over dinner and half-price gelare last night, a couple of girlfriends and i started discussing about the latest, hottest question being asked by Singaporeans today:
"what are you going to do with your progress package ah?"
shopaholic girlfriend of course had a major purchase sorted out already, and another girlfriend wanted to spend it all on Moet. yes. all. she's probably Moet's biggest fan.
of course, she changed her mind under (what i would like to believe was) shopaholic girlfriend's and my persuasive tactics ("you're going to drink and piss away the money!"). Moet girlfriend may now spend her progress package on other more lasting things.
me? i have no clue. initially, i wanted to save the progress package, since i've been working close to a year and have no savings to my name. but as soon as that plan left my lips i was bombarded with "HUH WHY?!?!"s from girlfriends, quickly followed by a suggested list of things to buy.
after all this, i still don't know what to do with the money. maybe i'll secretly save some and splurge the rest on a trip somewhere.
well anyway, as much as the progress package has led me take some joy in being Singaporean, i was still rather cheesed off later that night while waiting for a cab back.
trying to be a model citizen, i agreed to wait in the taxi queue instead of heading outside to the main road to flag one (shopaholic girlfriend: "sure, you can go outside to catch a cab... if you want to be bitchy.")
there was probably only five or six people ahead of us and how long did we have to wait for a cab? 40mins. 40 mins!!! i know i'm probably pampered by how our transportation system is so efficient, but hello? in 40mins i could've taken a bus and got home!
why didn't i just do that? because i know that the moment i step out of the taxi queue, a million taxis will come and i'd have missed my chance. and probably would have to wait another crazy amount of time for the bus, knowing murphy.
what probably made it worse was the many empty cabs passing by along the main road picking up passengers, none of which bothered to turn into the taxi stand. Moet girlfriend, with just a little leftover angst from JC, decided to call me a cab, at the same time give the cab company a little piece of her mind.
Moet girlfriend: hello? i'd like a cab to bukit batok. (pause) yeah. (with renewed energy) Also, I'd like to know why there are so many cabs along the main road and none of them are bothering to turn into the taxi stand!! (pause) okay. (looks at us) she put me on hold.
roight. trying to be a good citizen and not jump the taxi queue obviously means nothing to other people in this society!
(and that's got nothing to do with the fact that as soon as i boarded my booked taxi, there was a sticker from the cab company stating two separate numbers: one for booking a cab, the other, for feedback... and we were complaining to the book-a-cab number.)