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Trainspotter says: You'll forget me soon
By Joy Fang
my paper
Thursday, Oct 27, 2011
He was one of the first few to take rides on the Circle Line when its last 12 stations were officially opened on Oct 8, and he got interviewed on an English-language news bulletin.
Little did he know that it would inadvertently turn him into an overnight sensation.
In the bulletin, 23-year-old Singaporean Jay Tan, a self-confessed train-and-bus enthusiast, declared monotonously that he was "too excited (and) could not sleep last night".
A clip of the bulletin was uploaded to YouTube and it quickly went viral, attracting more than 10,000 views in three days. As of yesterday, it had garnered close to 40,000 views.
When my paper spoke to Mr Tan recently, he was blase about the attention.
"I'm just an ordinary person," he said. "The fame will last only for a short while... Give them three to six months, and nobody will remember who I am," he said matter-of-factly in fluent Mandarin.
The clip has drawn mixed comments. Some netizens mocked his English, while others made fun of his obsession with buses and trains.
Others found him adorable, though. One netizen even set up a Facebook fan page in his honour.
Mr Tan, who works as a waiter, said he now gets recognised at VivoCity, where he works. Many ask whether he is "the Jay Tan" and request to take pictures with him.
He is taking his newfound fame in his stride, but he has asked Facebook to delete the fan page because he felt "it was unnecessary".
He said he was "very nervous" during his TV appearance, so he "just answered without thinking", adding: "Who would know that, once I said it, it would get onto YouTube and everyone would know me?"
Mr Tan said his love for buses and trains began when he was four. "I used to sit beside my father as he drove, and I'd watch vehicles moving on the roads or on bridges. I like anything with wheels," he said.
His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother, 46, and sister, 20, in a three-room flat in Telok Blangah.
As for those detractors who make fun of "trainspotters" like him, Mr Tan said: "Even if you don't like our interests, you should not criticise us."
He likens himself to those who are obsessed with motorcycles and cars. "Everyone has his own hobbies, so we should respect that."
For more my paper stories click here.
By Joy Fang
my paper
Thursday, Oct 27, 2011
He was one of the first few to take rides on the Circle Line when its last 12 stations were officially opened on Oct 8, and he got interviewed on an English-language news bulletin.
Little did he know that it would inadvertently turn him into an overnight sensation.
In the bulletin, 23-year-old Singaporean Jay Tan, a self-confessed train-and-bus enthusiast, declared monotonously that he was "too excited (and) could not sleep last night".
A clip of the bulletin was uploaded to YouTube and it quickly went viral, attracting more than 10,000 views in three days. As of yesterday, it had garnered close to 40,000 views.
When my paper spoke to Mr Tan recently, he was blase about the attention.
"I'm just an ordinary person," he said. "The fame will last only for a short while... Give them three to six months, and nobody will remember who I am," he said matter-of-factly in fluent Mandarin.
The clip has drawn mixed comments. Some netizens mocked his English, while others made fun of his obsession with buses and trains.
Others found him adorable, though. One netizen even set up a Facebook fan page in his honour.
Mr Tan, who works as a waiter, said he now gets recognised at VivoCity, where he works. Many ask whether he is "the Jay Tan" and request to take pictures with him.
He is taking his newfound fame in his stride, but he has asked Facebook to delete the fan page because he felt "it was unnecessary".
He said he was "very nervous" during his TV appearance, so he "just answered without thinking", adding: "Who would know that, once I said it, it would get onto YouTube and everyone would know me?"
Mr Tan said his love for buses and trains began when he was four. "I used to sit beside my father as he drove, and I'd watch vehicles moving on the roads or on bridges. I like anything with wheels," he said.
His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother, 46, and sister, 20, in a three-room flat in Telok Blangah.
As for those detractors who make fun of "trainspotters" like him, Mr Tan said: "Even if you don't like our interests, you should not criticise us."
He likens himself to those who are obsessed with motorcycles and cars. "Everyone has his own hobbies, so we should respect that."
For more my paper stories click here.
