Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT)

Riding the MRT is like being an extra in a storybook or probably a film. Or I could be the lead character for other people.

I've seen how a young guy became very angry towards a man who must be in his 40s or 50s. Apparently, the young guy was talking to someone on the phone and the older man made a comment about the young guy's way of talking. The young guy turned red and screamed 'he can talk however he likes to.' The older man couldn't say anything.

Another experience, I was heading home from work. I accidentally leaned over a woman's hand holding the grab pole. I wasn't able to say sorry because she just pushed me so hard that the thought of saying sorry just flew away. I was humiliated and angry at the same time.

The experience is endless. I've mastered how to sneak my little body into the crowded train. I blocked out once. I, once in a while, still smell durian in the train. I might be one of the few people who hates durian. Its smell is so strong, I start to sneeze. And when I sneeze, it will be followed by a dozen and dozen of sneeze that people will just go away from me. I was happy to see a notice that durians aren't allowed...but there's no fine if you take one in. I've seen a man fall asleep and snored. And that inspired me to never sleep in the train. I might snore too. Other times, some people are playing loud music from their phones. Sadly, I never enjoyed a single song I heard. I could be in the middle of the train and feel that I am in different parts of the world because I am surrounded with people all speaking different languages. Everyday in the train is a brand new story.

MRT is very convenient and dependable. But if it's peak hour and I am near the City Hall area and I am very tired and wants to sit down while in the train heading north, I would take the train towards Marina Bay first. Then, start the journey from Marina Bay with few other people. Another nice thing about MRT is that there are malls in most stations!

Btw, my favourite stations are Dover and Expo. :)

If you ask me which part of Singapore exudes the most "Singaporean-ness", I will tell you without a doubt, "Go take a ride on our very own SMRT."

If you are lucky, you might get to listen to the latest gossip on God-knows-who due to the noisy bunch of youngsters chitchatting. If you are luckier, you might catch the Oscar winning performance of how to sleep like one is indeed sleeping when one needs to give up your seat to someone more in need. If you are really that lucky, you might get to experience the how it feels like to play human bumper cars when you are caught in the middle of the crowd going out and the crowd going in. If you are strike lottery lucky, you might even get to see someone on the MRT tracks. (Choy! I am talking about the maintenance guy! What were you thinking?)

Okay, enough about how fellow commuters actually contribute to our discomfort of riding on our beloved MRT. (Ironic, isn't it?)

Personally, I am quite a fan of our MRT system. I like how easy and consumer friendly it is. One can easily get a ticket from the General Ticketing Machines (GTMs) just by a touch of the finger. Yes, yes, I know, getting back the one dollar is rather irritating, but I feel that it is just a mild inconvenience. You get to enjoy a view of Singapore (Well, most of the time) or if you are student like me, catch up on some beauty sleep. The trains are usually spotless and clean and are rather spacious to sit in. Yes, the seats may be very limited during the peak hours but I guess there is only a limit as to how much trains can actually be deployed during the peak period. It is usually a rather comfortable ride and one can see the different faces of Singapore through the rides, from the rather "obiang" ( old and out of fashion) stations such as Redhill to our state of art station Changi Airport. One can also experience the multiracial lifestyle of Singapore by listening to announcements in all four languages and watching our four main races sit side by side, accommodating each other. Moreover, it is also a fast and efficient ride, being able to travel from one end of Singapore to the other end in less than an hour.

However, there are still certain areas I would like to nitpick on. One would definitely have to be the squeaking sound occurring between the MRT cabins. That must be the bane of SMRT existence! Most of the time, I would move inside the train to allow more commuters to move in, but every single second I have to tolerate that irritating squeaking sound, I totally feel like strangling someone. (Luckily, I do take my medication on time everyday. Haha.) Another would be the growling sounds that is made while traveling through the tunnel. Imagine a commuter who just touched down from a plane traveling from the Changi Airport Station to Expo station, he/she would probably think that he/she was back on the plane! Last but not least, it would have to be timing screen which would once in a while freak me out with its sudden loud sounds from its advertisements. (Not that I think SMRT can really do anything about this.)

Despite all this small little disturbances, I can safely say that SMRT has served me well all this years, hence it deserves four stars with a star taken off for all those disturbances. After all, Singaporeans love to complain about everything, especially those small little things!

P.S. I wrote this with my tongue-in-cheek. Oh well, I guess everyone of us at one point of time might have been one of the inconsiderate commuters... Let all improve our MRT manners! =)

P.P.S. Anyone would like to venture a guess which MRT stations I took my photos at?