O lord of taxis, why do you forsake me.

There are only a few civilian activities more ruthless than a taxi war.

I froze my ass off waiting for a taxi. I spent an hour flailing my right arm, alternating between the open palm signal for "stop" and the international index finger signal for "I'm an antsy passnger, take me to my destination... NOW!"

On a regular day, It usually takes me as long as a microsecond to hail a cab ride in a city teeming with metered FX's and Kias. Tonight, It took me a freakin lightyear. The drizzle didn't help, nor did the rush hour. Everyone wanted a cab. I did the whole taxi cha-cha with fellow hailers... you know, moving a few meters ahead of some people to catch vacant taxis first, only to find the same people moving in front of you a few meters a couple of minutes later. Cha-cha-cha. It not only not works... but eyebrows rise beyond anatomical limits.

Contrary to popular belief, that whole leg thing they do in movies doesn't work.

I tried the Ped Xing Maneuver, waiting half a car length from a crossing so that the cab hailed by someone ahead of you (preferably on a pedestrian crossing) stops right infront of you. It didn't work. There were no vacant taxis in sight... Correction, there were a few vacant cabs but for some reason unbeknownst to me or my fellow hailers, they just sped right by us paying no heed to our desperate-for-the-warmth-of-home faces.

I also tried the Right Blinker Method, something a friend of mine taught me. This is only as effective as your legs are fast. You disregard all visual distractions... people, parked cars, oncoming traffic, UFOs, flying horses, Everything! The only thing you narrow your eyes on are the right blinkers of taxi cabs. The moment you see a flashing one, run along side that taxi until it stops. It wouldn't hurt to open the door for alighting passengers so you can have that cab for your own. This method doesn't work effectively if you wait by street corners. Even this tried and tested method didn't work. It seems my friend has been passing around this knowledge to other people. I had to use my calves more tonight than I did the whole week and even when I got to the taxi, elbowing and clawing my way through the crowd, some middle-aged woman with groceries beat me to it. If this isn't a call for working out, i dunno what is.

I was ready to throw in the towel. I was cold, hungry and my arms and legs are aching like I just finished a decathlon (or at least that's how I think it must have felt like, one sport is hard enough, 10 would be suicide) It's times like this that I question my unfounded fear of driving alone and my laziness to get a license. My brother already picked up his phone, and I've already expressed my urgent need to be fetched when a taxi stopped serendipitously infront of me... the two male passengers got off and the moment my freezing ass felt the taxi's still warm (ullkk) corduroy seats, I told my brother I got a ride and hung up. Oh fortuitous joy!

(I take back my first statement, o munificient lord of taxis)


Painting from: www.klaudiamarrgallery.com




On a brighter note,
I'm doing my blogroll and in vince's blog, I found out that last December 1 was World Aid's Day. I'm wearing my virtual red ribbon in support of WAD 2006.

Labels: i-rate, taxis