Is it shameful to date a Taxi Uncle?

When Taxi Uncle first told his parents that he is going to become a taxi driver, his parents went into a fit. Send him to study overseas, all this fantastic university education and he decide to give it all up and become a taxi driver.

When I first told my parents I'm dating a taxi driver, all they asked was, "does he have a relief driver?" Then go on to give me advice on how to earn more money as a taxi driver. My sister amazingly said taxi driver is one of those vocation which one respects.

Seriously, these are not normal responses. No, my eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets. No, normal people would ask, what in the world would a highly educated female with a highly respectable job date a man who drives a taxi? No, normal people are like my post-doctorate friends who looked at him and politely ask, "how is business", when surely you can chat about Monty Python as you would your other PhD friends. After all, Taxi Uncle probably knows more about the topic than they did.

Taxi Uncle thinks that I would feel ashamed to tell people I date a taxi driver. No, not ashamed, just inconvenient. There are so many preconceived notions about taxi drivers that would be so difficult to explain. I don't wish to explain a million and one things and reveal his whole life story just to justify why I am in love with a Taxi Uncle.

So then the easier thing to do would be to say, yes, he is a Manager in a firm. When the truth is, I hate his day job and am counting down the day in earnest for the day he quits. I am looking forward with fervor to the day he becomes a full time taxi driver so he can spend more time with me! Yes, what more can a girl ask for than a man who earns money and can still spend lots of time with you.

So is it really shameful to date a Taxi Uncle? Being in this relationship, I'm not ashamed at all. But if I had to tell people at work, friends and family that I'm dating a taxi driver, I think not, not for now anyways. Just to keep my life simpler. Until one day people realize that being a taxi driver is nothing dodgy or for the uneducated, retrenched or lazy. People seem to think that a well-educated person like myself should date an equally successful person. But how is a taxi driver not successful? Many taxi drivers that I know of earn enough to put grown children through school and university. It's decent and honest living. It's hard work. So it's not a glamorous job, nor does it bring it big moolahs, but why does society put such jobs to high esteem? Personally, I think I'll pass.

Until one day I can stop reading negative portrayal of taxis in the news, caught up in accidents, criticized for being mad f1 driver wannabes, scandals with bargirls and prostitutes, charged for fraud at casinos, so on and so forth. The stories are never ending and I think I'll just keep it short for now.

So what if my Taxi Uncle has a higher IQ than I do and used to earn more than I do. I think I can only confidently say I am not ashamed when one day I do not need to justify his vocation anymore by highlighting all his other qualities. So what if he drives a taxi as long as it's decent living and he loves what he does? Now I just have to gather my courage to tell my gynae my future husband is a taxi driver when the doc next ask me what he does... ah yes, and to just swallow down my pride when I look into his judging eyes and smile. Yes, he is a taxi driver. Proud to be his Taxi Auntie.

It's not easy being a taxi driver. If only people would realize that.

Who is Taxi Uncle?

Apart from being the Taxi Uncle that Taxi Auntie loves, he is an UK finance degree-wielding manager by day, and novice taxi driver by night. He got his taxi license in the first month of 2010 and his first temporary Toyota Crown taxi by February. Finally he got his own 2-litre power machine by March, and yes I am referring to the Hyundai Sonata.

I must admit that the motivation behind this blog is really inspired by Dr Cai, aka the PhD Taxi Driver, author of "A Singapore Taxi Driver's Diary". As much as Dr Cai claims that he is probably the only PhD taxi driver in Singapore, there are many degree holders in Singapore who drive taxis. My Taxi Uncle is such. Sure, people fall on hard times or like Taxi Uncle, who has a day job, taxi driving is a source of extra income. But I think Taxi Uncle simply loves the freedom of driving.

Anyways, there may now be a PhD Taxi Driver, but no close-to-PhD female has quite written about their love affair with a Taxi Uncle, and that would be me!


For some reason, "Driving Ms Daisy" always comes to mind when I think of Taxi Uncle!
To be honest, Taxi Uncle and Auntie are not too old but the minute you drive a taxi, people would call you "uncle", even if you are younger than them. Taxi Uncle almost convulsed the first time when grandmas older than him called him "Uncle" the minute they got into his taxi!

Well, I'm now counting down the days when Taxi Uncle would quit his day job and finally focus on being a full time driver. One more month and counting, finger crossed!

Who is Taxi Auntie?

A taxi auntie is what I call those aunties that you see being driven by taxi uncles, sitting in the front seat when the sign on top says "Busy".

My Taxi Uncle informs me that according to LTA rules, you are not allowed to have a passenger in your taxi when your taxi says "Busy". I only started noticing these taxi aunties when one day I was waiting for Taxi Uncle outside the comfort delgro diesel station at Braddell. A whole line of taxis drove out, with their "Busy" sign on, and with a taxi auntie in the front seat. Mind you, no sweet young things but aunties. Ah yes, wives.

At that sight, I felt a sudden odd sense of pride to join in this line of "taxi aunties". But not before I admonished Taxi Uncle for not letting me in the diesel station with him! Pfft. Yes, he got a earful from me about how other taxi aunties went in but I didn't get to! (Taxi Uncle claims that you're not allowed to have passengers with you when you go refuelling at the diesel station.)

The funny thing is, the next time he went to the diesel station, I actually went with him, full of pride to be a "Taxi Auntie". But the minute we parked, I suddenly felt so self-conscious as all the taxis are lined up side by side. I kept imagining the uncles left and right of us staring at me. I didn't dare look around, kept my head low, eyes counting the lint on my skirt.

See, I forgot to mention that I am a relatively young auntie nearing her thirties. But that morning, I looked particularly young and particularly out of place at 4am in the morning with Taxi Uncle beside me. I didn't want other uncles to think my Taxi Uncle is dating a sweet young thing. I want to say, I'm a taxi auntie too!

Alas, this is the only place I'll get to tell the world I'm a Taxi Auntie too!

Wait, so who is Taxi Auntie?!
Taxi auntie is a close-to-her-thirties professional in the pursuit of her post-graduate degree. She enjoys Taiwanese and Korean drama when not fiddling on her iPhone. She tends to ramble incoherently and lose her train of thought in the middle of a sentence. Luckily, she shall forever be anonymous or Taxi Uncle will be angry with her. Taxi Uncle say Auntie is not allowed to tell the whole world everything about his life. In fact, many of Taxi Auntie's friends do not know that she is dating a taxi driver. But with this blog, Taxi Auntie can finally get the secrets off her chest in peace before she explodes from keeping too many secrets!

My Jar of Secrets

I love Korean and Taiwanese dramas. In one of the dramas, the girl speaks her secrets and worries into a jar and shut them tight. Getting them out of her system forever.

Well, this is my jar.

I've been keeping the stories, secrets and worries to myself for too long and I want to get them out of my system too!

What's my secret?

I'm in love with a taxi uncle in Singapore.

Salacious isn't it? It's like those stories you read in Wanbao where the taxi uncles has hooked up with young girls. Sure, I've actually known many girl friends who told me that they had taxi uncles offer them rides for free, or picking them up regularly. Taxi uncles on call and that sort of things.

But no, my taxi uncle was a perfectly normal, bus-taking, hansum' and young fella when I fell in love with him. But 4 months ago, he got his taxi license. One of the happiest days of his life. It's really not easy getting a license mind you but that's another story for another day.

2 months ago, he got his first taxi, a Toyota crown and started his driving adventures. And my adventure as a taxi auntie began. This blog... no, this jar, will store all the secrets of my daily trials of being a taxi auntie. The stories that I hear every day and stories of my life as I wait every night, worried, till he returns home.

I welcome you to share my lil secrets and I hope that my stories will give you a better idea of life of a taxi uncle and the women who love them. Enjoy!