Uber has been the topic of many a conversation. People talk about their funny Uber drivers, some talk about their hot Uber drivers, and some share stories about their weird Uber drivers. But seemingly forgotten, are the stories from the drivers themselves.
Last November, I decided to take a plunge. I signed up to be an Uber driver and before long, I embarked on a journey riddled with twists, turns and quite a few u-turns. I’ve seen the good, I’ve seen the bad and I’ve seen the nasty. Today, I will talk about the 5 most memorable moments I’ve had during my stint as an Uber driver, as well as some DOs and DON’Ts for prospective drivers.
Public Display of Affection
On my very first day as an Uber driver, I was driving about at 11pm when I got my first call. I accepted it gleefully and made my way to Sunway Mentari to pick up my first passengers. As soon as I arrived, my passengers, with much difficulty, climbed into the backseat of my car. At first glance, I could tell they were a couple, and that they were heavily intoxicated. Steering wheel in one hand, and plastic bag ready in the other, I started my journey to Damansara Kim.
Shortly after, I decided to sneak a peek at the back seat to make sure my passengers were still conscious, instead, I was greeted with a very passionate make-out scenerio just a few levels short of being a scene straight out of 50 Shades of Grey.
Realizing that I should focus on getting to my destination as quickly as possible, lest this ‘PG13’ love scene ends up with an ‘18SX’ rating; I set my eyes on the road, my mind on the destination, and put my foot on the gas. After the longest 15-minute drive of my life, I arrived at their destination, and turned back to inform my passengers (who were still going at it), that we’d arrived.
I heard my passengers speak for the first time, “5 minutes”. Taking a hint, I turned back, and focused my eyes on Instagram on my phone instead. When they were finally done, I told them how much their fare was (about RM11). The guy handed me a RM20 note, and told me to keep the change.
I thanked him as he left the car and thought to myself about how my first trip as an Uber driver was both excessively weird, and profitable.
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Suspicious Cargo
On another one of my trips, I picked up an elderly gentleman from the industrial area in USJ 1, Subang Jaya, who was carrying a big black plastic bag. I made my way out of USJ 1, and found myself at a police road block.
“Aiya, hopefully they don’t stop us,” the elderly man said.
They did.
Explaining to them that I was an Uber driver, they explained to me politely that they just wanted to do a few random checks. The elderly man was later pulled aside for questioning, as the big black plastic bag he was carrying was filled with condoms.
After about 15 minutes and a lot of phone calls, the elderly man returned to the car, and we continued our journey. As soon as we arrived, he passed me a RM10 note, told me to keep the change and stepped out of the vehicle. Till this day, I still wonder what he told the police so that they would let him go, and also why he had what looked like a lifetime supply of condoms with him.
Obviously at age 33, many people are asking or strongly hinting at my having children
sometimes they make it seem like a responsibility, like something i HAVE to do
I was so excited to toss the yee sang that i completely forgot to take a pic… so this was a posed one (made everyone pretend for a shot).
Michelle (whom i just met and has just joined Lifestyle Asia) was seated next to me and we spoke about traveling in the Blue Mountain area (she used to live in Sydney and i’m heading there with my family), poké bowls (she’s starting her own poké brand soon), and meditation; whilst Anthony from TGM lit up when he spoke about his golf holidays.
Crashed pic with all the noisy peeps from the next table
Went to the Love, Bonito store in MV early this month to pick out a new bunch of dresses for CNY including the one above!
Cammy liked it so much she went from the MV outlet to the Paradigm one in search of her whole CNY wardrobe. I’m pretty sure we chose at least two of the same designs, so now we can purposely twin for gambling sess and be a pow wow team!
I would like to say that my hair looks like that every day but it ain’t true.
Nicely done that morning by Centro Hair Salon (colour by Han, styled by Kay)
Nothing like going home and stripping those high heels off in satisfying sigh!
“I feel like all the guys are staring into my soul,” and “there are too many hot guys there, I can’t focus,” are reasons I hear most often from girl friends who tell me why going to the gym isn’t their thing. It comes as no surprise that most women are afraid to hit the gym, or do anything other than cardio at the gym, in order to avoid the judgmental (and occasionally inappropriate) gaze of the gym’s male population.
Koa Fitness was created to solve this very problem. Its founders Nicholas Mak and Marie Ann wanted to create a gym that women from all walks of life can call their playground, as well as a gym where they can feel completely comfortable at ease in. To fulfil this niche, they created a safe space where women can train and improve themselves in the company of other women with similar fitness aspirations that would motivate them further to achieve their personal goals.
The word ‘Koa’ is a Hawaiian term that means ‘warrior’ or ‘brave’.
Koa Fitness emphasizes strongly on being a gym that can cater to any type of woman- be it university students trying to get their beach bod ready for the year-end vacation, or a driven career woman in need of a workout to melt the stress away. Aside from being an open gym that allows members to enter anytime during the gym’s opening hours to workout in whatever way they like, Koa Fitness also has various classes and programs that can aid various fitness goals whether it’s to lose weight or gain muscle mass.
To create a unique experience for women, the gym suggests pre-programmed workouts plans designed specifically for women each day on a message board in the center of the establishment. Coaches are also always on site to help ensure everyone is working out the right way to prevent any injuries.
Many women have complained that the free weights section is one of the most intimidating places to be in at a conventional gym, as it’s almost exclusively filled with men. Hence, a free weights section is something the founders felt were a compulsory addition to Koa Fitness. For those who prefer free-form strength training but want to add a bit more variety to their workout, a large selection of Kettle-bells and Medicine Balls are available to members.
Not forgotten are machines that target specific parts of the body. Whether you want to tone up or pack on some muscle, these machines can definitely aid in your fitness goals. For those who want stronger legs and a tighter booty, Koa Fitness also has a fully functioning weighted squat rack.
Also a part of Koa Fitness is a beautiful studio that is used for curated classes including (but not limited to) Booty Pump, Xpress Sweat and Lean n’ Mean. Popular Malaysian dancer Maybelline Wong will be debuting her brand new dance class, FMMSTYL, in Koa Fitness sometime in February. You can check out all current classes available here.
Maybelline giving us a preview of her latest dance class, FMMSTYL.
