World Class Public Transport and the Lunar New Year
24th January 2008, Thursday
On Monday morning, at the thick of the madness of rushing for works, there was a disruption of train service between Tanah Merah & Pasir Ris MRT stations, causing a lot of inconveniences for the Eastern-based commuters as well as those heading to perhaps Tampines Business District.
I thought being in the North and taking the Northwest line to work, I should be safe from being affected...
Boy was I wrong...
When I alighted at Jurong East to transfer to the east-bound train, I felt something amiss with when the platform was 3/4 filled with fellow passengers, most probably from earlier arrivals.
The mass continued to build up as more and more arrivals from the Central line, congesting the platform to a state that we had an army of disgruntle and flabbergasted commuters, wondering why the train from Boon Lay took so bloody long to arrive.
Beside me were a bunch of Chinese teenage boys, in their usual crappy shenanigans, assuming they are the only victims while behind me an auntie theatrically showing her dismay while calling someone on her mobile.
My NDS was my only salvation in the midst of this human agglutination and the sun merciless beating down didn't help sooth the matter and of course aggravated it.
Soon the trains arrived, and slowly managed to appease some of the earlier passengers even though it incur the wrath of those alighting who had to fight their way through the massive crowd, clogging their passage, all eagerly wanting to get into the air-conditioned carriages...
There had been calling for showing public graciousness but under such circumstances everyone is resorting to transform to that ugly persona we Singaporeans are famous for...even myself lost my cool as people starting hustling me at the back.
I got to the office by 9 I think when it could be half an hour earlier...
It didn't cause much disruption to my work routine (and fortunately I am still earlier than my bosses to step into the office) but the whole affair didn't go really well with me and surely the same sentiments shared by commuters affected by the same episode as well as that in the East...
Complains were duly sent to the papers or other mode of media (forums included) and SMRT shown very little effort to apologize but matters little if they do...
With the hike in cab fare and the irregularity of buses with regards to their timing, MRT still provides the most reliable form of public transport and millions of us depend on it for the sole mode to work.
It is not surprised with they adopt this "ya-ya (arrogant)" attitude because they and Singapore Transit holds the monopoly in public transport here and we can't do nothing about it...
A world class public transport system? Far from it...
The only solution is bear with it if possessing your own car is not a viable or economical option (with the ERP gantries, traffic and unruly road users out there as well as the price of petrol, it's shuddering to even work out the charges on the calculator of owning a car).
Just endure the shit day in day out till you got numb of the situation, but try not to lose your sanity along the way.
Be optimistic and regard that there are far worse transport systems in many cities around the world...
Or simply lost yourself in your book, game, music on the train and do not give a hoot about anything happening around you...
It's sad to live in this non-compassionate society, but what choice do we have?
Maybe when we all learn how to fly or teleport....
2008 had been ominous as we all felt it...
Stock markets are facing a bull run, oil prices rising, food prices also on the hike due to global warming, HDB flats can sell to as much as a million locally and inflation is inevitable as the Monetary Authorities predicted...
The Lunar New Year is not gonna be as jolly as of the past years as everyone felt the brunt of the whiplash effects of the combined above-mentioned...
My missus and myself had yet to plan out the potion of the pie we had set aside for red packets money which remained the same as the year before...
I think it would be good that we stick with the sum we had distributed last year but it seems like we cannot recollect how much we actually dish out...
With other expenditures need to account for with the festive season, I am bound to spend a bit more again this time of the year while dreaming of the performance bonus will follow in the month of March instead of May...
Even Mighty Mouse can alleviate our woes in the year of the Mouse....
To tighten the purse strings, I rejected going for a group lunch with my colleagues which is initiated by the Beautiful One... a ploy supposedly to cement his "role model" status by building the camaraderie among our group with Shitty Green always claim to have factions (and actually do)
They suggested Dempsey Road..seemingly a happening stretch now for dining and wining and perhaps gay-making....
BY who felt that the area might not have anything for her to consume plus not feeling too comfortable with Mei Nu as well as certain personnel of the lab, was first to worm out of the lunch
I followed suit, perhaps with the displeasure of the residential gay-boy, written vividly on his face...
To conclude with a sad note as if it wasn't depressing enough, the new Joker for the forthcoming Batman film, "The Dark Knight", Heath Ledger was found dead in his New york apartment 2 days ago...
Really sad that a promising young actor (just 28 even younger than myself) from Down Under would end his life (postulated to be because of drug abuse as he prepared for a role as a drug addict) in such tragic manner, just as his career is taking flight with notable performances in "Brokeback Mountain", "Ned Kelly" and sure a rave rating for his portrayal of Batman's insane nemesis...
On Monday morning, at the thick of the madness of rushing for works, there was a disruption of train service between Tanah Merah & Pasir Ris MRT stations, causing a lot of inconveniences for the Eastern-based commuters as well as those heading to perhaps Tampines Business District.
I thought being in the North and taking the Northwest line to work, I should be safe from being affected...
Boy was I wrong...
When I alighted at Jurong East to transfer to the east-bound train, I felt something amiss with when the platform was 3/4 filled with fellow passengers, most probably from earlier arrivals.
The mass continued to build up as more and more arrivals from the Central line, congesting the platform to a state that we had an army of disgruntle and flabbergasted commuters, wondering why the train from Boon Lay took so bloody long to arrive.
Beside me were a bunch of Chinese teenage boys, in their usual crappy shenanigans, assuming they are the only victims while behind me an auntie theatrically showing her dismay while calling someone on her mobile.
My NDS was my only salvation in the midst of this human agglutination and the sun merciless beating down didn't help sooth the matter and of course aggravated it.
Soon the trains arrived, and slowly managed to appease some of the earlier passengers even though it incur the wrath of those alighting who had to fight their way through the massive crowd, clogging their passage, all eagerly wanting to get into the air-conditioned carriages...
There had been calling for showing public graciousness but under such circumstances everyone is resorting to transform to that ugly persona we Singaporeans are famous for...even myself lost my cool as people starting hustling me at the back.
I got to the office by 9 I think when it could be half an hour earlier...
It didn't cause much disruption to my work routine (and fortunately I am still earlier than my bosses to step into the office) but the whole affair didn't go really well with me and surely the same sentiments shared by commuters affected by the same episode as well as that in the East...
Complains were duly sent to the papers or other mode of media (forums included) and SMRT shown very little effort to apologize but matters little if they do...
With the hike in cab fare and the irregularity of buses with regards to their timing, MRT still provides the most reliable form of public transport and millions of us depend on it for the sole mode to work.
It is not surprised with they adopt this "ya-ya (arrogant)" attitude because they and Singapore Transit holds the monopoly in public transport here and we can't do nothing about it...
A world class public transport system? Far from it...
The only solution is bear with it if possessing your own car is not a viable or economical option (with the ERP gantries, traffic and unruly road users out there as well as the price of petrol, it's shuddering to even work out the charges on the calculator of owning a car).
Just endure the shit day in day out till you got numb of the situation, but try not to lose your sanity along the way.
Be optimistic and regard that there are far worse transport systems in many cities around the world...
Or simply lost yourself in your book, game, music on the train and do not give a hoot about anything happening around you...
It's sad to live in this non-compassionate society, but what choice do we have?
Maybe when we all learn how to fly or teleport....
2008 had been ominous as we all felt it...
Stock markets are facing a bull run, oil prices rising, food prices also on the hike due to global warming, HDB flats can sell to as much as a million locally and inflation is inevitable as the Monetary Authorities predicted...
The Lunar New Year is not gonna be as jolly as of the past years as everyone felt the brunt of the whiplash effects of the combined above-mentioned...
My missus and myself had yet to plan out the potion of the pie we had set aside for red packets money which remained the same as the year before...
I think it would be good that we stick with the sum we had distributed last year but it seems like we cannot recollect how much we actually dish out...
With other expenditures need to account for with the festive season, I am bound to spend a bit more again this time of the year while dreaming of the performance bonus will follow in the month of March instead of May...
Even Mighty Mouse can alleviate our woes in the year of the Mouse....
To tighten the purse strings, I rejected going for a group lunch with my colleagues which is initiated by the Beautiful One... a ploy supposedly to cement his "role model" status by building the camaraderie among our group with Shitty Green always claim to have factions (and actually do)
They suggested Dempsey Road..seemingly a happening stretch now for dining and wining and perhaps gay-making....
BY who felt that the area might not have anything for her to consume plus not feeling too comfortable with Mei Nu as well as certain personnel of the lab, was first to worm out of the lunch
I followed suit, perhaps with the displeasure of the residential gay-boy, written vividly on his face...
To conclude with a sad note as if it wasn't depressing enough, the new Joker for the forthcoming Batman film, "The Dark Knight", Heath Ledger was found dead in his New york apartment 2 days ago...
Really sad that a promising young actor (just 28 even younger than myself) from Down Under would end his life (postulated to be because of drug abuse as he prepared for a role as a drug addict) in such tragic manner, just as his career is taking flight with notable performances in "Brokeback Mountain", "Ned Kelly" and sure a rave rating for his portrayal of Batman's insane nemesis...
Japanese word of the day: 輸送 (Transport) Would really appreciate a bamboo helicopter like those Doraemon always provided to Nobita
Labels: Rant
posted by Kei at
4:10 PM
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