Topics to Avoid Talking about

[JR8]

I couldn't comment, I don't think I've ever taken a taxi or mini cab in London.

Eta the reason I asked

It'd be easier if you wrote in English. I have idea what 'Eta' means in this context. Er, and when you talked about taxis in the 'UK'... I presumed that meant United Kingdom; but you say you haven't been, so was that slang too?

We are adults here, there is little chat in obscure code or youthful slang. Please make it easier for the rest of us by doing the same. Thanks!

MorenangPinay. It is simple, take out your phone, and take a picture of his displayed license/taxi id. If he asks why say you don't like his chat. Simple as that.

You do not need to say 'Because I'm going to report you', as he will know that, unless he is a complete fool. But be aware that the SG taxi companies take customer complaints very seriously. It doesn't take much for a driver to get a warning. If repeated they face suspension. It's then an extremely short path to long suspensions (months, a year?) and am empty rice-bowl, or an outright ban.

This is why (in my experience) SGn taxi drivers can at times not be as knowledgeable or as good drivers as one might wish for, but rank un-professionalism (intentionally going the long way, driving around the block 5 times, intimidating passengers) is not something I have witnessed in SG.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Carry with you a voice recorder and start capitalizing on local ever and growing popular outrage of modesty.

Most already carry a voice recorder. Almost all Smart Phones have a voice recorder app pre installed. I found my strictly by accident.

[Hannieroo]

I am English.

ETA means edited to add. To show that you have added something before a response because then the forum automatically logs that. It's not youthful particularly. Just polite. Although obviously not as standard an abbreviation as I thought, my apologies.

I said I couldn't recall taking a taxi in London. I cannot. Tube, train, bus. But not a taxi. Maybe when pregnant in the 90's but I cannot recall. Didn't say I had never visited the UK or London. A hackney is a taxi cab, sometimes iconic, sometimes black. Sometimes also found outside London.

Perhaps it's not so much my English as your comprehension, eh?

I am leaving this here. Obviously a simple question is too much for some.

[JR8]

I am English.

ETA means edited to add. To show that you have added something before a response because then the forum automatically logs that. It's not youthful particularly. Just polite. Although obviously not as standard an abbreviation as I thought, my apologies.

Oh, I've never heard of it before. In the same circumstances I note 'Edited for clarity' / 'Edited to correct typos', or similar.

I said I couldn't recall taking a taxi in London. I cannot. Tube, train, bus. But not a taxi. Maybe when pregnant in the 90's but I cannot recall. Didn't say I had never visited the UK or London. A hackney is a taxi cab, sometimes iconic, sometimes black. Sometimes also found outside London.

Well, 15 years in London, and I've never heard the expression 'a Hackney', hence my asking you what it meant. What hope for those who are less familiar than me (i.e. probably everyone else on the forum)?

Perhaps it's not so much my English as your comprehension, eh?
I am leaving this here. Obviously a simple question is too much for some.

And my suggestion is that if even your fellow countrymen haven't a clue what you're on about, then it's likely no one else has either. It's better to be clear, than invite a bandwidth-consuming '20 questions' on what did you actually mean. I'd have thought that that is pretty simple to grasp too, but perhaps it escapes you <i>.

TTFN

[x9200]

No, UK you'd sit in the front unless it was a Hackney. Some mini cab drivers would take that as being a bit snobby.

Here normally you sit at the back unless you have no choice for some objective reasons or you are a wife of the cabbie (on rare occasions it may happen they travel together ). As a matter of fact it is rather unusual to sit in front and the cabbies often even don't consider such scenario so you may found the front space pretty limited with things like credit card terminals protruding to the passenger's space.
BTW, your Hackneys are also around but I have never seen a black one.

[x9200]

Carry with you a voice recorder and start capitalizing on local ever and growing popular outrage of modesty.

Most already carry a voice recorder. Almost all Smart Phones have a voice recorder app pre installed. I found my strictly by accident.

Yep, that's true. Looks like I still think about my phone as of a phone.

[sundaymorningstaple]

That's why I said I found mine by accident. I rarely use my phone for anything but a phone and for sms. I use the Galaxy Tab for everything else as it's got a screen I can see!

[the lynx]

i think we need another thread just for ranting on taxis. they're so talkative and a lot of them ask personal questions. i end up just saying Im married so they shut up and 1 uncle actually had the nerve to tell me if he can come back and give me "free" ride when I go home in exchange for something. and I was going to church!

You do know that you can report him to the police right? Just follow x9200's advice to record him.

[nakatago]

In light of the other thread, and going back to the spirit of the original post, whatever you want to talk about, avoid the following conversational modes:

* irony
* sarcasm
* satire/parody

If you want to use humor, you better stick to puns and slapstick. Any attempt to use witticisms have a high probability of failing.

[sundaymorningstaple]

^^^

+1 most definitely.

[Hannieroo]

No, UK you'd sit in the front unless it was a Hackney. Some mini cab drivers would take that as being a bit snobby.

Here normally you sit at the back unless you have no choice for some objective reasons or you are a wife of the cabbie (on rare occasions it may happen they travel together ). As a matter of fact it is rather unusual to sit in front and the cabbies often even don't consider such scenario so you may found the front space pretty limited with things like credit card terminals protruding to the passenger's space.
BTW, your Hackneys are also around but I have never seen a black one.

Thank you, that helps a lot, it is what I have been doing when alone so I am relieved instinct served me right there.

Also, thank you JR8. You have spurred me on to stop taking flipping taxis and just drive my car instead. It was actually less stressful.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Me? Most of the time I leave the car at home and take the bus & MRTs especially for work or going somewhere in the CBD. But that's just me. I try to avoid Road Rage as much as possible and that is extremely hard to do in a country where the locals don't know how to actually drive but only know how to aim and are aggressive to boot.

[the lynx]

I try to avoid Road Rage as much as possible and that is extremely hard to do in a country where the locals don't know how to actually drive but only know how to aim and are aggressive to boot.

Aggressive? Just the bark. They can't even bite.

[Hannieroo]

I don't think I'd drive to Orchard or the CBD but whilst our rd is well serviced by buses and easy access to MRT the school is not on a direct route and will take over an hour with at least one change and then I have to get home and the school bus is not for us. Today's school run took 18 minutes and I found the driving to be much like Houston except on the right (correct) side of the road. Defensive and calm worked. Let it go, breathe it out, listen to the magnolia sherbet advert worked for me.

On topic. Today's workmen are terrified of my dog and won't even listen to me when I try to explain that in over 11 years of living with him he has never snarled, never mind bitten. Because it's open plan I'm having to keep him crated even though they are upstairs or they wouldn't come in the house. They would not discuss it although not rude about it.

[JR8]

What race/nationality are they?

You need to keep in mind that Asians are not really natural dog people. When you historically have struggled to get a bowl of rice a day, having a pet that needs 1/2lb meat a day is not going to happen. At least cats can catch their own food, and provide a useful function at the same time via pest control.

So dogs in Asia have often been utilitarian, for example hunting or guard dogs. The common theme is large, powerful, and aggressive. Most people in SG have no outside space (and little inside space!). These days if anyone owns a dog odds-on it's going to something tiny, and probably gets carried around in a handbag Paris Hilton style.

The other thing is that for Muslims, the dogs nose is haram. That is, that to be touched by a dog's nose is 'unclean', similar to touching pork.

Does any of this help explain their behaviour?