November 16, 2004

woe betide!

I discovered a horror of commuting today.

well, it's not as if it's something incredibly new to any of us, since all of us have taken public transport (save for a few i shall not mention here). and so I was waiting at the bus-stop for my bus, and boarded it as usual, flashed the card and sat down next to this middle-aged man.

along the way, I got increasingly uncomfortable, because this man next to me was taking up almost three-quarters of the two seats. and so there I was, trying my best to support myself using my two legs, with the left leg acting as leverage lest I should fall from high heaven, especially my heavy bag containing all those already-forgotten-about math books.

to put it simply, I was in agony throughout the entire journey.
it's appalling how Singaporeans nowadays dominate the buffet tables, free offers and even seats! where did all the social etiquette and manners go? actually, one wouldn't even associate such things with social propriety in the first place, because I've always thought these were quite basic?!

and as I was fighting this man's rear for my rightful place on a public bus, which is pretty absurd, I began to recall (and shudder) at the many public commuter woes I have had. for example, there have been a few gross instances of trying to break one's fall by grabbing on to the handlebars, only to realise to one's utmost horror that those bars have been coated with organic slime. eew, yes. and the ubiquitous spread of sweat, hair, goo and everything rancid on the windows and sides of buses and mrt trains. oh yes, and how can i ever forget the time the lady next to me on the train had her 'time-of-the-month' right there and then?

these are the woes of a public commuter, which leads to the already old notion of the need to upgrade. but what has all the years of upgrading done to our lives? sometimes, I feel that some of us are no more than what we were years ago, and the only difference is but our surroundings. as the wise saying goes, "you can take the farmer out of the farm, but you cannot take the farm out of the farmer."

let's hope this vicious cycle ends soon.
gid posted at 16:49