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Friday, August 13, 2004

Too High, Too Much, Too Wet

I believe our local taxi drivers are the best political scientists in and around Singapore. They also show us the way how locals think and breathe their way through life in the hustle and bustle of a growing and technologically challenging Singapore.

These barometers of the country's social, psychological and economic scene has an unusual knack of seeing what we so-called middle and upper class citizens don't. It may be because these cab drivers are always in touch with the pulse of society through their unique job of ferrying all kinds of people to all kinds of places and remaining sane and smiling (or not) to face the next day that does not always promise blue skies and everything nice. These cab drivers also make good philosophers. If you let them have their way, they will take your money and give you a good reason why you need to take two tablets and call them again tomorrow morning.

This came out of my conversation with a friend over 'rojak' (see the connection here?) after an interesting RCIA session on the Assumption. Tough matter to share with the catechumen but a necessary one. I think we account ourselves rather well despite the difficulties. As the cab drivers do with ease the ruminations of life in their unique manner under restrictive confines, I should not grumble or moan too much with what I amply have to ruminate the faith life with others, given the fact that I don't necessary do this 'alone'.

So I shouldn't be too free to tell the mountain that it is too high, the road that it winds too much and the ocean that it is too wet.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Friend was posed this question by Taxi Driver: So, what do you think of our new Prime Minister? Do you like him or not?
(Silence. Busy buat-ing bodoh ... )
- He no good, lah!
- Er, he hasn’t done anything for me to dislike him.
- Aiyah! Don’t like also like that. He become Prime Minister also we have no say!
- Er, actually, we do have a say. Well, we did choose him to become an MP.
- Aiyah! What does it matter to us? He still become Prime Minister!
- Well he was elected to become an MP. If nobody liked him he would not have been elected as an MP.
- But that not the same. That only MP. Now PM!
- Well, that’s just the system we have, you see. We have our say in choosing our MPs. Then, whichever party wins gets to decide who they want to be the PM.
- That not fair!
- Er, maybe not. But it’s the system we inherited from the British. It’s the same in England, in India and in Malaysia.

By which time, of course, Friend's zeal had quite doused Taxi Driver's!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no political analyst. I just think coffee shop (in this case, taxi) politics often consists of little else besides badmouthing public figures at a whim.

Wasn’t there mention of the 10th Commandment lately? Time to be mindful of the 8th.

Anonymous said...

Yucks tat fruit AGAIN, make me NAUSEAOUS ...........


Happy Assumption to One & All plus not 4getting Happy Hungry Ghost Festival on Monday !!!

Anonymous said...

St Blaise. A matyred bishop of eastern Europe in the 4th Century, I think. There was, in all probability such a man but whatever details exist of his life is largely legendary and can't be substantiated. He had apparently come to the aid of someone with a fishbone in the throat. Sounds a lot simpler than what you might be experiencing, I'm afraid! I'm sure, however, that St Blaise, or whichever saint God might have deputised would be glad to intercede for you! I think his feast is in February. Blessing of throats take place. The last I heard, they do it at St Joseph's, Victoria Street. What DO they do at throat blessings? I wonder ...

Yes, it would be good to have a 'real' patron saint for sufferers of ENT ailments ... There has been talk of Pope Pius XII being made a Blessed, then perhaps a saint ... I wonder if he might be a man for the job ... He had a very huge nose! ... Then again, I don't think he suffered for it. He put IT to good use. Sniffed out the Jews and the Nazis and kept them apart ...

Anonymous said...

There was a blessing of throats on his feast day...I attended evening mass at CTK...After mass Fr Stephen Yim invited those who wanted to get a blessing to receive one...

Z from Sfx

 

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