Bus of Idiots
Mr Moron is back in da house. And today, he is in a very bad mood because of a particular incident on a bus that pissed the hell outta him.
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To the dear passengers of Bus 985,
heading towards kallang from Choa Chu Kang at around 5.30:
First and foremost, I'd like to take back the word 'dear'. Because you do not deserve a single iota of affection from me.
From the moment I boarded the bus, I had a frown etched on my face. I'm perpetually frowning all the time, but this time I was more irked than usual.
At the point when I was boarding the bus, the rain at Choa Chu Kang had just abated and was reduced to a mere drizzle. It would be normal to be a little pushy to be the first to board the if it was raining cats and dogs.. But even in the case of just a mere trickle of water, a whole multitude of secondary school kids clamoured to entrance of the bus, shoving and pushing relentlessly to be the first to enter. Obviously they were so self-centered, so desperate for a seat that they couldn't even afford to let the two frail upper-aged women behind to get up the bus first.
Then, after boarding the bus, I managed to get a seat, fortunately. My friend who was with me wasn't so lucky and had to move all the way to the back of the bus. Less than 5 mins later, the Mat boy behind me starting blaring the Karaoke Hit List From Hell out from his handphone. Song after song got played out from his handphone in full audible range of everyone in the bus. I don't know what's the problem with so many Mat boys I see on public buses, but they seem oblivious to the fact that almost everyone on the bus gets EXTREMELY irritated by their blatant attention-whoring. Even if those annoying pricks had to pimp for some really unwarranted attention, they could at least try to do it in a more pleasant and less irritating manner.
I'll have more on whole episode in a separate post. Before I proceed on, let me clear airs. I am NOT a racist and I have many good Mat friends. But what I observe is that most of the people I encounter who unabashedly blast out songs from their radios or handphones are Mats. I'm not into defending myself, but in light of all the government-patrolling of blogs, I've got to exercise some religious sensitivty here, or I may be forced to shut down my blog, just like a really prominent blogger recently. So I repeat, I have many good Malay friends and I treasure them, and no, I am not a racist.
After the whole aural castration, my ears' screams for some respite finally being answered, a elderly old man boarded the bus. He looked like he was in his early 60s', and he was carrying 2 rather large plastic bags of groceries in his hands. As he trudged up the bus, I wanted very much to give up my seat to the man, but I was doing some much needed reading, and decided to wait a while to see if anyone else would give up their seat to him.
I had a lot of respect for this old man. Normally, many of the elderly would look around for seats like a lost sheep looking for its shepherd. Once they could make any any contact with anyone, they would look pleadingly into the person's eyes to try to coax that guy into giving up his seat
by making him feel guilty. Not that that is a wrong thing, since everyone should obviously give up their seats to the elderly. Anyway this man, like a few others I've met, just trying tosturdy himself on the bus, holding on to the bar, looking ( or rather trying to look) perfectly fine, not trying to garner any ounce of sympathy by pretending to sway around so that they can get a seat.
Anyway, you passengers who saw this old man clinging on for dear life, did not feel COMPELLED to give up your seats to this old man at all. Not. A. Single. Person. Zilch. Zero. What I couldn't understand is, even for a guy like me doing much reading, and who wanted to continue doing his reading, I could feel the need to offer my seat to the old man, what more those secondary school students just staring into thin air doing nothing? I mean if you're staring at the windows, or daydreaming, you could do that standing up right? And you at least do not subject the old man to the torture of standing on the bus, holding onto the bar and his groceries at the same time? Oh but wait, your daydreaming is SOOOOOOOO important to you that you just have to sit down to daydream. You somehow need to focus ALL your attention on daydreaming and standing up would undermine some of that concentration needed. Or, perhaps, you were daydreaming SOOOO hard that you couldn't see a frail old man swaying around RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES?!
Either way, after 5 mins, feeling sorry for the old man, and even more disillusioned with the youths in Singapore in general, I gave up my seat to the old man. I would have done that without waiting 5 mins, but today I really wanted to see if ANYONE in the bus could have that little spark of compassion to just give up ONE miserable seat. Obviously, I have too high hopes on Singaporeans in general, much less the youth. Young, vivacious, bursting with energy, some talking loudly and blaring horrible music on their handphones, and not a single one could take the effort to lift their butt off the seat.
I wonder if the bus was to jerk and brake halfway. That old man would probably have lost his balance, fell, and hurt himself rather seriously. Part of me wished that happened, so that those simply ignorant, indifferent trash-heads feel the guilt burning in their heart. Perhaps guilt is the only way to actually stir up some serious reflection on their nonchalance and selfishness. But then again, now I'm so disillusioned with all the youths in Singapore in general that I think guilt is not enough a motivating factor to get them out of their little huts and getting them to be a little bit more selfless.
Those goons in the newspaper forums keep advocating the education of youths on the importance of having political knowledge, and pushing them to play a more active role in the political arena. They also push for more teenage volunteers, citing reasons that they find more meaning in life, make more friends, and learn from the job , etcetera. What I am thinking now is, if the magnitude of their selfishness is so gross, what makes you think Singaporean youths will snap out of their hedonistic ( no, it's not too strong a word) lifestyles and actually participate in something that has an influence on lives other than their own? Do you become a lifeguard without even being able to swim properly?
Sometimes, I believe that parents are the only solution to the selfish-syndrome among the Gen-Y-ers in Singapore now. Other times, as much as the militant atheist in me hates to admit, perhaps Raymond's God could shine some light of reflection onto the darkened hearts of these youths to illuminate their way, exposing them to the truth to their hideously selfish behaviour.
********************************************
To the dear passengers of Bus 985,
heading towards kallang from Choa Chu Kang at around 5.30:
First and foremost, I'd like to take back the word 'dear'. Because you do not deserve a single iota of affection from me.
From the moment I boarded the bus, I had a frown etched on my face. I'm perpetually frowning all the time, but this time I was more irked than usual.
At the point when I was boarding the bus, the rain at Choa Chu Kang had just abated and was reduced to a mere drizzle. It would be normal to be a little pushy to be the first to board the if it was raining cats and dogs.. But even in the case of just a mere trickle of water, a whole multitude of secondary school kids clamoured to entrance of the bus, shoving and pushing relentlessly to be the first to enter. Obviously they were so self-centered, so desperate for a seat that they couldn't even afford to let the two frail upper-aged women behind to get up the bus first.
Then, after boarding the bus, I managed to get a seat, fortunately. My friend who was with me wasn't so lucky and had to move all the way to the back of the bus. Less than 5 mins later, the Mat boy behind me starting blaring the Karaoke Hit List From Hell out from his handphone. Song after song got played out from his handphone in full audible range of everyone in the bus. I don't know what's the problem with so many Mat boys I see on public buses, but they seem oblivious to the fact that almost everyone on the bus gets EXTREMELY irritated by their blatant attention-whoring. Even if those annoying pricks had to pimp for some really unwarranted attention, they could at least try to do it in a more pleasant and less irritating manner.
I'll have more on whole episode in a separate post. Before I proceed on, let me clear airs. I am NOT a racist and I have many good Mat friends. But what I observe is that most of the people I encounter who unabashedly blast out songs from their radios or handphones are Mats. I'm not into defending myself, but in light of all the government-patrolling of blogs, I've got to exercise some religious sensitivty here, or I may be forced to shut down my blog, just like a really prominent blogger recently. So I repeat, I have many good Malay friends and I treasure them, and no, I am not a racist.
After the whole aural castration, my ears' screams for some respite finally being answered, a elderly old man boarded the bus. He looked like he was in his early 60s', and he was carrying 2 rather large plastic bags of groceries in his hands. As he trudged up the bus, I wanted very much to give up my seat to the man, but I was doing some much needed reading, and decided to wait a while to see if anyone else would give up their seat to him.
I had a lot of respect for this old man. Normally, many of the elderly would look around for seats like a lost sheep looking for its shepherd. Once they could make any any contact with anyone, they would look pleadingly into the person's eyes to try to coax that guy into giving up his seat
by making him feel guilty. Not that that is a wrong thing, since everyone should obviously give up their seats to the elderly. Anyway this man, like a few others I've met, just trying tosturdy himself on the bus, holding on to the bar, looking ( or rather trying to look) perfectly fine, not trying to garner any ounce of sympathy by pretending to sway around so that they can get a seat.
Anyway, you passengers who saw this old man clinging on for dear life, did not feel COMPELLED to give up your seats to this old man at all. Not. A. Single. Person. Zilch. Zero. What I couldn't understand is, even for a guy like me doing much reading, and who wanted to continue doing his reading, I could feel the need to offer my seat to the old man, what more those secondary school students just staring into thin air doing nothing? I mean if you're staring at the windows, or daydreaming, you could do that standing up right? And you at least do not subject the old man to the torture of standing on the bus, holding onto the bar and his groceries at the same time? Oh but wait, your daydreaming is SOOOOOOOO important to you that you just have to sit down to daydream. You somehow need to focus ALL your attention on daydreaming and standing up would undermine some of that concentration needed. Or, perhaps, you were daydreaming SOOOO hard that you couldn't see a frail old man swaying around RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES?!
Either way, after 5 mins, feeling sorry for the old man, and even more disillusioned with the youths in Singapore in general, I gave up my seat to the old man. I would have done that without waiting 5 mins, but today I really wanted to see if ANYONE in the bus could have that little spark of compassion to just give up ONE miserable seat. Obviously, I have too high hopes on Singaporeans in general, much less the youth. Young, vivacious, bursting with energy, some talking loudly and blaring horrible music on their handphones, and not a single one could take the effort to lift their butt off the seat.
I wonder if the bus was to jerk and brake halfway. That old man would probably have lost his balance, fell, and hurt himself rather seriously. Part of me wished that happened, so that those simply ignorant, indifferent trash-heads feel the guilt burning in their heart. Perhaps guilt is the only way to actually stir up some serious reflection on their nonchalance and selfishness. But then again, now I'm so disillusioned with all the youths in Singapore in general that I think guilt is not enough a motivating factor to get them out of their little huts and getting them to be a little bit more selfless.
Those goons in the newspaper forums keep advocating the education of youths on the importance of having political knowledge, and pushing them to play a more active role in the political arena. They also push for more teenage volunteers, citing reasons that they find more meaning in life, make more friends, and learn from the job , etcetera. What I am thinking now is, if the magnitude of their selfishness is so gross, what makes you think Singaporean youths will snap out of their hedonistic ( no, it's not too strong a word) lifestyles and actually participate in something that has an influence on lives other than their own? Do you become a lifeguard without even being able to swim properly?
Sometimes, I believe that parents are the only solution to the selfish-syndrome among the Gen-Y-ers in Singapore now. Other times, as much as the militant atheist in me hates to admit, perhaps Raymond's God could shine some light of reflection onto the darkened hearts of these youths to illuminate their way, exposing them to the truth to their hideously selfish behaviour.
