Posted by mingjie cai it will be very interesting to read this book. True stories from singapores most educated cabdriver by mingjie phd, cai isbn. Taxicab depressions is a taxi driver s blog, a collection of funny stories about the obnoxious drunks and belligerent whores that get into my taxi in a florida beach town. What happened to the famous singapore blogger who has a phd. Fox at his next stop wonderland blog highlighted an interesting blog by cai mingjie on his experiences becoming a taxi driver in singapore after losing his job as a principle investigator at singapores institute of molecular and cell biology imcb. He was unemployed from may 2008 and became a taxi driver in singapore in february 2009. His first book, diary of a taxi driver will be published and available from next month. Buses, trains, and ferries account for the 21 other countries traveled through to date. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Dr cai mingjies experience has some sort of an unexpected twist. It documents his observations of unique singapore passengers through a storytelling mode and takes you through the journey with him. In an april blog post titled preface, dr cai ming jie related how his employment contract with imcb was terminated in may last year. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Singapore taxi driver with phd from stanford university. One cheerful driver a former stockbroker surprised me one day in giving me detailed reasons on what stocks to buy or avoid.
First, it is called diary of a taxi driver, written by cai ming jie, a singapore most educated taxi driver, who holds a phd in molecular biology from stanford university in 1990. Hailing a xiamen city taxi the best places to hail a taxi is near the station, the airport, bus stop, scenic spots, hotel and the taxi stands xiamen. At a time like this, the taxi business is probably the only business in singapore that still actively recruits people, said dr cai. Singapore taxi driver are the professional drivers on the road. Sabine schmitz has been announced as the fastest taxi driver in the world who has completed 20. This makes an addictive read with some great insights into the lifestyle and people of singapore. Diary of a taxi driver true stories from singapores most educated cabdriver book. Cai mingjie, a lifelong scientist and university professor, lost his job. Dr cai related a few of his skirmishes with the pennypinching, driver squeezing taxi company. The driver screamed, lost control of the cab, nearly hit a bus, drove up and over a curb, and stopped just inches from a large plate window. If youre interested in the unbiased truth about profitably investing in singapore property, this is a mustread book for you.
The driver checks the flight given for the airport taxi pickup. Cai mingjie, born 1952 is a singaporean taxicab driver and former biology researcher, known for his blog, a singapore taxi drivers. The blog reads like a novel of sort, about a scientistturnedtaxidriver, diligently documenting quirky observations he made while driving on the. Blog airport taxi transfers airport taxi transfers. One aspect that often gets overlooked is carrier safety.
Aug 16, 2009 a tale from the lion city a stanford ph. Mr lim, who has been driving taxis for comfortdelgro for about seven years, says that he was inspired to blog by dr cai mingjie, a doctorate holderturnedcabby. Stories from a singapore taxi driver pocketcultures. Oct 21, 2009 taxi drivers are in the right place to see the life of a city and the variety of its people. Cai mingjie is a singaporean taxicab driver and former biology researcher, known for his blog, a singapore taxi driver s diary. After working for 16 years as a researcher, he was laid off from the company and decided to become a taxi driver. It was only after half an hour that we started to suspect that they werent stopping because they didnt like me im sri lankan and dark skinned, and we had heard rumours that there is a slight strain of racisim in beijing. The driver shortage, capacity restrictions, and regulatory changes have transformed the way carriers work with shippers. Its also a sobering insight into the long hours and low pay of singapores taxi. Aug 15, 2014 although i dont know where he is right now, i admire this guy, and i dont see a problem of driving a taxi with an ivy league degree. Singapore comedians gurmit singh and mark lee show their sensitive side in this comedy inspired by true accounts of singapore blogger, dr cai mingjie, in his book diary of a taxi driver.
Cai mingjie is the author of diary of a taxi driver 3. Here, we will post the news that involve taxi, regulatory changes. Aug 16, 2009 chanced upon this blog written by a guy who professed to be probably the only taxi driver in this world with a phd from stanford and a proven track record of scientific accomplishments. Mingjie cai is a great storyteller with keen skills of observation. Below are pictures of gusberts journeys through france, peru, california and alaska. These tales are funny on paper, but must be quite infuriating for a real driver who must work hard to support a family. Hopefully, my todays posting about my observations and experiences of a few things uniquely singapore will be helpful in widening my readers perspectives of taxi drivers here. I cant imagine this chinaman taxi driver who was previously a a star stanford scientist could end up in this way in singapore. Hes also hitched through 44 other us states and chunks of equador, catalunya, deutschland, and the netherlands.
Diary of a taxi driver book palo alto city library. Sabine schmitz is the fastest taxi driver in the world who completed 20. My blog is about my life and experiences as a cabby in singapore. Despite having published numerous papers and a stanford phd, he could not find a suitable job. Singapore taxi driver with phd from stanford university, releasing his first book, diary of a taxi driver. Today, that shippercentric market is a thing of the past. The various newspapers finally picked up the story of dr cai mingjie, dubbed as the most highly educated taxi driver in singapore, with a phd from stanford university. Hitchhiking is the polar opposite, or inverse, of taxi driving. Passengers can refuse to pay if the taxi driver cannot provide you the receipt. I have read all the blog entries on dr cais public blog previously and was. He became jobless in his late fifties and, with a family to support and unable to find a suitable job, james became a taxi driver. As i mentioned, cab drivers are one of your best resources for practicing chinese, and they can also give you great insights into chinese culture and daily life.
If i had a nickel for every time a nyc taxi driver tells me he was an engineer back home, id be jingling like mad, yo. Cai mingjie, a lifelong scientist and university professor, lost his job at a leading research institute in singapore, his world collapsed around him. To me, his plight is taking singapore into a new chapter. Cai mingjie was born in china, obtained his phd from stanford university, and became a singaporean when he moved to singapore to work as a researcher for a leading research institute in singapore. Cai mingjie, a lifelong scientist and university professor, lost his job at. Fortunately, theres an easy way to assess carrier and driver safety by using the compliance, safety, and accountability csa score. Cai mingjie, a lifelong scientist and university pr. A taxi passenger leaned over to ask the driver a question and gently tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. Based on the information given, the taxi driver will then check the flight landing time, after the flight has landed most drivers will send a textsms to the number given. New york have the most female cab drivers in the world. Cai mingjies diary of a taxi driver a l v i n o l o g y. Are you having a hard time finding a reliable driver in this hot market. Is taxi driver always ask for more than agreed price. Shippers have long enjoyed markets that gave them options for carriers and capacity.
Anyway, his diary became a bestseller in singapore and hes back to working as a researcher. Cai s taxi driving experience as it allows you to take a look at life and events from a different perspective. Cai mingjie born 1952, singaporean singapore taxi driver. Written by a successful property investor who is not trying to sell you properties, structured investments, services, seminars or anything else, the no b. Sep 22, 2014 singapore comedians gurmit singh and mark lee show their sensitive side in this comedy inspired by true accounts of singapore blogger, dr cai mingjie, in his book diary of a taxi driver. The blog entry written by xiaohan is particularly moving, do read it. Cai mingjie author of diary of a taxi driver goodreads. He is described variously as singapores most educated taxi driver and the only taxi driver with a ph. Hopefully, my todays posting about my observations and experiences of a few things uniquely singapore will be helpful in. This phd taxi driver wins my admiration because he never gave up on his life he didnt stay home refusing to work, or getting drunk every other night, just. Apr 15, 2015 dr cai mingjie from singapore is said to be the most educated professional taxi cab driver in the world and currently an internet celebrity with his blogs and books.
Nov 24, 2012 taxi drivers must clock minimum of 250 km a day. Working as a taxi driver in singapore really does not make much sense economically. Cai mingjie, born 1952 is a singaporean taxicab driver and former biology researcher, known for his blog, a singapore taxi drivers diary. Jan 29, 2015 in the last post, i introduced some useful vocabulary for taking a taxi in china. Feb 23, 2010 do you remember the inspirational dr cai mingjie phd researcher turned taxi driver in uniquely singapore style well, great news for fans of dr cai. According to his account now published in his blog, he worked as a principal investigator at the institute of molecular and cell biology imcb under astar for 16 years. Diary of a taxi driver and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Dr cai mingjie from singapore is said to be the most educated professional taxi cab driver in the world and currently an internet celebrity with his blogs and books. Im not looking to get sued or subpoenaed here, so any name of a person, place, or street is a pseudonym.
Mingjie s blog can be found at a singapore taxi driver s diary. Chanced upon this blog written by a guy who professed to be probably the only taxi driver in this world with a phd from stanford and a proven track record of scientific accomplishments. May 10, 2019 top 10 pros and cons of working as an uber driver. A ride with metro manilas most honest taxi driver happy and pleasantly surprised are not emotions i associate with public transportation in metro manila, but kuya jhun ochavo has convinced.
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