It's been a very long time since I've faithfully entered posts on this site, and I think it has been ages since I've actually changed blogskins.

Anyhow, as with... erm... I would assume more than half the population, I am now part of that majority who faithfully contribute money into who-knows-what-it-is-being-used-for-fund. Hahaha.. Congratulations.

Work sure is challenging. The actual job isn't really the most tedious nor tiring bit. It is always the peripheral aspects of things that really makes you hate something that you didn't hate before. Like one thing for sure is having to literally gear yourself up for war each morning and evening.

As much as the sunny island having such an impressive public transport system, by I-am-not-sure-whose-standards, why is every single trip by the train or the bus such a pain and torturous ordeal?

Let's just talk about trains first, shall we? Since that's my main mode of transport as of current.

1. Getting into the train station
There are three ways in which commuters can enter train stations. The lift, escalator, and the stairs. Despite the various entry methods, there's always bound to be people who simply don't know they are in the way.

A long line of 'uncles & aunties' who, come rain or come shine, will faithfully queue up for the FREE newspaper distributed at the train station, not realizing they block the lift entrance, the main entrance/exit from the gates, and as times, the stairs and escalators.

Then there are commuters who don't realise there are actually people who know the train timetable and are just simply trying to catch the train by walking down the escalators instead of waiting for the machine, rather than your own legs, to transport you down to the station. I seriously wonder if all these people have left-right discrimination problems. Is it really SO hard to just stand on the left side, instead of the right? Worst still, there are some who hog the middle. I am sure there is ample space to stand on either side of the escalator platform, and I'm sure that if you are old enough to take the train by yourself, you should at least know your left from right. Seriously.

And worst are those who are so oblivious to what goes on around them. There are many people who rather walk up/down escalators to save a little time. If someone behind you says 'EXCUSE ME', for goodness sake! At least attempt to move aside and not stick yourself with superglue on the right side of the escalator and block the entire flow.

Deep breath.

2. Getting pass the electronic gates
Gone are the days where we had to slot this flimsy piece of card and wait for it to miraculously pop up at the top of the gate, before we could pass into the station to board the trains. With advancement of technology, we now use the 'EZLINK' card. So what I assume this card was meant to do was to make it easy for every commuter to board/exit public transport, just by simply tapping it on the scanner.

As fantastic as the scanner is, is it so hard to actually be holding your card before you actually approach the gates? I mean, it's not like Singapore has that much space to allow SMRT to build that many barricades for people to stand in front of them and dig into the HUGE backpack or handbag for a card, while a long line of irritated commuters gradually forms.

On two tries the scanner does not read the card stashed among god-knows-what in your bag, please use your brains and also practice some common sense... MOVE aside. You will still be able to enter the train platform even if you move away from it for awhile. It's not like the gates will miraculously disappear nor have legs that would run away just because you can't find your card.

Deep DEEP breath.

3. Boarding/Exiting the train
Now, I don't know how any of you noticed, but I think I know why Singaporeans are labelled as 'kiasus', even though we see so many familiar and similar actions and behaviours among other nationalities in places like eat-all-you-can-buffet, free giveaway stations, and of course, the BIG sale.

I have never once in my life seen Singaporeans queue for trains. As silly as it sounds, this does actually happen. And yes, even places Singaporeans deem as 'terrible'. As much Singapore is a modern society, developed country, and especially educated lot, there is no such concept as waiting in line in her own people, except maybe when monetary consequences are imposed, or when FOC stuff is being given away.

It isn't very hard to wait in line for the train. There are even designated spaces to wait for trains at the doorways. Look down at your feet. See those yellow lines and arrows? Yes. You are suppose to stand behind the yellow line, and along the them to form a line. And not huddle in the middle of the door, awaiting for the train doors to open.

Never mind the huddling. What I really cannot understand at all is why is it every part of Singapore you go, there never fails to be at least one person, who gets into the perfect stance, at the precise angle of the train door, and once there is a tiny gap between the doors, with the exact precision, agility and strength, elbows his/her way into the innocent passengers desperately trying to exit the train doors. Eventually, he/she leaves other commuters like me far behind at the train doors, and emerge as the more than occasional lucky winner. His/Her prize - a seat on the train.

If there is ever such Olympic event, I can ensure you we would have never experienced the 48 years drought.

Is it so hard to understand? If you don't allow passengers to exit, how the hell do you enter? IT IS COMMON SENSE!! Do you continue to pour water into a glass that is already full? It will still remain full and whatever you poured in still stays outside the glass! So, if we don't allow passengers to exit, where the hell do we find space to board the train? As even the not-so-educated Phua Chu Kang would say, and I am certain that Singaporeans know this line... USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN!!!!!!

I seriously don't know what is inside Singaporean's skull most of the time. Air I suppose.

DEEP DEEP DEEP breath.

Let's just stop here for now... I can feel my blood pressure rising and at the rate I am typing with the amount of force my fingers hitting the keyboard, my laptop isn't really going to last very long.

I know there isn't a point getting upset over such people. But for persons with sensory integration issues, it is certainly an ordeal each time we take the public transport. And by the time I actually reach the office, I am so irritated and overwhelmed and sometimes in 'shock' that it is so hard to be functional in the morning. Plus the fact my job isn't the I-look-at-four-walls-and-stare-into-a-screen-while-I-sit-comfortably-on-a-chair job, the constant sensory stimulation requirements of my job really overwhelms me. And not forgetting the social requirements. By lunch time, I'm totally exhausted and I cannot recuperate in solitary. A nice decent start to the day certainly will make life so much more bearable.

Sigh. Another reason why I keep asking myself, why am I back here?

It's been a very long time since I've faithfully entered posts on this site, and I think it has been ages since I've actually changed blogskins.

Anyhow, as with... erm... I would assume more than half the population, I am now part of that majority who faithfully contribute money into who-knows-what-it-is-being-used-for-fund. Hahaha.. Congratulations.

Work sure is challenging. The actual job isn't really the most tedious nor tiring bit. It is always the peripheral aspects of things that really makes you hate something that you didn't hate before. Like one thing for sure is having to literally gear yourself up for war each morning and evening.

As much as the sunny island having such an impressive public transport system, by I-am-not-sure-whose-standards, why is every single trip by the train or the bus such a pain and torturous ordeal?

Let's just talk about trains first, shall we? Since that's my main mode of transport as of current.

1. Getting into the train station
There are three ways in which commuters can enter train stations. The lift, escalator, and the stairs. Despite the various entry methods, there's always bound to be people who simply don't know they are in the way.

A long line of 'uncles & aunties' who, come rain or come shine, will faithfully queue up for the FREE newspaper distributed at the train station, not realizing they block the lift entrance, the main entrance/exit from the gates, and as times, the stairs and escalators.

Then there are commuters who don't realise there are actually people who know the train timetable and are just simply trying to catch the train by walking down the escalators instead of waiting for the machine, rather than your own legs, to transport you down to the station. I seriously wonder if all these people have left-right discrimination problems. Is it really SO hard to just stand on the left side, instead of the right? Worst still, there are some who hog the middle. I am sure there is ample space to stand on either side of the escalator platform, and I'm sure that if you are old enough to take the train by yourself, you should at least know your left from right. Seriously.

And worst are those who are so oblivious to what goes on around them. There are many people who rather walk up/down escalators to save a little time. If someone behind you says 'EXCUSE ME', for goodness sake! At least attempt to move aside and not stick yourself with superglue on the right side of the escalator and block the entire flow.

Deep breath.

2. Getting pass the electronic gates
Gone are the days where we had to slot this flimsy piece of card and wait for it to miraculously pop up at the top of the gate, before we could pass into the station to board the trains. With advancement of technology, we now use the 'EZLINK' card. So what I assume this card was meant to do was to make it easy for every commuter to board/exit public transport, just by simply tapping it on the scanner.

As fantastic as the scanner is, is it so hard to actually be holding your card before you actually approach the gates? I mean, it's not like Singapore has that much space to allow SMRT to build that many barricades for people to stand in front of them and dig into the HUGE backpack or handbag for a card, while a long line of irritated commuters gradually forms.

On two tries the scanner does not read the card stashed among god-knows-what in your bag, please use your brains and also practice some common sense... MOVE aside. You will still be able to enter the train platform even if you move away from it for awhile. It's not like the gates will miraculously disappear nor have legs that would run away just because you can't find your card.

Deep DEEP breath.

3. Boarding/Exiting the train
Now, I don't know how any of you noticed, but I think I know why Singaporeans are labelled as 'kiasus', even though we see so many familiar and similar actions and behaviours among other nationalities in places like eat-all-you-can-buffet, free giveaway stations, and of course, the BIG sale.

I have never once in my life seen Singaporeans queue for trains. As silly as it sounds, this does actually happen. And yes, even places Singaporeans deem as 'terrible'. As much Singapore is a modern society, developed country, and especially educated lot, there is no such concept as waiting in line in her own people, except maybe when monetary consequences are imposed, or when FOC stuff is being given away.

It isn't very hard to wait in line for the train. There are even designated spaces to wait for trains at the doorways. Look down at your feet. See those yellow lines and arrows? Yes. You are suppose to stand behind the yellow line, and along the them to form a line. And not huddle in the middle of the door, awaiting for the train doors to open.

Never mind the huddling. What I really cannot understand at all is why is it every part of Singapore you go, there never fails to be at least one person, who gets into the perfect stance, at the precise angle of the train door, and once there is a tiny gap between the doors, with the exact precision, agility and strength, elbows his/her way into the innocent passengers desperately trying to exit the train doors. Eventually, he/she leaves other commuters like me far behind at the train doors, and emerge as the more than occasional lucky winner. His/Her prize - a seat on the train.

If there is ever such Olympic event, I can ensure you we would have never experienced the 48 years drought.

Is it so hard to understand? If you don't allow passengers to exit, how the hell do you enter? IT IS COMMON SENSE!! Do you continue to pour water into a glass that is already full? It will still remain full and whatever you poured in still stays outside the glass! So, if we don't allow passengers to exit, where the hell do we find space to board the train? As even the not-so-educated Phua Chu Kang would say, and I am certain that Singaporeans know this line... USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN USE YOUR BRAIN!!!!!!

I seriously don't know what is inside Singaporean's skull most of the time. Air I suppose.

DEEP DEEP DEEP breath.

Let's just stop here for now... I can feel my blood pressure rising and at the rate I am typing with the amount of force my fingers hitting the keyboard, my laptop isn't really going to last very long.

I know there isn't a point getting upset over such people. But for persons with sensory integration issues, it is certainly an ordeal each time we take the public transport. And by the time I actually reach the office, I am so irritated and overwhelmed and sometimes in 'shock' that it is so hard to be functional in the morning. Plus the fact my job isn't the I-look-at-four-walls-and-stare-into-a-screen-while-I-sit-comfortably-on-a-chair job, the constant sensory stimulation requirements of my job really overwhelms me. And not forgetting the social requirements. By lunch time, I'm totally exhausted and I cannot recuperate in solitary. A nice decent start to the day certainly will make life so much more bearable.

Sigh. Another reason why I keep asking myself, why am I back here?