Thursday, November 04, 2004
Madly medley malady
Sometimes when I'm playing the piano and I'm in the "right" frame of mind (usually upset / agitated) it feels like my brain disengages and lets my fingers take over, and I wander into some of the most beautiful melodies imaginable.
Unfortunately, precisely because my brain is disengaged, I can never remember what it was I played when the moment has passed some thirty minutes later. It's rather aggravating. Also rather irritating is the way it only happens when I'm absolutely alone - mum and dad have to be out of the house as well.
*****
Roadkill
I've been meaning to write this for the longest time.
Whilst driving around in my mum's car - because, alas re-minisce doesn't have the $$$ to purchase a new car - I can't help but notice :
1) Singaporeans drive real slow.
With a top speed on our "highways" of 90 km/h it ought to feel like I'm barely moving at all (55 mph) - and looking out the window at the trees gliding smoothly by it does feel like the car's crawling. And yet at times I'm caught hurrying to react to someone else cutting into my path. This is because
2) Singaporeans are crap drivers?
Quite conceivably. People here seem to feel obliged to
3) Change lane without indicating
Which can be scary when they do it quickly, but is even worse when they sort of drift across the road lines dreamily, because these people often drift back again, then out, then back, making you wonder if they're drunk, falling asleep, or just plain incompetent.
3.5) Singaporeans speed up when you try to change lanes
This really happens. (especially taxis) It doesn't matter if they're driving a rolls royce or a proton saga. As long as you fire off that indicator light their feet slam down on their gas pedals, taking them from a stately 50 to 100 km/h in under two seconds. Sometimes I'm tempted to let them commit suicide on the corner of my rear bumper. I guess that's why people here change lanes without indicating...
4) Singaporeans don't stick to the middle of their lane!!
This really pisses me off. Sometimes as someone's drifting slowly towards my car, reducing that 30cm gap to a mere 15 cm I'm tempted to pull left and nudge their car back into the middle of their lane. Ha, that'd teach em. It's not such a hard thing to do - it's not as if our roads are narrow or anything. But no, you always get some twit driving on the line, and then... drifting slowly across it into your lane (see 3)
5) Singaporeans follow too close
This only happens occasionally, and often the culprit is a taxi or a cheap porsche lookalike. I'm cruising down the highway (or rather, crawling) at 90 kmh when someone looms in my rear mirror. Sometimes they even start flashing their lights aggressively.
Okay, so I up it to 100 km/h cos chances are the police will go after him first. (ha) Lo and behold, they loom again.
110 km/h and they're still looming, and eventually they cut aggresively out of their lane (without indicating), hurtle by at 120 - 130 km/h, then get stuck behind some lorry or honda civic doing 70 km/h.
Several traffic lights later, you pull past them and they start the whole thing again. I mean what is the POINT of tailgating someone already driving at the maximum legal speed? Does getting to your destination all of 30 seconds earlier really make such a big difference??
Worse still - driving too close to someone turns that leisurely 90 km/h crawl into a deadly 90 --> 0 km/h impact in the event of an accident. There simply isn't enough reaction time : whereas if they drive at a sensible 4 car-length distance there's more than enough time to have a panic attack, then slam on the brakes and avoid an accident altogether.
Sometimes I wish I had a Bond car, complete with a button that extends spikes out my rear bumper. And out the side of the car too specially for the dozy drifters. Or maybe snowplough blades on the sides. yeah.
*****
Piper Headsick
Hehehohohahah. This one's a fine vintage all right. I give talkingcock another 3 months before they get closed down... :)
Unfortunately, precisely because my brain is disengaged, I can never remember what it was I played when the moment has passed some thirty minutes later. It's rather aggravating. Also rather irritating is the way it only happens when I'm absolutely alone - mum and dad have to be out of the house as well.
*****
Roadkill
I've been meaning to write this for the longest time.
Whilst driving around in my mum's car - because, alas re-minisce doesn't have the $$$ to purchase a new car - I can't help but notice :
1) Singaporeans drive real slow.
With a top speed on our "highways" of 90 km/h it ought to feel like I'm barely moving at all (55 mph) - and looking out the window at the trees gliding smoothly by it does feel like the car's crawling. And yet at times I'm caught hurrying to react to someone else cutting into my path. This is because
2) Singaporeans are crap drivers?
Quite conceivably. People here seem to feel obliged to
3) Change lane without indicating
Which can be scary when they do it quickly, but is even worse when they sort of drift across the road lines dreamily, because these people often drift back again, then out, then back, making you wonder if they're drunk, falling asleep, or just plain incompetent.
3.5) Singaporeans speed up when you try to change lanes
This really happens. (especially taxis) It doesn't matter if they're driving a rolls royce or a proton saga. As long as you fire off that indicator light their feet slam down on their gas pedals, taking them from a stately 50 to 100 km/h in under two seconds. Sometimes I'm tempted to let them commit suicide on the corner of my rear bumper. I guess that's why people here change lanes without indicating...
4) Singaporeans don't stick to the middle of their lane!!
This really pisses me off. Sometimes as someone's drifting slowly towards my car, reducing that 30cm gap to a mere 15 cm I'm tempted to pull left and nudge their car back into the middle of their lane. Ha, that'd teach em. It's not such a hard thing to do - it's not as if our roads are narrow or anything. But no, you always get some twit driving on the line, and then... drifting slowly across it into your lane (see 3)
5) Singaporeans follow too close
This only happens occasionally, and often the culprit is a taxi or a cheap porsche lookalike. I'm cruising down the highway (or rather, crawling) at 90 kmh when someone looms in my rear mirror. Sometimes they even start flashing their lights aggressively.
Okay, so I up it to 100 km/h cos chances are the police will go after him first. (ha) Lo and behold, they loom again.
110 km/h and they're still looming, and eventually they cut aggresively out of their lane (without indicating), hurtle by at 120 - 130 km/h, then get stuck behind some lorry or honda civic doing 70 km/h.
Several traffic lights later, you pull past them and they start the whole thing again. I mean what is the POINT of tailgating someone already driving at the maximum legal speed? Does getting to your destination all of 30 seconds earlier really make such a big difference??
Worse still - driving too close to someone turns that leisurely 90 km/h crawl into a deadly 90 --> 0 km/h impact in the event of an accident. There simply isn't enough reaction time : whereas if they drive at a sensible 4 car-length distance there's more than enough time to have a panic attack, then slam on the brakes and avoid an accident altogether.
Sometimes I wish I had a Bond car, complete with a button that extends spikes out my rear bumper. And out the side of the car too specially for the dozy drifters. Or maybe snowplough blades on the sides. yeah.
*****
Piper Headsick
Hehehohohahah. This one's a fine vintage all right. I give talkingcock another 3 months before they get closed down... :)
