Since I started working in the beginning of the month, I've been commuting to the office and back most of the time by public transport. I do dread travelling daily and having any human interaction especially in the mornings, stories from each driver I meet do teach me some important lessons in life.
Many drivers give up the comfort of a 9-5 office job to join Grab or Uber. The things they've been through, the stories they've heard from other passengers does leave a mark in the lives of others. So far I've only encountered one creepy driver who had many questions and comments about how I look and the heritage I came from.
This is how our conversation began:
Driver: *some Cantonese words*
Me: *in whatever broken Cantonese that I could speak* I can't speak Cantonese
Driver: Then what can you speak? Mandarin?
Me: Yea.
*starts conversation in Mandarin*
Driver: You're very tall. How tall are you? 170+cm?
Me: No no. I'm only 165ish.
Driver: I'm only a little bit taller than you. Why don't you be a model?
Me: Because I'm not slim enough?
Driver: *checks me out* you're not very fat. Girls look nice with a little bit of meat.
Me: *feeling uncomfortable* Okay...
Driver: What's your surname?
Me: Lim.
Driver: I'm also a Lim. We are siblings. Hokkien lang?
Me: Yes
*starts conversation in Hokkien*
Driver: Do you cook?
Me: Sometimes
Driver: I don't know how to cook. Last time when my mum was around I used to have home cooked food. She passed away a few years ago. I live alone now so I eat out everyday. Next time I can go over and you cook for me? I can't even fry egg.
Me: *speechless*
Other times I encountered businessmen who taught me a few pointers.
Today, I met this driver who said
"If you continue to work for people, you're making other people's dream come true. You're wasting your talent on other people's dreams.
If you start your own business, you're using your own talent to the fullest and making your own dream come true."
Once I met a lady who has 2 kids, she remarried a guy who is about 10 years younger than she is. Struggling with life as a grabcar driver but still living a happy life.
Lives of these ordinary everyday heroes teaches the people around them life lessons we just need to pay closer attention to it.
