still have to walk some distance, which i can't be bothered to. (-.-)

Last week late in night, when i took a taxi home, the driver and i chatted for a while. He remarked that he had been sending customers to the east side (Bedok area) all day, and now i'm another one. Following that, he then proceeded to tell me about all the different kinds of people that taxi drivers meet.

1. He was once behind another empty taxi, and saw it ignore a wheelchair-ed person who was trying to hail him. Furthermore, it was drizzling and the empty taxi just sped off. He angrily told me, "That guy had better pray and hope that he/his kin will not receive any disease or injury that will cause them to be wheelchair-bound. Because if they do, they will receive the same treatment like he had given." Bad karma, in other words.
   
2. He had picked up a young girl before and drove her home. Upon reaching the girl's home, she confessed to not having enough money. He then asked ironically, "So how?" The girl replied, "How ah. Let you touch me lor." He then furiously told her, "Eh. Girl. Don't play this kind of game. Next time no money, just say no money." The girl walked away, untouched and unpaid.
3. There was once where he had worked till late and was preparing to go home via one last trip. So he put up the sign "Yishun", signifying that he will only take customers to Yishun. A few kids hailed his taxi, and told him that they were going to Yishun. They then held up five fingers. He asked, "What? One person five dollars?" They replied, "No. Can fetch us all for five dollars?" He refused and the kids pleaded to him, saying that they only have so little money and needed to go home. He told them to wait till morning for the first bus/train.
4. His friend had picked up a young girl before, and the girl sat beside him at the passenger seat. Along the way, while changing gear, the girl grab his hand and laid it on her thighs, exclaiming that she was so cold and if he could feel her being so cold. At the end of the journey, the girl said she didn't have enough money. When asked further, she said, "Uncle, you touched me just now leh. So how arh?" She walked away, unpaid.
   

With such recounting and experiences, he has a few practices now:

• He doesn't let his female customers sit in the passenger seat beside him, for fear of Events 2 & 4 happening again.
• He is wary of picking up kids, because of the above-mentioned events.

Taxi drivers sure meet all kinds of people. If each of them could tell their stories on the people they meet, i'm sure we'll be able to profile all the different characters in this country. :D

Words of Wisdom from Very Wise Taxi Drivers

While i was taking a taxi back to the office on Friday, i struck up a comfortable conversation with the driver. He proudly stated his heritage:

1. He's a orphan. His father died, and his mother left him.
2. He has next to no education at all.
3. As a result of that, he has "seen the world".
4. But because he has believed in Buddhism, he has taken a vow and turned over a new leaf
5. However, that doesn't stop him from having a girlfriend despite having a wife and kids.
6. The said girlfriend is also married with kids.
7. For the three years that they were together, she has never bought him a present during his birthday.
8. He recently bought a $490 gold necklace for his girlfriend as a present, but she pawned it and left the receipt with him.
9. This incident was the last straw that broke the camel's back. He admitted to not being very familiar with such affairs, but his girlfriend has "taught" him until he's familiar.
10. He plans to abandon his girlfriend now.

With all these "sight-seeing of the world", he has a few Pearls of Wisdom to share:

• A girlfriend is like a handphone. If you don't pay the service charge, the service will be terminated.
  
• On the other hand, a wife is like a television. You only need to pay once and can use for free after that.
• A girlfriend is like a handphone. You take it where-ever you go.
• A wife is like a television. You leave it at home.

Don't you just love taxi drivers? They have a simple uncomplicated view of life. :)