Its ironic how I used to think blogging was a waste of time; now I feel like I’m a slave to it. All I can say is, people change, perceptions change, everything changes. Right…
So back to today’s topic, bus rides… something that most people can’t avoid and that includes me. Well, I’m not complaining but I think that when it comes to buses, I have 0% luck at all. Having to travel almost an hour plus on the public bus everyday is really an eye-opener. There are so many different kinds of people/characters that you can meet. And sadly, it’s never nice. All I ask for is a peaceful ride with no disturbance in terms of sound, movement and smell.
Let’s talk about sound. Most of the time, the ambience in the bus in the early morning is rather quiet. That’s because most people are either asleep or stoning. Then out of nowhere some joker’s phone rings. Okay, still acceptable. Following that, you hear someone talking at the top of his/her voice without a care in this world. How inconsiderate can people get? Wait, I haven’t got to the worst part yet. My usual routine is to stick my earphones into my ears the whole journey hoping music would be my source of relaxation. So, you know how between the transition of one song to the other, there would be at least a second of silence? In that one second of silence, I heard someone swearing in hokkien expletives. A series of images than flashed through my mind…
1) I walk towards the person who is speaking loudly
2) Snatches away his phone
3) Throws it out of the window
4) Give him my two cents worth
5) Inconsiderate commuter opens mouth but no sound comes out
6) I then flash him the most innocent and “considerate” smile ever
7) Every single commuter on the bus claps and cheers
8) I bow towards them and head back to my seat with a victorious beam across my face
Then I snapped back to reality. Right, if only I could. But I figured if he was a man of such words, I would probably get a black eye or some sort if I were to rebut his actions. And not forgetting him. Maybe Singapore should start some consideration campaign and give out awards to considerate people.
Now let’s talk about smell. Everytime I board the bus; I’m greeted with a smell I can hardly describe. And it is definitely not pleasant, but it’s still manageable for the nose. Then the people start coming up and the air in the bus gets more and more polluted. I realized one thing… people dislike taking showers in the morning. Well, I have nothing against that but at least have the initiative to change out of your foul-smelling clothes and have the decency to comb your hair. I can’t help but feel itchy all over my body as though the germs are flying everywhere all crawling up my body. Then comes a group of people whom Singaporeans hardly likes but can not live without. Without them, we wouldn’t have houses to live in. Yes, I think you get the idea already. As we all know, they have a natural “scent” and it can cause one to feel rather nauseous. To add on to their scent is their breakfast “aroma”. I seriously wonder what they have for breakfast because the smell gets really pungent at times. And there were many instances whereby I had to hold my puke in. Yes, it gets that bad- especially if they were seated next to you for an hour. Trying all ways to cover my nose, the smell somehow seems to find its way up my nostrils and down my lungs. I’m defeated.
As for movement, there are two sources. One is from human and the other is from creepy crawlers. Yes, let me ask you… have you ever sat on a bus and have 4 cockroaches greet you at the same time? Well, I did; must have been my lucky day. It really frustrates me when bus drivers do not take the initiative to ensure that their passengers are comfortable. Why can’t they take a little effort to check the cleanliness of the buses? As I slowly inched away from the cockroaches, I watched as they made their way to the passenger seated in front of me. She was in a deep sleep with her face pressed against the “clean” windows. The cockroaches crawled past her face and she didn’t move an inch at all. At that point in time, I was in a dilemma. Should I wake her up or should I just let her be? Everyone else in the bus seemed so peaceful like as though it was a normal thing. I felt foolish for a few seconds thinking I was the only one being such a wuss. Hesitating no more, I stood up and made my way to an empty seat at the front of the bus.
I thought I was safe. I thought wrong. Seated beside me was middle-aged man who seemed perfectly fine. Then he started biting his nails –okay, still normal-. Following that, he began to pick his nose- o..Kay, normal but damn unhygienic-. He then continued to bite his nails again. This time I was sure he was just sick sick and nothing else. He then started rubbing his face, scratching his head, picking his nose and doing every action in a cycle. I have never felt dirtier. I wished the bus driver would pick up his speed and send me to my destination as soon as possible. The guy then looked at me in the corner of his eyes as I started turning my back towards him. He then lifted his shirt and started scratching his body. Gosh! What’s wrong with these people? Don’t they ever shower? I don’t understand… I seriously don’t.
Everyday before I board the bus, I have a minute of prayer. I don’t ask for too much, maybe just having someone normal (and in my terms normal means someone with basic hygiene) sit beside me.
Okay think I’ll end of here. Another poem for you guys. Hope you’re not getting sick of it already.
An hour’s bus ride, way too long.
Playing on my iPod, about 20 songs.
What I thought would be a peaceful ride,
soon turned into an ugly sight.
Seated myself on the window seat,
4 cockroaches greeted me; to my defeat.
Plopped myself next to a guy who appeared fine,
only to realize he’s like a swine.
Picking his nose then biting his nails,
maybe he forgot to take his meals.
Scratching his head, scratching his face,
scratching his body as though it was a maze.
Frequent spasms, body jolts;
my worst bus ride for the record.
Then tomorrow comes; and as I enter the same bus, I tremble
how was I to survive till holidays in December?
I prayed silently that I’ll be safe
hoping the person next to me had bathe
seated on the outside, I felt so brave
all these random strangers, I was to face.
It was a school holiday, except for me
So the bus- neutral smelling and so empty!
What I hate most I’ve yet to say
Always wishing there wasn’t this day
These groups of workers scrambling for seats
Always in a hurry
Smelling like pots of c_rry.
If seated beside you were one of those
The best is to have a bad blocked nose
For an hour’s too long for c_rry smell
Wishing you could lock them in a cell
Bus rides have become such a pain
A car and license I wish to obtain
Gone will be the days- filth and germs
Buses no more, I’ll come to terms.
So back to today’s topic, bus rides… something that most people can’t avoid and that includes me. Well, I’m not complaining but I think that when it comes to buses, I have 0% luck at all. Having to travel almost an hour plus on the public bus everyday is really an eye-opener. There are so many different kinds of people/characters that you can meet. And sadly, it’s never nice. All I ask for is a peaceful ride with no disturbance in terms of sound, movement and smell.
Let’s talk about sound. Most of the time, the ambience in the bus in the early morning is rather quiet. That’s because most people are either asleep or stoning. Then out of nowhere some joker’s phone rings. Okay, still acceptable. Following that, you hear someone talking at the top of his/her voice without a care in this world. How inconsiderate can people get? Wait, I haven’t got to the worst part yet. My usual routine is to stick my earphones into my ears the whole journey hoping music would be my source of relaxation. So, you know how between the transition of one song to the other, there would be at least a second of silence? In that one second of silence, I heard someone swearing in hokkien expletives. A series of images than flashed through my mind…
1) I walk towards the person who is speaking loudly
2) Snatches away his phone
3) Throws it out of the window
4) Give him my two cents worth
5) Inconsiderate commuter opens mouth but no sound comes out
6) I then flash him the most innocent and “considerate” smile ever
7) Every single commuter on the bus claps and cheers
8) I bow towards them and head back to my seat with a victorious beam across my face
Then I snapped back to reality. Right, if only I could. But I figured if he was a man of such words, I would probably get a black eye or some sort if I were to rebut his actions. And not forgetting him. Maybe Singapore should start some consideration campaign and give out awards to considerate people.
Now let’s talk about smell. Everytime I board the bus; I’m greeted with a smell I can hardly describe. And it is definitely not pleasant, but it’s still manageable for the nose. Then the people start coming up and the air in the bus gets more and more polluted. I realized one thing… people dislike taking showers in the morning. Well, I have nothing against that but at least have the initiative to change out of your foul-smelling clothes and have the decency to comb your hair. I can’t help but feel itchy all over my body as though the germs are flying everywhere all crawling up my body. Then comes a group of people whom Singaporeans hardly likes but can not live without. Without them, we wouldn’t have houses to live in. Yes, I think you get the idea already. As we all know, they have a natural “scent” and it can cause one to feel rather nauseous. To add on to their scent is their breakfast “aroma”. I seriously wonder what they have for breakfast because the smell gets really pungent at times. And there were many instances whereby I had to hold my puke in. Yes, it gets that bad- especially if they were seated next to you for an hour. Trying all ways to cover my nose, the smell somehow seems to find its way up my nostrils and down my lungs. I’m defeated.
As for movement, there are two sources. One is from human and the other is from creepy crawlers. Yes, let me ask you… have you ever sat on a bus and have 4 cockroaches greet you at the same time? Well, I did; must have been my lucky day. It really frustrates me when bus drivers do not take the initiative to ensure that their passengers are comfortable. Why can’t they take a little effort to check the cleanliness of the buses? As I slowly inched away from the cockroaches, I watched as they made their way to the passenger seated in front of me. She was in a deep sleep with her face pressed against the “clean” windows. The cockroaches crawled past her face and she didn’t move an inch at all. At that point in time, I was in a dilemma. Should I wake her up or should I just let her be? Everyone else in the bus seemed so peaceful like as though it was a normal thing. I felt foolish for a few seconds thinking I was the only one being such a wuss. Hesitating no more, I stood up and made my way to an empty seat at the front of the bus.
I thought I was safe. I thought wrong. Seated beside me was middle-aged man who seemed perfectly fine. Then he started biting his nails –okay, still normal-. Following that, he began to pick his nose- o..Kay, normal but damn unhygienic-. He then continued to bite his nails again. This time I was sure he was just sick sick and nothing else. He then started rubbing his face, scratching his head, picking his nose and doing every action in a cycle. I have never felt dirtier. I wished the bus driver would pick up his speed and send me to my destination as soon as possible. The guy then looked at me in the corner of his eyes as I started turning my back towards him. He then lifted his shirt and started scratching his body. Gosh! What’s wrong with these people? Don’t they ever shower? I don’t understand… I seriously don’t.
Everyday before I board the bus, I have a minute of prayer. I don’t ask for too much, maybe just having someone normal (and in my terms normal means someone with basic hygiene) sit beside me.
Okay think I’ll end of here. Another poem for you guys. Hope you’re not getting sick of it already.
An hour’s bus ride, way too long.
Playing on my iPod, about 20 songs.
What I thought would be a peaceful ride,
soon turned into an ugly sight.
Seated myself on the window seat,
4 cockroaches greeted me; to my defeat.
Plopped myself next to a guy who appeared fine,
only to realize he’s like a swine.
Picking his nose then biting his nails,
maybe he forgot to take his meals.
Scratching his head, scratching his face,
scratching his body as though it was a maze.
Frequent spasms, body jolts;
my worst bus ride for the record.
Then tomorrow comes; and as I enter the same bus, I tremble
how was I to survive till holidays in December?
I prayed silently that I’ll be safe
hoping the person next to me had bathe
seated on the outside, I felt so brave
all these random strangers, I was to face.
It was a school holiday, except for me
So the bus- neutral smelling and so empty!
What I hate most I’ve yet to say
Always wishing there wasn’t this day
These groups of workers scrambling for seats
Always in a hurry
Smelling like pots of c_rry.
If seated beside you were one of those
The best is to have a bad blocked nose
For an hour’s too long for c_rry smell
Wishing you could lock them in a cell
Bus rides have become such a pain
A car and license I wish to obtain
Gone will be the days- filth and germs
Buses no more, I’ll come to terms.
2 comments:
OMG! Did you write all that! damn long
yes i did. haha then who? which spirit write?
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