Dude, Where’s My Car?

August 18, 2009

Dude, Where’s My Car?

One of the things about living in an Asian city is that you have to be prepared to take public transit as your main mode of transportation.  I grew up as a young kid in HK, worked there briefly and regularly go back every couple of years.  So it’s not like I don’t know what an Asian city is like.  But living here in S’pore, and living a student life, makes me really miss my car!

On a regular day I have to carry at the very least:

• laptop and adaptor
• books
• notepad and pen
• folders for class notes
• water bottle and an umbrella

Now I’m playing badminton on campus a lot, add:

• shoes
• t-shirt and shorts
• towel
• racquet

My morning routine almost always include the highly skilled game of ‘How to carry everything on my back and take the bus to school‘.  Today I resorted to taking my 36L trekking backpack (the one I used on the West Coast Trail) just so I can shove everything into one bag. I looked like a real dork around campus (no one carries a backpack that big here), but oh well.

I miss having a car, I just want to throw everything in the trunk and take off.  Here in S’pore it’s damn costly to get a car.  I won’t even explain all the cost that goes into owning a car, but there are things like Certificate of Entitlement (COE), import duty, registration fee, an additional registration fee, road tax.  Then not to mention insurance, gas, tolls on highway/CBD area.

I think I’ll stick to my 36L backpack for now.

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