Day 0
If anything going to work on Sundays can be quite disruptive to the hibernation schedule but it's not too bad at least if it doesn't happen every single weekend.
It was a day of purely loading and display as the things had already been packed for transport to the KL Convention Centre for this major event of global proportions. Was home by 4:30 pm amidst Agnes' messages if the dinner was going to happen. To be honest I was way too tired from the thing as well as the lack of sleep that it would be a mistake to not stay back and rest up to prepare for the next three days.
Day 1
Arrived 'really early' around 8:30 am for the thing as every got ready with the thing in their red shirts sporting the company URL and logo. All things were already setup on Sunday so it was a matter of just setting stall.
For the next 7 - 8 hours everybody were on their feet, either to explain the items on show, carry goodie bags around, collecting name cards or just look pretty. In a nutshell that sounded easy but it really wasn't. By the end of the day the calf muscles and soles sore like hell.
The PM did pass by our booth after his conference upstairs, zooming by in a rush somewhere. He was at the convention hall again in the evenings as mentioned in the papers so I suppose the functions with other delegates had ended only then.
So much for that.
Oh, did I mention that Burger King lunches were awesome? Had the cheese mushroom burger with lots of Coke to wash it down with. That's approximately RM10 gone then.
Day 2
Some of us still arrived ahead of time, some 45 minutes before the halls are open for exhibitors so we ended up sitting along the corridor, reading the paper or just people watching.
It's same ol' as Day 1 but with a lot more visitors this time as the convention was open to the public, so cue half the time more talking and standing throughout the day.
Day 3
The long awaited day for everybody as we all could not wait for the exhibition to finish. The cumulation of the last two days worth of standing and walking caused myself to walk abnormally due to the inability to lift my feet without aching but for the greater good of all mankind and foot massagers, I soldiered on...
Had another Burger King for lunch with one of our most colourful sales dudes and it was an hour's worth of belly-aching laughing to help take the soreness away a little.
Our way back from lunch was somewhat slowed for the reason that more people happen to arrive on the last day as well as exhibitors themselves walking around for the 'final assault' or just plain visiting.
One such bottleneck started along the main entrance around the state department booths where tourism as well as technological blueprints were unveiled to the public. My colleagues and I were wondering what the hold up was about with so many suits in place, cameras and police. I turned out that some guy by the name of Mr Lim Guan Eng made a visit and walked right in front of us to the autograph book to sign his name...
Back at our booth the Crown Prince of Pahang walked by on his visit along with his bodyguards, looking all dignified, sporting his usual serious look as he walked down the red carpet. It seems like most of the VIPs make their way to the MSC multi-booths without stopping much at the individual companies, except for a select few, like Mr Loh Gwo-Burne for example, who came by with probably one of his aides to talk to our head product manager. Someone mentioned Datuk Ali Rustam was around walking earlier during the day.
Going home: now that is the fun part.
Our transport lorry was supposed to have arrived at 6pm when we finished with the thing. We packed up double time and were awaiting eagerly to go home only to find that the lorry had not arrived.
All right, it could be the jam, most of us thought. It was caught in the jam but for some weird reason never showed up. It was at Jalan Pinang for a good two hours if the phone calls were to be believed until it was no longer contactable, not to mention they said they weren't too sure about how to get there either.
Right.
We at least have a joker to keep us company with his barrage of funnies to keep us entertained for the next two hours, mentioning that the lorry could actually be in Komtar instead. The sour faces were a lot less sour. Alas our HR Manager decided not to wait anymore and ask for the contractor he used to work with to come with some guys.
They arrived in less than 20 minutes, some time when over 50% of the WCIT hall had already been taken down and these bunch of guys and gals in red are still sitting around waiting for something.
Finally reached home at about 9:30pm, all tired, sore and exhausted. Thanks to Jason for the ride.
22 May 2008
17 May 2008
Wheels Rants
All the women who are independent
Throw your hands up at me
I hereby today declare myself the member of the growing of men who consider women behind wheels as a mismatch. Why, you asked? Just a moment ago I had another experience that seems to show that a car in a woman's control is a dangerous thing.
I was driving down the road after lunch of nasi kandar next to the infamous highway towards Summit-USJ at the first junction from the roundabout before entering the road. People would normally turn in here to escape the jam if they want to go to Sunway as the other way through NPE is quite jammed in front of the Mentari Business Park, or to the vicinity of SS13 for example me, today, or just think they have the right to be first if they paid more road tax by jumping queue to the junction out back to the highway some 100m ahead.
Anyway, normal people who want to turn into any junction, let alone this one, would slow down, check if there are any incoming traffic from the left or right before making their way in. Today, one of the many I myself and several ex-colleagues at a nearby office can tell you, had another car coming out without even looking if anybody else is coming down the road. The car just drove in when I was coming down at 60kmph, causing me to brake some 1m or so behind it. Good thing I am used to such eventualities as I worked in that area for more than five years so I am normally a lot more cautious when I come towards that junction.
I shook my head and thought, "There's another one".
Again, it was a woman. From my glance at the driver as the car made a turn down the curved road, she doesn't seem to notice anything at all while talking to the passenger besides her.
This seems to lend more evidence to the theory that a woman behind the wheels develop a certain problem of 'tunnel vision' that causes their perspective to be narrowed dramatically to include just the windscreen. Furthermore, this complication causes their necks to become stiff, further aggravating the problem of this 'tunnel vision'.
The experience that had me wondering if it were true (I spoke about this with many guys before) happened less than six months ago at the Pyramid parking lot. I was again travelling down the path to the exit and was following the main queue towards the exit barrier. From the left were cars who would come into the lane and exit as well.
Surprise, surprise, another sufferer of this 'tunnel vision' syndrome drove ahead of me when the right of way was mine - I wasn't slow enough to allow anybody to come out anyway - and yet this woman just jumped in as if there were miles of space between my car the one ahead of me. Being a cautious driver as everybody should be, I braked in time with space to spare after noticing that this one might just do the stupid thing.
Those two were just one of the many myself and other guys could tell you about. My cousin once told me of him waiting for a parking bay as a car was on its way out. As soon as he was to take the space, a car just came and drove in. He stopped and asked the woman what was the problem as she, I don't know if being shamed or something, confronted him back saying that she saw nobody and the parking space was hers. I assumed that the 'tunnel vision' causes her eyes to missed his car on the right side of road with bright yellow signal lights blinking.
And the countless stories of women parking - the problem of making an arc to park instead of a direct turn that causes them to maneuver the car in and out before its in - at the same time causing the entire road to halt. That's not too bad compared to those who take up 110% of parking space by putting their cars on the line.
And did I tell you about how dangerous women are on the road? Some are better racers than Raikonnen or Capirossi but lacking in terms of positional awareness.
The ladies are welcomed to flame me for this post with all sorts of feminista replies calling for justice against sexism but you would just be barking up the wrong tree. Guys do such things too but it had never been more glaringly frequent than when it involves women drivers.
Car Size vs Brain Size Correlation
Another interesting bit of theory I had was that regarding the inverse relationship between the price of the car to the brain of the driver. It says that a driver who drives pricier cars ie. Mercedes, Accord, Camry, BMW etc have less civility on the road compared to those driving cheaper ones.
Throughout my life as a driver on the roads of Klang Valley, I have encountered the usual problem of people jumping queues, speeding and tail-gating, pretty often with me being the one being bullied.
In queue-jumping for example, the (impatient) guy from the back would drive out of the queue towards the point the road would split from where they want to go, signal and force their way in. Some, if not most, don't even signal. And whilst waiting for the row of cars to move, you can see their faces - they wouldn't even look at you, noses high, seemingly oblivious of their little stunt there.
And I observed that the people who normally do this are drivers of big, expensive cars, and women.
All right, I admit I do speed some times especially if the road is clear but you have these big cars going at over a hundred, weaving in and out of the traffic like they're Pro License holders of the FIA. I don't really mind them speeding if they do find the road to be too slow for their liking, but what's the problem with using the other free lane to overtake if we're being too slow.
It's ridiculous when you consider that whilst you drive at a 'leisurely' pace of 85kmph on a 90kmph highway, one of them big cars would just have to come within breathing distance of your neck and flash their highlights telling you to get out of the their way. Sure, I know I should but what's the problem with overtaking my car using the left lane which had no cars coming? There were times when I'd feel like hitting the emergency brakes hard to teach them a lesson - cars hitting into the back of another had always been the guilty party - it would wreck the back of my car too but his repairs will be many more times costlier. If I were lucky he'd have to pay mine too; but I've always inherited Dad's attribute of 'stir no hornet's nest', and just let them through.
I don't believe this has anything to do with the lack of education as being able to drive vehicles that costs a decade of my salary would normally mean they would be able to afford top class education compared to us peasants, otherwise how would you explain about them being paid such salaries for what I assume are important positions in corporations? Better still, having children inside those cars learning from their parents.
And we decry the lost of civility in our society. :rolleyes:
The theory is still arguable though, so feel free to join the feministas in your flames.
Throw your hands up at me
I hereby today declare myself the member of the growing of men who consider women behind wheels as a mismatch. Why, you asked? Just a moment ago I had another experience that seems to show that a car in a woman's control is a dangerous thing.
I was driving down the road after lunch of nasi kandar next to the infamous highway towards Summit-USJ at the first junction from the roundabout before entering the road. People would normally turn in here to escape the jam if they want to go to Sunway as the other way through NPE is quite jammed in front of the Mentari Business Park, or to the vicinity of SS13 for example me, today, or just think they have the right to be first if they paid more road tax by jumping queue to the junction out back to the highway some 100m ahead.
Anyway, normal people who want to turn into any junction, let alone this one, would slow down, check if there are any incoming traffic from the left or right before making their way in. Today, one of the many I myself and several ex-colleagues at a nearby office can tell you, had another car coming out without even looking if anybody else is coming down the road. The car just drove in when I was coming down at 60kmph, causing me to brake some 1m or so behind it. Good thing I am used to such eventualities as I worked in that area for more than five years so I am normally a lot more cautious when I come towards that junction.
I shook my head and thought, "There's another one".
Again, it was a woman. From my glance at the driver as the car made a turn down the curved road, she doesn't seem to notice anything at all while talking to the passenger besides her.
This seems to lend more evidence to the theory that a woman behind the wheels develop a certain problem of 'tunnel vision' that causes their perspective to be narrowed dramatically to include just the windscreen. Furthermore, this complication causes their necks to become stiff, further aggravating the problem of this 'tunnel vision'.
The experience that had me wondering if it were true (I spoke about this with many guys before) happened less than six months ago at the Pyramid parking lot. I was again travelling down the path to the exit and was following the main queue towards the exit barrier. From the left were cars who would come into the lane and exit as well.
Surprise, surprise, another sufferer of this 'tunnel vision' syndrome drove ahead of me when the right of way was mine - I wasn't slow enough to allow anybody to come out anyway - and yet this woman just jumped in as if there were miles of space between my car the one ahead of me. Being a cautious driver as everybody should be, I braked in time with space to spare after noticing that this one might just do the stupid thing.
Those two were just one of the many myself and other guys could tell you about. My cousin once told me of him waiting for a parking bay as a car was on its way out. As soon as he was to take the space, a car just came and drove in. He stopped and asked the woman what was the problem as she, I don't know if being shamed or something, confronted him back saying that she saw nobody and the parking space was hers. I assumed that the 'tunnel vision' causes her eyes to missed his car on the right side of road with bright yellow signal lights blinking.
And the countless stories of women parking - the problem of making an arc to park instead of a direct turn that causes them to maneuver the car in and out before its in - at the same time causing the entire road to halt. That's not too bad compared to those who take up 110% of parking space by putting their cars on the line.
And did I tell you about how dangerous women are on the road? Some are better racers than Raikonnen or Capirossi but lacking in terms of positional awareness.
The ladies are welcomed to flame me for this post with all sorts of feminista replies calling for justice against sexism but you would just be barking up the wrong tree. Guys do such things too but it had never been more glaringly frequent than when it involves women drivers.
Car Size vs Brain Size Correlation
Another interesting bit of theory I had was that regarding the inverse relationship between the price of the car to the brain of the driver. It says that a driver who drives pricier cars ie. Mercedes, Accord, Camry, BMW etc have less civility on the road compared to those driving cheaper ones.
Throughout my life as a driver on the roads of Klang Valley, I have encountered the usual problem of people jumping queues, speeding and tail-gating, pretty often with me being the one being bullied.
In queue-jumping for example, the (impatient) guy from the back would drive out of the queue towards the point the road would split from where they want to go, signal and force their way in. Some, if not most, don't even signal. And whilst waiting for the row of cars to move, you can see their faces - they wouldn't even look at you, noses high, seemingly oblivious of their little stunt there.
And I observed that the people who normally do this are drivers of big, expensive cars, and women.
All right, I admit I do speed some times especially if the road is clear but you have these big cars going at over a hundred, weaving in and out of the traffic like they're Pro License holders of the FIA. I don't really mind them speeding if they do find the road to be too slow for their liking, but what's the problem with using the other free lane to overtake if we're being too slow.
It's ridiculous when you consider that whilst you drive at a 'leisurely' pace of 85kmph on a 90kmph highway, one of them big cars would just have to come within breathing distance of your neck and flash their highlights telling you to get out of the their way. Sure, I know I should but what's the problem with overtaking my car using the left lane which had no cars coming? There were times when I'd feel like hitting the emergency brakes hard to teach them a lesson - cars hitting into the back of another had always been the guilty party - it would wreck the back of my car too but his repairs will be many more times costlier. If I were lucky he'd have to pay mine too; but I've always inherited Dad's attribute of 'stir no hornet's nest', and just let them through.
I don't believe this has anything to do with the lack of education as being able to drive vehicles that costs a decade of my salary would normally mean they would be able to afford top class education compared to us peasants, otherwise how would you explain about them being paid such salaries for what I assume are important positions in corporations? Better still, having children inside those cars learning from their parents.
And we decry the lost of civility in our society. :rolleyes:
The theory is still arguable though, so feel free to join the feministas in your flames.
12 May 2008
Three Months of Depression
Or not.
My office's technical consultant greeted me this morning with the usual 'How is everything' and my first answer to him was, 'Depression is setting in' by explaining that the football season has ended.
'There's still the Euro!' he said.
Hmmm. I did forget about that.
Even with the Premier League finale happening yesterday, there's still the Euros to look forward to. A strange case of absence for England that hasn't happened for over a decade since USA 94, but could be a blessing in disguise as the team was in need of some rejuvenation, starting with a good jolt to the psyche of self-expectation.
It's funny but perhaps me forgetting it might have much to do with England not being in.
Perhaps now they'd rethink the problem with the current national setup and start fixing it from the root. Amazing talents coming up from the U-21 and not to mention the current senior squad, it'd be a stupid waste to see such a generation of talent go without winning anything. Capello's no nonsense and in-your-face style is going to help things but I think he'll only be opening the way for future success rather than doing it outright.
'Does Steve Bennett ...'
There was a joke on RAWK that began with a thread name that said, 'Does Steve Bennett...'.
I knew it would be about the referee of the Wigan-Man Utd match that decided the title yesterday night and who wouldn't be taking the mickey of it?
With the exception of Man Utd fans themselves, everybody saw how Man Utd escaped a penalty when Rio Ferdinand blocked a shot with his arm, Scholes not given a 2nd yellow card he deserved for that obstruction of a Wigan player as well as that dubious penalty decision for a dive by Wayne Rooney.
I told my cousin that if they fail to win this game then I'll turn vegetarian for one week.
My office's technical consultant greeted me this morning with the usual 'How is everything' and my first answer to him was, 'Depression is setting in' by explaining that the football season has ended.
'There's still the Euro!' he said.
Hmmm. I did forget about that.
Even with the Premier League finale happening yesterday, there's still the Euros to look forward to. A strange case of absence for England that hasn't happened for over a decade since USA 94, but could be a blessing in disguise as the team was in need of some rejuvenation, starting with a good jolt to the psyche of self-expectation.
It's funny but perhaps me forgetting it might have much to do with England not being in.
Perhaps now they'd rethink the problem with the current national setup and start fixing it from the root. Amazing talents coming up from the U-21 and not to mention the current senior squad, it'd be a stupid waste to see such a generation of talent go without winning anything. Capello's no nonsense and in-your-face style is going to help things but I think he'll only be opening the way for future success rather than doing it outright.
'Does Steve Bennett ...'
There was a joke on RAWK that began with a thread name that said, 'Does Steve Bennett...'.
I knew it would be about the referee of the Wigan-Man Utd match that decided the title yesterday night and who wouldn't be taking the mickey of it?
With the exception of Man Utd fans themselves, everybody saw how Man Utd escaped a penalty when Rio Ferdinand blocked a shot with his arm, Scholes not given a 2nd yellow card he deserved for that obstruction of a Wigan player as well as that dubious penalty decision for a dive by Wayne Rooney.
I told my cousin that if they fail to win this game then I'll turn vegetarian for one week.
5 May 2008
Of Sweaty Shirts and Fair Roses
I started my new job some two weeks ago at a network security firm in KL Sentral and had been taking the KTM Komuter to work instead of driving downtown as my job doesn't require me to go out and meet or service customers. This comes as a good thing as I stand to save as much as RM10 per day from commuting to work, allowing for some buildup in the bank accounts. Modest as it sounds, every little bit counts for that little bit of security I'm afforded.
Timing, Watson, Timing
I must commend however on KTM Berhad's ability to keep time despite being a public funded transportation network although it leaves much to be desired. The trains are normally in within 5 minutes of the scheduled timing, which is fine with me since I am often early to the station anyway.
What is complainable (if there is such a thing as 'complainable') however is the problem of delays or cancellations. Being that the public commuter network is so well utilised by the city folks, any such disruptions are definitely going to be a problem to those who needs to be in time for whatsoever. Good thing my parents taught me well, telling me to be early for every thing - wait instead of being waited. (In practice that's easier said than done).
Oh, don't forget about the crowd - one missed train means more people will try to board the next train, making it the proverbial sardine can. God knows how much I 'enjoy' getting squeezed from all directions inside the car, with smells ranging from dry sweat to fading perfumes filling the air. And that is if the air-conditioner is strong enough to help cool the temperature a little.
Aye, you win some you lose some I suppose - you're as cheapskate as everybody else so share their space. Get in line kidda!
Roses Amongst Thorns
If there's something that I should try to be more adventurous about nowadays is to see if I could chat people up on the train. Right, with everybody being rocked left, right and centre in a train full of people who can't wait to jump off at the next station, they would love to talk to strangers and share a laugh. *rolleyes*
Well, maybe since there are always a fair share of fair maidens in the car within speaking distance, why not eh? I'm single so I'm in the market.
For instance last Friday I stood in front of a young woman who caught my attention for the whole of the trip back home in the evening. Like all normal males would, I looked at her reflection on the train window to pass away time as she struggled to keep awake throughout the journey.
The funny thing was that throughout half of the journey I felt a certain bit of familiarity as I looked at her in such surreptitious manner (yeah kid, as if she doesn't know eh?). I thought, "I don't think I've met her before, but she seems familiar for some reason?".
As the train halted at the Seri Setia station, it came to mind like a slap in the face. It was no wonder I thought she looked familiar; anybody around Subang would know too if they saw Hannah Yeoh's campaign poster throughout the General Election's campaigning period ...
Anyway, it's quite unlikely that she's our Subang Jaya's own MP as she did not disembark at the station when I did and besides, they have travel allowances as MPs. I mean, it doesn't even connect all the way to the Parliament and she's a busy woman.
Samaritans too, some of them women. One of them tapped my shoulder this morning to tell me that my bag's zipper is open. Bless. There were backup tapes that I wanted to return to my ex-colleague as well as a few items used to keep notes and losing them might not be a good idea. I thanked her and pulled the bag's zipper up, wondering if I should whip out the phone and ask for her number when we came to stop outside the Sentral station awaiting the exit of a train to Singapore.
As the old Chinese saying goes, there goes another flower on my horse ride.
Miscellaneous Amusements
Speaking of good people, we often get cynical in such a big and impersonal city. Everybody's rushing to where they want to and pushing their way against the tide of more people, racing like rats to the top. Paints such a poor picture, this urbanisation lark.
Of course it's easy to be such a cynic - city dwellers lack the kind of genuine warmth found in towns and villages, but it is most unfair however to dub everybody a witch/warlock-in-waiting. It's not really completely absent, just that not many people feel like showing it to complete strangers all the time.
Of course at times we do get something that puts a smile on those weary heads on the way home from work and they normally come in small packages ie. children. The trip home last Wednesday was all right except for the delay that caused a sardination (I coined another non-existing word again) but it was Labour Day holiday the next day so nobody complained. Too much.
As usual the ride home was as uneventful as it normally is as people are either downcast or eyes out the window or at other people but some colour came into the train when two kids, no more than five or six alighted with their mother. They stood one person ahead of me with sling bags bigger than their torso and hands holding a lunch basket. Being that the train was crowded, the people suddenly backed off and opened up a small space around them and their mother.
With all this Sharlinie and Ooi Ying Ying horror stories in the papers no one could be blamed for feeling pity to their mother, a little woman who had to keep an eye on the both of them in a crowded car filled with strangers. As more people hopped on for the ride, the little girl was separated by one person from her mother but a Good Samaritan held her free arm to make sure that the girl doesn't fall when the train rocks. The lady who held her arm looked with such a smile that said, "Careful little one, hold on". Her mother asked for her often and she replied with a little worry in her tone.
It was small thing this, but to many around the little spot where we were all crammed in the careless laughter between the siblings and their mother had our attention and brought a bit of a change to the normally monotonous and boring ride home - almost all lips were curled up into a smile, looking at them.
I, for one was glad that they finally got off the crowded train at the SB station. I took a glance as I passed by after touching my TnG card at the exit aisles, asking the heavens for a safe passage for the rest of their trip home.
Timing, Watson, Timing
I must commend however on KTM Berhad's ability to keep time despite being a public funded transportation network although it leaves much to be desired. The trains are normally in within 5 minutes of the scheduled timing, which is fine with me since I am often early to the station anyway.
What is complainable (if there is such a thing as 'complainable') however is the problem of delays or cancellations. Being that the public commuter network is so well utilised by the city folks, any such disruptions are definitely going to be a problem to those who needs to be in time for whatsoever. Good thing my parents taught me well, telling me to be early for every thing - wait instead of being waited. (In practice that's easier said than done).
Oh, don't forget about the crowd - one missed train means more people will try to board the next train, making it the proverbial sardine can. God knows how much I 'enjoy' getting squeezed from all directions inside the car, with smells ranging from dry sweat to fading perfumes filling the air. And that is if the air-conditioner is strong enough to help cool the temperature a little.
Aye, you win some you lose some I suppose - you're as cheapskate as everybody else so share their space. Get in line kidda!
Roses Amongst Thorns
If there's something that I should try to be more adventurous about nowadays is to see if I could chat people up on the train. Right, with everybody being rocked left, right and centre in a train full of people who can't wait to jump off at the next station, they would love to talk to strangers and share a laugh. *rolleyes*
Well, maybe since there are always a fair share of fair maidens in the car within speaking distance, why not eh? I'm single so I'm in the market.
For instance last Friday I stood in front of a young woman who caught my attention for the whole of the trip back home in the evening. Like all normal males would, I looked at her reflection on the train window to pass away time as she struggled to keep awake throughout the journey.
The funny thing was that throughout half of the journey I felt a certain bit of familiarity as I looked at her in such surreptitious manner (yeah kid, as if she doesn't know eh?). I thought, "I don't think I've met her before, but she seems familiar for some reason?".
As the train halted at the Seri Setia station, it came to mind like a slap in the face. It was no wonder I thought she looked familiar; anybody around Subang would know too if they saw Hannah Yeoh's campaign poster throughout the General Election's campaigning period ...
Anyway, it's quite unlikely that she's our Subang Jaya's own MP as she did not disembark at the station when I did and besides, they have travel allowances as MPs. I mean, it doesn't even connect all the way to the Parliament and she's a busy woman.
Samaritans too, some of them women. One of them tapped my shoulder this morning to tell me that my bag's zipper is open. Bless. There were backup tapes that I wanted to return to my ex-colleague as well as a few items used to keep notes and losing them might not be a good idea. I thanked her and pulled the bag's zipper up, wondering if I should whip out the phone and ask for her number when we came to stop outside the Sentral station awaiting the exit of a train to Singapore.
As the old Chinese saying goes, there goes another flower on my horse ride.
Miscellaneous Amusements
Speaking of good people, we often get cynical in such a big and impersonal city. Everybody's rushing to where they want to and pushing their way against the tide of more people, racing like rats to the top. Paints such a poor picture, this urbanisation lark.
Of course it's easy to be such a cynic - city dwellers lack the kind of genuine warmth found in towns and villages, but it is most unfair however to dub everybody a witch/warlock-in-waiting. It's not really completely absent, just that not many people feel like showing it to complete strangers all the time.
Of course at times we do get something that puts a smile on those weary heads on the way home from work and they normally come in small packages ie. children. The trip home last Wednesday was all right except for the delay that caused a sardination (I coined another non-existing word again) but it was Labour Day holiday the next day so nobody complained. Too much.
As usual the ride home was as uneventful as it normally is as people are either downcast or eyes out the window or at other people but some colour came into the train when two kids, no more than five or six alighted with their mother. They stood one person ahead of me with sling bags bigger than their torso and hands holding a lunch basket. Being that the train was crowded, the people suddenly backed off and opened up a small space around them and their mother.
With all this Sharlinie and Ooi Ying Ying horror stories in the papers no one could be blamed for feeling pity to their mother, a little woman who had to keep an eye on the both of them in a crowded car filled with strangers. As more people hopped on for the ride, the little girl was separated by one person from her mother but a Good Samaritan held her free arm to make sure that the girl doesn't fall when the train rocks. The lady who held her arm looked with such a smile that said, "Careful little one, hold on". Her mother asked for her often and she replied with a little worry in her tone.
It was small thing this, but to many around the little spot where we were all crammed in the careless laughter between the siblings and their mother had our attention and brought a bit of a change to the normally monotonous and boring ride home - almost all lips were curled up into a smile, looking at them.
I, for one was glad that they finally got off the crowded train at the SB station. I took a glance as I passed by after touching my TnG card at the exit aisles, asking the heavens for a safe passage for the rest of their trip home.
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