searching for novelty in the MRT

Although my assets account for less than 10K or even lesser, but i can afford to go to school, meet my friends or anywhere i like in a mercedes Benz. How can i do that? Well, all it need is a tap of my EZ-link card onto the card reader. As Simple as ABC. From the buses that runs on electrical cable and taxis that r helm by tryanical drivers who they themselves are the meters, to now, a world class transportation. Singapore transport systems has really been through alot of changes.

I still can remembered when i have my first magnetic card where i will slot into the gantry in order to gain access to the platform of the train. However now, all we need is just a tap from our EZ link card and that it. Although to me i feel the time saving attribute lauded by those who introduce this is miserably small, but okay for the sake of gaining yet another first, i and other fellow countrymen unanimously support the idea of using the EZ link. However i must say old habits still stay. People use to use some blunt edges of coins or other thing to scrape off the print on the magnetic card. The idea of course is to perhaps draw something onto it, write the owners' name perhaps all in the name of creativity. Although the authorities on one hand promote creative thinking, but on the other, frown upon drawing on those card. They even put some little sentence which says:" Government property" and it often lead me to think, how come this card, which i use my own money to buy, still belong to the government instead of it belong to me? The spirit of Singaporean as an creative lot do not just fizzed out. EZ link too can be scrape off. I came upon 2 pieces to be exact with the green colored coating being scrape to its underlying white. So this whole thing about Singaporean being creative are re-assessed by me. Do they have nimble minds or just possess itchy fingers?

Sometimes, things which appear insignificant actually weld high power. As i arrived at the platform, this striking yellow line gaze at me with such stern power. Like a fierce mother guarding her daughter, the track, she silently and invisibly warn me not to get close to her daughter or else dire consequences would happened. So my focus is thrust at the tall buildings opposite the station. For people seeking an early audience with GOD, free falling from a height of 10 storey is the ticket to rise to heaven early. That is what happened to people that is old fashioned. In this new era, many ways has been paved and founded by people with an overflow creative juices. As trains approach, people leap off, ignoring the stern yellow line, onto the tracks, only to be maimed to death by the father of the track, the train. Another novelty. I really pitied the train driver, especially the north south bound one. Bishan alone has about 3 such isolated incidents. And about 2 cases the leapers die.

As the train approaches, i step in. The sticker which says:" no food and drinks" serves as a warning that if i do that, i need to pay a fine. Blame it on my timid nature, no matter how hungry i am, i will still with all my might, resist the temptations of sinking my teeth into some hot char siew bun in the train. But this young undergraduate just did that. She was sitting infront of me, half a char siew bao gone! I was amazed. And since the driver never announce and shame her through the PA system, it shows yet another loophole in the system, after the no-record function CCTV. Why bother to paste about 100 odd stickers in a fleet of train, warning people no eating and drinking is allow, but fail to have any measures to catch those people when they flout the rules. How i know the char siew bao nimbling girl is an undergraduate is because she mention about psychology classes that she was going to. So that determine she is an undergrad. Soon after, she sat beside a young man when the seat beside the young man is available. The young man, i presume is her classmate or schoolmate, began to open a packet of what it seems to be like biscuts and he too start to nimble on it! Atrocious being when he decided to swept the crumbs off his bag to the floor of the cabin!.

In another desperate attempt to make a statement about themselves, the girl offer the guy a chocolate coated biscut. In between bites and countless questions of " is it nice?" by the girl, she offer the guy some mineral water and he gamely drink it. Undergrad should have some civics and moral education too i think.

As i alight and walk to the school, i am most glad that i can, every morning, view the reflexes of Singapore society in just a cabin with 30 odd people.