A chinese man with beard like those in kung-fu movies. Stout and
tough looking with streetwise look. If he wears a kung-fu style
shirt it would be perfect for him but he has on a big baggy
T-shirt. Very menacing looking man.
He immediately boarded (front seat) my taxi after the previous
customer had alighted.
(All in Hokkien) "KNLBCCB, sibei tulan taxi don't stop for me!
All waiting for calls is it!"
Wah liao, si liao, how to handle him. Best is to make
friendly with him and hope he has sympathy (most kung-fu people in
movies can empathise with suffering peasant), explain taxi driving
hard to make a living, most have to come all the way empty from far
away towns to city to pick up next fare thereby wasting time and
fuel so they try to make up by taking calls. Tell him he look very
macho with the beard and all, not easy for me to grow beard because
my whiskers are sparsely populated, how I wish to have a beard like
his. Pay him many compliments. At last he cooled down.
He proudly told me he was the first in Singapore to be convicted
for road-rage. He slashed and stabbed victim with knife and was
jailed. He still feels the victim had asked for it. (Which I
personally agree, there are people who really asked for it, sibei
lau lan, don't know what tiger they are facing.)
He confesses he likes to fight and had learn kung-fu from books
and movies and how he can keep calm while fighting, able to 'siam'
his opponents' attacks with or without weapons.
"Come, let me teach you a few moves."
He promptly took my left arm and twisted it before I can say
no.
"You must know where to hit your opponent where he is to hurt
most."
Poked below my ribs and I let out a yell.
"I have use only minimal strenght and you yell, this shows how
effective it is."
"Please, let me learn from you next time we meet, now I'm
driving and I have to concentrate." I changed the subject and asks
how he likes to go to Leng Kee at a cross junction. "We can
go from here or you like to take another route?"
He told me another route which baffles me. Anyway I don't wish
to discuss which is the 'correct' route with him. So I told him to
direct me as we go along.
Another BIG SURPRISE when we nears his destination. I had asked
him before is it Leng Kee where there's a lot of cars for sale and
he had said yes.
We ended up at Leng Kie Car Dealers along Commonwealth
Ave.
All in all he is actually a very nice man when we get talking.
Really do not mind meeting him again, not purposely but if fate
arranged it.
