SINGAPORE: Ang Istorya Ng Taxi Driver

Literature of the World Subject pushes me to publish this short Singaporean story which has very hard to find an English version, thus I am picking up M.R. Avena Tagalog revision.

SINGAPORE: Ang Istorya Ng Taxi Driver
By Catherine Lim
Revised By: M.R. Avena

(1) Ayos, Ma’am. Sigurado-Darating kayo sa miting ng mas
Maaga sa t’yempo. Dito tayo dumaan, Ma’am. Konting
Trapik, konting bara ng mga kotse. Medya-ora lang,
Naro’n na tayo. Kaya h’wag kayong mag-alala, Ma’am

(2) Ano yon. Ma’am? Oho, oho. Ha, ha-dalawampung taon
Na ‘kong taxi driver, Ma’am. Panahon pa ng kopong-
Kopong. Di pa ganito ang Singapore-nanikip sa tao,
Bising-bisi. Noon mas tahimik, kokonti pa lang ang taxi
Drivers, at di-masyadong maraming kotse at bus

…Read More…

AUTHOR
Catherine Lim Poh Imm, writer of nine collections of short stories, five novels and a poetry book. She has won national and regional book prizes for her literary contributions. She is best known for her collection of short stories Little Ironies: Short Stories of Singapore and Or Else, The Lightning God and Other Stories.
Early career
Teacher, St. Andrew’s School, St. Patrick’s School
Teacher, Catholic Junior College
Project director, Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore, Ministry of Education
Administrator, Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore, Ministry of Education
Specialist lecturer in Socio-linguistics and Literature, SEAMEO Regional Language Centre (RELC)
Columnist, The Straits Times
Jan 1992 – : full-time professional writer

PLOT
A taxi driver rides with a female teacher passenger
He talks about the changes in Singapore
He talks about his family
He talks about his observations about youth and prostitution
He talks about his problem with his daughter
The passenger got off he taxi and the taxi driver went to Hotel Elory hurriedly

CHARACTERS
Taxi Driver
The passenger
Lay Choo

SETTING
Place – Singapore
Main setting – Inside the Taxi

THEME
Changes
Parenthood
Youth
Prostitution

•How young people of Singapore have grown to be bold and reckless; as compared to the youth’s
of the ‘old’ Singapore.
• Differences of the ‘old’ (taximan’s generation) and current (Lay Choo’s generation) Singapore
• How making a living in Singapore has overcome the need to stand up for our own beliefs and
make a stand to whatever opposes us

POINT OF VIEW
ı 1st person point of view

CONFLICT
Man vs. man
Man vs. society SYMBOL
Taxi drivers and vehicles
Hotel Elory, Tung Court, Orchid Mansions
Taxi
Money
Young people observed in the story

When you are tasked to do a reporting on this topic, please see below for Study Guide questions:

1. Identify the narrator of the story. What does he say about teenagers in Singapore? Do you find similarities between them and the Filipino teenagers?
2. Describe the taxi driver. Should he be blamed for his daughter’s prostitution activities?
3. What lessons on materialism that the story provides?
4. How can the government address the problem on prostitution especially among students?