Singaporeans and Guitars

Conversation between I (AA) and a Singaporean Taxi Driver (TD)

AA: Do you drive your taxi every day?
TD: Any Choi …. ?
AA: What?? I did not hear clearly what you have just said ..
TD: I said is there any choi laa..
AA: Did you mean Chioice ??
TD: Iya, laaa ..
AA: What do you mean by choice ??
TD: Ah, other choi beside everyday drive taxi??
AA: I only know that in Japan and perhaps in Indonesia too, a taxi driver is
allowed to drive two days in a row and then one day off …
TD: In Singapore cannot, laa … You say Japan, they have a lot of money, we do
like that, we die, no money .. People not happy here ..
AA: Other people in other country are not as good as what you have here..
TD: But we have to drive everyday, otherwise die laa ..
AA: But your Prime Minister and Ministers are all well paid, the highest in the
world …. Why you say you are not happy ..
TD: We pay for everything, no money means no pay for food and no food too is
die laa ….
AA: Taxi driver in Indonesia cannot make money in a day as what you can in a
day in Singapore.
TD: Oh, yeah, People in Indonesia can play guitar everyday, even they do not
work. I went to Karimun (Karimun Jawa?) and I went to Bintan, I saw people play
guitar in the morning or in the evening under a tree, even they have no work.
They do not work but they live … Their neighbours have own chicken and other
food at hand. Every day I saw that … In Singapore we have to import everything
….
AA: That means that people have no time to play the guitar, because there is
only work, work, work no play and not play guitar too ??
TD: Yes, yes, no time for guitar
AA: Wel, well, if I do business in Singapore, I won't choose guitar as my main
business. No Singaporean will buy guitar … Hahaha ..
TD: Yes, yes that is right, no guitars for Singaporean
After AA got off in front of Fullerton Hotel and walked toward the Boat Quay
restaurants, along the row of food stalls and bars, I saw four or five
youngsters sitting at the water front, playing guitars and singing together,
songs that I am not familiar with.
One naughty thought appeared in my mind: Ah those youngsters could be
Indonesians … Not Singaporeans …
Anwari Doel Arnowo – November 16, 2009.

Dear bung Anwari, that's a very good essay, descriptive and reflective in depicting the stressful life of the common people in Singapore.

Thanks for sharing,

Betulll....
That story of the taxi driver
Was a true one
As I got the same story
I interviewed 3 different ethnic taxi drivers, and got the same complaint

They said
The last 20-30 years life
Was better than now

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Ha ha ha...intermezo segar sekali, saya jadi ingat paman saya yg dulu ikut
keluarga sejak muda, kami memanggilnya Tulang Parlin krn namanya Parlindungan
Lubis, tulang artinya paman, paman ini sama sekali tidak pernah kerja alias
pengangguran abadi, kerjanya tiap hari main gitar dan main catur, paman orang
paling bahagia didunia walau enggak punya income, rokok pun atas sumbangan
teman2 caturnya, cukup aneh memang, sampai hari ini banyak orang yg tidak punya
apa2 dalam hidupnya tapi mampu menikmati hidup dengan nikmatnya, hidup begitu
ringan bagi sebagian orang, terutama bagi mereka yg sudah terbiasa hidup dalam
ketiadaan, walau tidak ada uang mereka masih mampu menghibur orang lain dengan
suara gitar maupun lelucon nya, walau miskin masih mau perduli dan berbagi
dengan orang lain, saya merindukan kehidupan seperti ini, di Amrik ini saya
tidak menjumpai toleransi demikian, bila sedang kesusahan cepet2 lari ke dokter
minta obat2 anti stress, anti
depression, boro2 mau perduli sama orang lain, too busy crying and whining
about their problems.

Saya banyak menjelajahi negara2 di Asia, hanya di Indonesia lah saya menemukan
bangsa paling periang, paling ramah, selalu eager utk membantu orang2 asing,
bangsa Indonesia memiliki humor yg luar biasa, menganggap hidup ini sendiri
adalah panggung humor, bila saya berada di Indonesia, saya jarang manyun, selalu
tertawa ter gelak2 kemanapun saya pergi, wajah2 mereka selalu siap utk disapa,
saya banyak menjumpai orang2 miskin papa yg betul2 tidak bisa makan layak, tubuh
mereka kurus2 kering, tetapi bila kita mencoba utk mengorek perasaan nya, mereka
sama sekali tidak menyadari kemiskinan nya yg mengiris hati kita, tidak merasa
tersiksa, mereka masih bisa mmebuat saya tertawa ter bahak2, lalu ketika saya
tanya apa yg akan dipilihnya kalau saya memberikan dua pilihan, hiburan musik
dangdut atau sekarung beras, jawaban nya akan bikin kita terkejut, mereka akan
memilih hiburan.....
Jelas sekali bangsa kita memang bangsa yg periang, jadi tidak heran kalau banyak
pengangguran yg bermain gitar menyanyikan lagu2 koes ploes,..bukan lautan..hanya
kolam susu....kain dan jala cukup menghidupi mu...o lala...
Thanks pak Anwari