Ian On The Red Dot

I have a dislike for taxi drivers that borders on irrational hate. Everytime I get into a cab, I feel that I’m about to be cheated. Maybe there is something in my body language or the tone of my voice that betrays that belief which affects the whole dynamics of my interaction with the taxi driver which leads me to actually being ‘cheated’ - having a lousy trip and paying more for a trip.

Now, wait a minute. I can’t possibly always be ‘cheated’. If not, what basis do I have to know a trip is lousy or I have paid more for a trip. So, I confess, I have had good taxi rides, but they are the exceptions. Now, back to my rant.

What do I consider a good trip? Simple - when I get into the cab, the meter hasn’t already been started. You ask me where I’m going, I tell you the destination. Once we have decided you can take me to the location, you start the meter. You take me to the destination as quickly as possible and preferably as cheaply as possible.

I think it is alright for a driver to ask the passenger which route should be taken. Some passengers ( like me ) prefer certain routes over others. What I think is unacceptable is a taxi driver saying they don’t know how to get to a certain place and asking for the passenger to give directions.

Let me qualify myself. I do not expect the taxi driver to know of every single location in Singapore. That would be unreasonable. What, I do expect is a taxi driver having a street directory with them and using it to check on the general location of a destination. I think it is perfectly acceptable to ask for specific directions once you hit the general location but to not bother to find out for yourself where a destination might be is totally unprofessional.

Which job allows you to do that? Actually, let’s throw this to the floor, what is the service a taxi driver is providing? Is it just to drive a car or is it to get you from point A to point B? There is a difference between the two options. If your job is to just drive a car, then I think it is perfectly ok to assume and maybe treat you as a dumb tool that will just take instructions and process it. If your job is to provide the latter service, than would it be too much to expect you to be resourceful enough to find out how to get me from point A to point B.

Now, I admit I might seem unreasonable expecting so much from taxi drivers but I dislike how the drivers use not knowing how to get to a certain place as an excuse to take me on a meandering journey just to increase the meter fare.

The thing is, the drivers aren’t really to blame. It is the system which rewards them monetarily based on time and distance.

They aren’t the only ones who try to ‘cheat’ to get better value for their ‘time’. You probably know of a co-worker who takes slightly longer coffee breaks, goes to the toilet more frequently and alt-tabs a little bit too much.

In a way, we are all cheaters. Or rather rational economic agents just maximizing our gains and utility.

Is the system broken? Maybe. Maybe not. We only actually care when it’s us getting into the cab.

I’ve started work at Shenton Way. The last few days, I’ve been having lunch at Lau Pa Sat and I’ve noticed people leaving free tissue paper on the tables for the next batch of hungry workers. I jest. Tissue papers on the seats and tables is a uniquely Singaporean way to book seats or, as it is more affectionately known among locals, chopping seats.

I think this practice is dumb despite the fact that some people might argue it shows that Singaporeans can be civil because no one will ever sit at a location with a packet of tissue paper. And if you think about it, a tissue paper isn’t some scary dragon guarding a treasure so why do we respect it so much as a marker of ‘ownership’ over the tables. Of course, I guess everyone is trying to avoid creating a scene when the owners of the packet return with trays of food and find their seats taken.

But I digress.

It is a stupid and inefficient practice.

Here is why.

At any point during the peak lunch period, there are 3 groups of people.

1. Those eating their food.
2. Those queuing for their food.
3. Those looking for seats to consume their food.

The people doing 1 and 2 are being productive. People doing 3 are not being productive. They are in fact wasting their time. Why? The reason they are wasting their time is because while they are looking for seats, there are actually empty seats but these seats have been chopped. The chopped seats are a wasted resource.

When a seat is chopped, the person who has chopped it is consuming it while waiting for food and while eating the food.

Mathematically this is roughly what is happening:

Tx = Time Taken To Find Seat.
Ty = Time Taken To Queue For Food.
Tz = Time Taken to Eat.

Total Time For Person 1 = Tx1 + Ty1 + Tz1 - Equation 1.

Here is the thing, if no chopping of seats are allowed, your time taken to find one seat is as long as the time the person using it takes to finish the food.

Ideally, for Person 2, Tx2 = Tz1 - Equation 2.

However, if someone chops a seat, then Tx2 = Ty1 + Tz1 - Equation 3.

Now, assuming that the queuing time for food for both individuals are the same and the time to consume the food is the same.

For Person 2, Total Time = Tx2 + Ty2 + Tz2
= Tx2 + Ty1+ Tz1
= 2Ty1 + 2Tz1 - Using Equation 3

compared to the ideal situation of Tz1 +Ty1 + Tz1 - Using Equation 2.

Since the values are all positive, it is clear from the above that chopping seats are actually adding to the time taken to have lunch.

Now, some people may say I’m totally missing the point - that chopping seats is so that groups of people can have lunch together.

Needy and Clingy humans. It is really quite sad.

Anyway, that’s just an excuse. People chop seats because they don’t want to hunt for seats after getting the food because they think it is an inconvenience and a waste of time. In the bigger picture, everyone will be better off if no one chopped seats. But all we need is just one person to be selfish and take a resource (i.e. the seat) when they don’t actually need it yet and then everyone just starts being selfish and look out for their own short term gain without considering the bigger picture.

I was about to actually comment that it is sad that in Lau Pa Sat, at the heart of our CBD, where our banks, consultancies and finance companies are located, all institutions that thrive because of the supposed free market mechanisms that arguably are the best in resource allocation, such abject resource usage is occurring.

Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. Personally, despite everything my Econs teacher has tried to teach me and the arguments everyone in the finance industry make to justify their arguably inflated salaries, I believe the only things that really drive human society and our economics is greed and fear.

Chopping of seats reflect that. Fear of not having something. Greed of hoarding something.

I haven’t really watched Star Search over the years so I’m not quite sure of the norm regarding the Guest-Of-Honour who gives out the top prizes. Neither am I posting this because our President is getting about 3 million a year. He could be getting any amount and I’ll still post this.

The point is simply this. Why is the President of Singapore giving our prizes at a talent competition? Seriously. Why?

Firstly, our President is probably a busy man - his schedule packed with important stuff. Attending a talent contest doesn’t mean he isn’t doing anything. But giving out the prizes does mean something.

What it does mean is this. Or maybe what it could possibly mean.

1. Someone or some people over at Mediacorp has an inflated opinion of the importance of this talent show. These are the ones who probably thought that the President of Singapore was a fitting choice to be the one giving out the rewards.

2. The same people might have a diminished view of the role and status of the President of Singapore.

3. Someone working for the President has no filtering skills. I know that ultimately the President could have said ‘NO’, but the fact that he was even in a position to have to make such a decision says something about the people working for him. I can and do understand his patronage of the President’s Star Charity Show. But Star Search? It is a talent contest. There has to be some sense of proportion. No?

4. Sure, having the President might lend the event some prestige but that is only if the people respect the role of the President. And to me, getting the President to give out the awards does nothing but make a mockery of the Presidency.

And President Nathan and the people of Singapore deserve better.

I do not have a car license. Because of that, I have to take public transport to work and take it back from work. Usually the trains are very crowded. It wouldn’t really be that bad actually at times even enjoyable. Except for smelly people.

Yes. You! That white collared worker who has to hit the gym after work. Rich enough for a gym membership but not hygienic enough to take a bath. I know your gf/wife says you have a sexy body smell. She is being polite. Plus she wants that diamond ring. Or are you afraid you will drop your bar soup like in that scene in the movie ‘Chuck and Larry‘.

And you! That student from don’t know which top jc. I know guys say you look good in those fbt shorts which flaunt your butt cheeks, but please lah, take a bath after PE can or change your clothes lah.

And you! Construction worker. Wah lau. Ok, I don’t blame you. Bosses, please lah. Good times are here, can you please spend some money to cater transport for your workers back to their residences.

Ok. I’m also guilty of not always bathing after playing sports. But 151 is usually empty on Saturdays. But that isn’t a good reason, barely an excuse and I have started to be committed to bathing after every game of soccer or at least changing out of my smelly clothes.

The thing is, the trains are so crowded that it really doesn’t help that some joker comes in with a bad body odor.

And you know what? During peak hours, the MRT defies the law of physics.

When trying to exit the MRT, it is like playing the above Rush Hour game where you have to slide the pieces about until you move the red car to the exit. Except in Singapore’s MRT, there are no spaces. And worse, people who are unwilling to step out of the train for a while so that others behind can exit. And yet we manage to exit. Defying the laws of physics I tell you.

And then you read in the newspaper about why bus fares have to be raised (Singapore daily has collected the links discussing this). Look, I’m fine with privatization. I’m fine with companies needing to turn a profit for their investors. But if we really want private sector to handle public transport then let’s have more competition. Real competition. Why isn’t that happening?

I know there are arguments saying that too many companies will create inefficiencies in the system with duplication of services and other reasons. But I thought the whole point of having a free market with Adam Smith’s invisible hand is that the market can help allocate resources efficiently over time.

Anyway, I’m not an economist. Just basic econs from JC days so I won’t go into discussing public goods/services, government intervention/regulation, free ridership, laissez-faire economy …

What I do want to share is that services are not improving. I know it gives some higher management person a warm fuzzy feeling when he sees those boards showing arrival times installed. Wait. He probably doesn’t take public transport. No matter. He probably gets the same feeling when he sees a report having pictures of those boards.

Why? What good does it do for me if I know the bus is arriving in 17 minutes time? I know how long the next bus will come so I can now go for a quick cup of coffee when I am already at the bus stop. Oh… we can use your online system to get the information. Cool. Except that I don’t have wireless access when I am out. Well, not always. On some days, I get to borrow Dad’s blackberry. But the site doesn’t work! Maybe it does and I just haven’t got it to work yet. But guess what. The other day, I missed my bus while focusing intently on getting the Blackberry to display SBS Transit’s site to tell me the arrival time of the bus after I was at the bus stop because I need the code for the bus stop.

Woot!

And what is the point of telling me when the bus is coming when the bus is full and doesn’t stop!

And telling me that 174 will come in 10 minutes and 171 will come in 12 minutes will make me wait for 171 because it is faster like by 10 minutes in getting me to my destination. So I don’t get onto the 174 when it comes. And then when the 171 comes, it doesn’t stop because it is full.

It is like two girls offer themselves to me at the same time (never ever happened by the way). I decide to pick the hotter one so I sms the first girl, ’sorry, I can’t get attached to you’, then when I sms the second girl, she tells me, ’sorry, i got attached like five minutes ago’. Grrr…then I sms the first girl and she replies, ‘too late’.

Talk about missing the bus.

And seriously, why would the companies bother with any level of service standards when the consumers have no choice? Because they fear the government would take them to task. Has that ever happened? I don’t know. If you know of such a case, please let me know.

The thing is the minister is probably right when he implies if the transport companies are not making money then service will suffer. The thing is, the companies are already making money and we feel that services are still suffering.

Maybe that is why we are all so dulan.

I don’t get it. I really don’t.

You live in Singapore for 18 years of your life, you go overseas for 4 years and after that, all the good work is gone. You come back and start speaking with a foreign accent. I understand that you have been living in a foreign country for the last 4 years surrounded by people who speak like that so maybe it is normal for you to be slightly affected. But if the environment plays such a part, then why, tell me why after returning to Singapore and spending the next six years of your life, you don’t lose the foreign accent and gain back the Singaporean one. How come those ang mohs or foreign talents from whatever other country doesn’t gain a Singaporean accent after living here for a long time. Sure, they pick up a bit of Singlish and our slangs but do they lose their accent from home. I haven’t met one yet. In fact, they need to make an effort to talk like us. It isn’t natural.

I’m not against speaking good proper English. But you can do that without an accent.

And why is it that it seems like the gals who come back are the ones most likely to be inflicted with this. Ok. I know I haven’t done a proper headcount, but it does seem like it. Maybe, just maybe I am a little bias so if anyone can confirm or reject this totally subjective statistical claim, please leave comments.

But maybe it is the fault of the guys. Because some of us just like to go on and on about how Elizabeth Hurley has a sexy English accent and how the signals analyst in Transformers has a sexy accent. And how Megan Fox …

Yesterday was 7th July 2007 - 07/07/07. Apparently, this combination is special because it happens only once in a century. So special, that the organisers of Live Earth chose that day to stage the 24-hour, 7-continent concert series where the aim is to raise awareness about the climate crisis we are facing and the ways we can help to tackle the problem.

Firstly, I think the organisers of Live Earth chose an appropriate name for themselves - S.O.S (i.e. Save Our Selves). All you ‘environmentalists’ out there can stop telling me to ’save the earth’. This is something I learned from George Carlin - the earth doesn’t need saving. We are the ones who need saving. After we have made this earth unable to sustain human life and we all die out, the earth will still be around and she will probably ‘heal’ itself and life will probably one day emerge on this planet again with species who hopefully might know how to take care of her better. If you don’t realise that the earth is fine and we are the ones who are knee-deep in our own shit, please take your self-righteous ‘you don’t care about the earth if you don’t tell the whole world how much you are doing to save it’ crap and shove it up where the sun doesn’t shine.

Ok. Now that i got that out of the way, let me say the second thing. Live Earth sounds like a nice idea. There is the gimmick of a 7 continent concert series held in New York, London, Johannesburg, Rio De Janeiro, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney and Hamburg as publicised on the Live Earth website. Wait you say? These venues only represent six continents. What about Antartica? Don’t worry. The organisers managed to get Nunatak , a band consisting of members from the Rothera Research Station in Antartica to stage a ‘concert’. What faithfulness to the gimmick of a ‘24-hour, 7 continent concert series’ just to keep in line with the number 7 theme.

Unfortunately, the organisers didn’t maintain the same fidelity to the idea of reducing if not eliminating the impact we have on earth in terms of the climate crisis. Sure, this article does highlight the ways in which the organisers are trying to make the event carbon neutral and how they plan to reduce wastage. That sounds nice, but as these three articles have said, Live Earth is probably a waste of time and probably hurting the environment more - even Sir Bob Geldof who invented the concept with Live Aid says so.

The organisers are talking about the event being carbon neutral because of the use of carbon offsetting. Carbon offsetting is this idea where you pay money to contribute to an action which results in an effect opposite to another activity which you have engaged in that produces carbon emissions. For example, driving a car to a live concert event produces carbon emissions which are bad for the environment. To compensate for that, you contribute money to get a tree planted. Since trees absorb carbon dioxide, you have helped mitigate the damage you have caused to the environment.

So basically, it is like saying you punch your wife, then say sorry by buying her a diamond ring. And then you punch her again. And then you buy her another ring. So, you damage the relationship, then try to fix it. Much better not to punch her at all. No damage, nothing to fix. Likewise, better not just pollute in the first place.

But what about raising awareness about the problem of global warming and climate crisis? Err.. guys… I think most people are aware about the issue. Ok… Then how about informing us on the tools and ways we can help solve the problem. Point noted. We probably need to educate the people on how we can individually contribute to the cause of fighting climate change. But using a concert to do that? Surely, there has to be a better way.

Live Aid was a great idea in its time (i.e. 1985) because such a mass event broadcasted using satellites and TV was the best tool we had then in reaching out to everyone about a cause worth fighting for. Now, we have something I would like to call the Internet. And another thing we call the mobile phone. Somehow, maybe concentrating efforts to use that medium as the main tool with a combination of other less environmentally damaging means to raise awareness might have been a better idea. Of course, the organisers themselves would not have gained the kind of exposure they are now receiving.

In the end, even what they are trying to achieve might be flawed since Al Gore himself is quoted as saying that ‘ultimately, corporations and governments must become global leaders taking decisive action to stop global warming’. Err..no? Ultimately, it is each individual who needs to take ownership of the planet and not wait for the powers that be to do something. Everything will be to no avail if in the end, the people just gather together to make some noise hoping that the powers that be will take notice and do something while individually we do nothing consistently to help save our selves from our own destructive habits.

Finally a little bit of NKF-like conflict of interest trivia: Kevin Wall founder of S.O.S is also the CEO of Control Room which produced Live Earth. Control Room makes its money by providing live digital entertainment by broadcasting performances on broadband and tv. I wonder how much Control Room is getting to do all this work for Live Earth. I wonder how much Kevin Wall earns from Control Room. I’m not saying that anything improper is happening, but it is just a thought.

So let’s learn to take care of the earth better so that we as a species can enjoy our stay here a bit better and longer, but honestly, chest thumping isn’t the only way, if the way at all.