I Wonder..


Its not easy travelling on public transport

It even more difficult if you're pregnant and travelling on public transport.


It's probably the most difficult to travel ALONE on public transport, while being heavily pregnant.



Was on the train home today..taking the East-West Line, I boarded at Raffles Place.

And found a seat at Outram Park.. immediately after I sat down, I took out my phone and earphones, preparing to tune into the radio.

As my earphones were heavily tangled, I slowly untangle it..and I really meant Slowly..it took me like 2 mrt stops to complete untangling the thing.

Then I listened attentively to the news that Jay Chou had recently signed a contract to endorse Sprite after his contract with Pepsi had expired..

As I was going to shut my eyes..I saw a heavily pregnant lady standing in front ..near to the seat closest to the door. Immediately I offered her my seat.

I was kinda surprised, cos all these while..no one give up a seat to her!

I was looking down all the while..and the only time I looked up was about 3 or 4 stops later..
hmm...that means she most probably had been standing for that long a time..

I looked beside me, the one sitting nearest to the door was a secondary school girl, she definitely would have seen the pregnant lady as she's standing right in front of her. But instead of giving up her seat..she's sms-ing away.


The other person beside me was a young man, around the age of late 20s or early 30s..he was also sms-ing away.

Coincidentally. Maybe not.

Their phones were probably a decoy, or excuse for them to not give up their seats.

Such acts are totally disgraceful..hmm.


About 3 weeks ago.. I witness another similar incident.

During the evening peak hour on the train, there's this heavily pregnant woman who's standing in the train, but no one gave up their seats to her. There were people reading papers and sleeping but none gave up their seats.. I was standing near the pregnant lady too..

Later on at one of the stops, someone in front of the pregnant lady alighted, and there's another lady who immediately took the seat which by right...the pregnant lady should have it.

Later on, another seat was available when a passenger alighted, and one lady helped the pregnant lady "reserve" the seat in the middle of the cabin, by placing her bag and standing by the seat.

Then she told the pregnant lady to come over and take the seat..

I'm disappointed cos its that difficult to actually find a seat as people don't give them up to pregnant ladies. It shouldn't be that tough should it? If people were more gracious.

When you gotta use the "chopping of seats" method to get one seat, how easy can it get?

Its definitely not easy to get a seat on the MRT for pregnant ladies, in my humble opinion.


* * *


Thinking about such incidents reminded me of something.. 2 weeks back, my family and I visited Botak Jones in Bukit Batok East Ave 3 coffeeshop, which was a new branch.

My bro 2 went to queue up and my folks, bro2's gf and I went to find a table.
Awhile later, broGF and I found a table inside the coffeeshop, and we're looking around for my folks.

That was when we saw a huge commotion from a distance, that someone was vehemently scolding my pop, and in vulgar language!

Although it was a distance away, the way she was gesturing and all the scolding made the whole coffeeshop turn their heads around.

My pop was apologising to her, and still she did not stop scolding, even as she sat down, she still was going %$#@#$%~!@# super loud!

(my mom wasn't around during the incident, so its only my pop)

I rushed over and understood the situation from my pop that he took the chair from her table as he thought no one was sitting at the table. The table DID NOT have anyone sitting there at all, and on the table were lots of plates and glasses and beer bottles. I looked and saw The glasses were all empty or almost empty, plus the table seems like a group of people had finished their meal and left..as its all leftovers.

As soon as the woman returned to the table, he returned the chair to her immediately and apologised many times(from what I saw he had already apologised!)

BUT the woman..Still continued her rampant scolding, and the way she scolded was that she cursed your whole family's 18th generation from TOP to BOTTOM! None stop.

All the KNNCCBNNBKNNCCB!!

plus some others which are worse, ANGRY MAN!

She sat down and scolded, and when my pop explained to her, she got agitated and stood up to continue the scolding.

At some point of time, I couldn't stand her scolding already and my KNNCCBKNNCCBCCB exploded in full monty!

Its the first time I scolded in public that angrily. Normally I'm a friendly person, but that the real test of patience, which I ultimately couldn't withstand.

I almost feel like throwing a few chairs in her face at that time while the quarrel was going on.

SUPER FURIOUS LAH! Only my pop and I can understand the feeling cos broGF scoot off to find bro2 dono when..

The whole coffeeshop people were looking at us... all the while of 8-10 mins or so..

Then the most angry thing happened..

There's one SUPER KAY POH uncle, probably he was sitting at some table nearby, he came up to the drunk woman( at the time of the quarrel, I didn't know she's drunk, its only after the quarrel then I know from my pop) and asked her in mandarin, " whats the matter...?"

The drunkard woman just shouted in hokkien," he took my chair!", and IMMEDIATELY the FUCKING UNCLE turned around and scolded my pop, he said, " Orh...its your fault, you should have been more careful and see if someone is still sitting there...how can anyhow take people's chair..there's still beer glasses there.." (he continued to rattle on..)


!!!!!

there wasn't anyone there in the first place! So how would we know if that seat was hers!

plus there were 3 or 4 chairs at her table that time, and she couldn't use other chairs as that chair probably was embossed with gold and she's didn't bear to lose it.

AND the table had no food left! Tell me which part of it indicated that the table was still occupied, when obviously there isn't anyone sitting at the table!

I didn't bother to listen to what the KP uncle continued to say, super angry man..and told my pop to not sit at the table next to her already.

The uncle was obviously biased in his judgement!!

Then we went to sit inside..and people were walking past our table murmuring whilst pointing fingers at us!

WAH LAO! Very angry..cos their expressions makes me think that they think we're at fault!

Not that I care about what they think..just that it doesn't feel good at all to be misunderstood.

When bro2 came back, he could see that my face was totally black. And I haven't been that angry for a long time, I mean...THAT angry.

Later on one of the helpers from the drinks stall told us, the drunk woman has been sitting there the whole afternoon drinking, no one dared to go near her to clear her table.

So my pop happen to be the 'lucky' one, and happen to take her beloved chair, that sparked the whole nonsense situation. Which I think is totally nonsense.

Only 1 word to describe the whole situation: suay.

We're at the wrong place at the wrong time.


MM Lee believes that Singapore will not become a gracious society in his lifetime (Straits Times)

What do you think?