The train experience

Check out the time... no, I didn't wake up at 5am, fact is I didn't sleep at all.
I don't intend to sleep either. I completed my GP essay on education, and I'm reading some article for econs which I'm supposed to summarise but I think I can't do it on time.. I'll just face the shit from Mdm. Aaahhhhhh. I didn't even study for my geog test. I'm so screwed.

Can't sleep because there'll be the super-zombie effect when I wake up after an hour or so. Jia Yan will know what I'm talking about =) Xi Ying will know too, I think.

Since I'm awake, I'll talk about what I've been planning to talk about. Type, to be exact. It's the MRT experience.

Being a commuter on trains run by companies SMRT and SBS Transit, I wanna comment on the comfort level of the trains. Trains on the NEL (by SBS) have wider seats allow for more personal space. That's good. HOWEVER, when it comes to ventilation, SMRT trains win hands-down. Sitting in an NEL train is fine, one can still feel the cool air. But standing wise, it's quite terrible. It can get warm unless you're standing in between two carriages where the ground isn't 100% flat. After a long walk past the construction site towards the station near the school under the glaring heat of the sun, I'm likely to start perspiring. Climate change is pushing temperatures up so it's getting worse. What I'd like after the daunting walk would be some air-con right? Yes, I get that when I board the train, the SMRT train. Something which is lacking in SBS trains.

Having to stand daily for a total of more than an hour on trains has enabled me to compare the ventilation level of the two trains. (What a thing to do.. ) During peak hours (I happen to always travel during peak hours), the train can get really packed and it's like the mass and rapid transit of people, a train full of sardines... literally. SMELLING like sardines, some people. I do get unlucky sometimes and stand behind or near people with terrible body odour, or they just seem to have this unpleasant smell which leaves me gasping for fresh air especially when travelling on SBS trains. My point is that SBS trains could improve on the ventilation level for standing commuters. Not just the ones sitting.

One other annoying thing which happens on trains is when people lean on the poles when it's crowded. It's crowded, so there are a lot of people standing around, most will want to hold on to the pole or the handle thing right? Some pest just has to lean on the pole so the rest standing around the pole cannot hold on to it. That really gets me frowning. I tend to lose my balance when traveling on SMRT trains. There's something about their tracks that makes the whole ride bumpy. So I'd usually hold the metal bars unless I'm nowhere near it, or an inconsiderate person (who is probably unaware of the inconvenience caused by his/her action) is leaning on it.

Since I spend so much time traveling by train daily, I've more or less gotten used to the shakiness and learned how to balance properly. One method which has aided my balance is to read something and have my eyes glued to the paper while standing in the train. It helps divert my attention to whatever I'm reading, instead of thinking that I'm gonna fall.

Regarding the frequency of trains during peak hours, well.. SMRT should increase it in the morning. Evenings and late afternoons are fine. SBS should just increase their frequencies both in the morning and and evening. And late afternoon. The crowd is badddd, with most people boarding at Outram Park and Dhoby Ghaut. It takes between 5 to 8 minutes for a train to come and on some mornings I miss it by a few seconds which kinda means GG for me. I can say hello to DC or run from Buona Vista MRT station and end up sweating buckets.

There's this video thing which is being played on repeat mode on trains.. I've watched it so many times, I'm sick of it. Now I refuse to look at it. It's about the big black bag being the bomb and all of them evacuating the train because the lady informed the staff about the bag... -.-

I better go pack my bag and prepare for school now. Wish me luck.