I wake up for school bright and early at 7.30am though lessons at 8am.
Magically, waffles from Prima Deli would appear on my doorstep with chocolate filling and I will eat them on my way to the mrt.
On second thoughts, not my doorstep, my dining table!
“VOILA!” I would yell excitedly and begin rambling away happily about how awesome it is to be me.
I would then procceed to the fridge to drink ice cold water though its not good for me.
But instead of plain water, I would find a cup of coffee milk tea from the hong kong cafe store in United Square waiting for me!
I would grab my favourite coloured straw (green) from the side and poke it in. Then I would proceed out of the door, munching on my waffle and sipping on my ice cold coffee milk tea and happily arrive in school!
aaaaahhhh.. if only….
Heres what actually happens…
I wake up late for school, try frantically to rush to get things organised because my dear friend is already about to board the train at kranji mrt.
I change my clothes, comb through my hair, grab my stuff and proceed out the door.
I reach the lift, feel around my bag for my wallet, only to realise ALAS I left my wallet on my table AGAIN.
So I fumble around for my keys and try frantically to get back into the house without breaking the front door down.
Finally , I lay my hands on that precious wallet of mine and rush out of the house to catch the elevator.
Unlike the ideal world that most people live in, where there are people who press the buttons in the elevator for you, my neighbour promptly closes the door and waves to me as the lift goes down.
I tap my feet impatiently and decide what the hell, I’ll just walk down the 7 flights of stairs, I’d burn what, 140 calories?
So plomp plomp plomp, I hurry down the stairs. Wonderful, I saw that the lift manages to go all the way up to the 10th floor and all the way back down in the time I took to climb the stairs.
I walk to the bus stop, no, I think the more appropriate word would be FIGHT .
As with all days early in the morning in Yishun in January, there will be this strong breeze that simply wants to blow me off my feet, quite literally.
So I fight against the breeze, my hairdo completely ruined, looking like a complete psycho, what with all my hair flying to the back like Albert Einstein.
I finally see the bus stop within my sights when of course, the bus arrives.
So me in all my madly manner, I run without a care in the world towards that one freaking bus. Since I already looked like a freak, I could do no more harm.
I manage to rush onto the bus, albeit breathless (no thanks to the 365 years of having not done exercise).
I tap my card and move towards the back of the bus because I don’t want to clog the passageway and hear people make this horrible throaty sound that they do when they get irritated and want me to move in.
So with my gy-normous bag, I moved to the back of the bus.
As you can imagine, the passageway is quite cramped. People, all these lovely people are squeezing me to get off the bus at certain stops. But it’s ok, I have to last to the end.
Then this girl sitting down in all her high and mighty manner starts to shove at my bag.
I turn around and stare at her and she uses the wide eyed innocent look. Right, like I’m a male who would believe she didn’t shove my bag.
I attempt to make that throaty sound that many before me have accomplished but end up choking on whatever things you can choke on in your throat.
Being kind, I turned back around and continued to wait for the rest of the journey. Then I felt the second shove, which was ridiculously harder than the first.
I turned back again to stare at her only for her to stare right back at me as though I was the one that did wrong.
My brother said I should have picked a fight with her, but hey, wouldn’t want her gang members to come and hold a chopper against my neck asking me to apologise for shoving my bag in her face (which i did not, i swear).
I was trying to be as unobtrusive as possible but apparantly that didn’t gone down very well with her.
Then my plans to reach Yishun Mrt safe and sound were horribly disrupted by the bus driver. A sudden swerve of the bus when he rounded a corner much too fast for the delight of the passengers, and WHOOPPEEEEE MOMMYYYYY! I’M FLYINGGGGGGG!!
BAM! I squashed into the person beside me. So much for being inconspicuous.
A lady who was carrying like 100 bags of groceries dropped all of them. And whoops, all those oranges started rolling on the bus. (so this doesn’t just happen in the movies)
People who weren’t busy picking up the fruits, were busy standing up and trying extremely hard to crowd to the front of the bus so they could see what this whole thing was about.
Much to their disappointment, it was no hit and run, it was just a mere swerve and curve.
So whatever, I was reaching the final bus stop where everyone would alight because it was directly across Yishun Mrt.
Before the bus could even reach the bus stop, theres this massive rush, borderline rampage to get to the exit of the bus.
I snicker to myself when the bus stops behind a few buses and would take a few minutes to actually reach the bus stop.
But the rampage continues. People seated are already standing, trying to get off their seats. People standing are already trying to overtake the person in front of them. People would bite off peoples heads if they tried to get ahead of the other.
When the bus hasn’t opened the doors, people begin to tap their feets impatiently and that throaty sound comes back again.
Finally, like we were all being kept in a little cubicle of hell, the bus doors draw slowly open and people all rush out, pushing and shoving at each other to get off first.
I walk to the traffic light to cross the street. Before I continue, let me show you a picture so you can better understand what I’m trying to say.
A and B are the traffic lights.
As I stand there patiently waiting for the green man to appear, I notice that everyone starts to cross the road and ends up right smack at the centre of between the two roads at the green area in my little picture like thing.
I look to traffic light A and I noticed that it turned red.
I look to traffic light B and I noticed that it was still green.
Nevertheless, it made everyone’s day crossing half the road immediately when the traffic lights turned red even though the other half of it was still humorously green.
The minute the green man appears, they literally swamp over to the other side.
It is no joke when they say Singaporeans are one of the fastest walkers in the world.
Look at our swamping speed. Definitely unaparalleled.
I become the last few to actually make it across the road and I hurry onto the Mrt.
Surely nothing else could spoil my day after a lunatic bus ride.
I walk up to the platform of the Mrt and as per always, there are little bunches of people crowding at the place commonly referred to as the place “behind the yellow line”.
I recall long ago when I stupidly thought that there were soooo many people waiting for one train.
Now I know, they are just a bunch of people waiting for an EMPTY train.
I see the train doors closing, and I am not perturbed in the slightest because I always miss the train.
The train slowly pulls away and lo and behold, my greatest nightmare stares me right at the face.
OH THE GLORIOUS SUN!
Oh wait a minute, I HATE the sun. (Peace to all sun lovers, I hate it only when it shines on my face)
It shines so brightly on my face, as though I didn’t know its massive powers already.
I quickly find shelter behind one of the walls.
I glance at my watch and oh shit, I’m going to be late.
So I try to sneak a peek at the screen that tells you how long more till the next train. Then I realise, I can sit back and relax, the body language of my fellow Singaporeans will tell me when the train is approaching.
Without fail, when a train hasn’t even arrived, people are slightly rushing towards the yellow line, standing there waiting for it to come, as though they were consorts, chasing after the royal princess.
The scene when an empty train comes is simply an epic movie in the making.
Like a well cheorographed team, all of those little groupies standing behind the yellow line move forward in unison and you can cut the tension with a knife, especially in the moments before the train doors open.
1, 2, 3.
The train doors slide slowly open.
People make a mad rush to find seats, as though gold ingots were sitting there patiently waiting for them.
People who don’t get seats make that throaty sound and try futilely to walk to the other cabins to spot a seat.
Others who were more resigned to their fate, decided to get the next best thing. Lean against glass panes near the mrt doors.
And on a totally unrelevant note, NEVER EVER SEAR OR LIGHTLY PAN FRY A TUNA TATAKI
When they told you its meant to be eaten RAW, its MEANT TO BE EATEN RAW.
Alas, following my beautiful morning, I pan fried my tuna tataki and had to suffer the severe consequences of eating a not very nice dish.
So I hear you heard rumours about Singaporeans being kiasu or something? Take a look at the common behavior of us in the public transport and surely, you know the truth about us now. (:
So much for it being my typical day.
P/S: Props to you if you managed to read finish the entry. You just managed to read a nearly 2000 word essay. BRAVO. ((:
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