My work is a good 1 hour and 15 mins away from where we live. That includes 50 mins train ride, 5 mins bus ride, 5 mins walk and the rest are spent waiting for transport. The office and the home are literally poles apart, only that it is east and west not north and south. Moving nearer is not an option as it means moving farther away from my husband’s office, and his schedule is more hectic than mine. So everyday, i spend around two and a half hours on travel, back and forth. Not that iam complaining, after all back home I used to travel 2 hours one way to get to work. Not to mention having to ride the minibuses that most often seem to take all the wits out of you.
Singapore transport is way better i should say. Its clean, no smell, at least for the transport although sometimes i encounter a few fellow that have, no one is allowed to eat although i once saw someone puke. Among all the transport here, its the MRT that i find interesting because its where i get to "people watch" and "fashion watch", for lack of better things to do after i finish reading the free daily given out just before boarding. But i do this only in the mornings as in the afternoons iam too tired that i just either fall asleep or simply close my eyes, assuming i manage to get a seat.
I have also managed to stand without holding on to anything while the train is at full speed, brakes and all. A skill which i found too difficult to handle in the beginning. But practice makes perfect - look ma, no hands!
One thing I find so amusing here is that most often, when a seat is vacated, people will wait for a while, making sure nobody else is interested in taking it. Other times when two people try to go for it at the same time, both would give way and ask the other to take the seat. I remember back home, people would fight tooth and nail just to make sure they get the seat.
Going back to people and fashion watching, there is the young husband and wife seated beside each other, hands clasped, girl’s head resting on hubby’s shoulder both trying to catch some sleep. I could easily tell they are married even without looking at the ring fingers. Don’t ask me how, i just know. Then there is the boy-girl duo that seem to think everyone around them are blind, with all the smooching, touching, gazing and what- have-yous. To be honest i sometimes find it difficult to ignore them that i just stare and wait for what they are going to do next :) And then there is the mother-child or father-child team, where i get most of the touching scenes from.
Oh, the fashion watch. The MRT is where i see all the latest fashion in the country live, not from posters or magazines. I see it from living, moving and realistic bodies, cellulites and all. By the way, i think its better than seeing it from photoshoped images. If i like it, i then try my very best to search if the brand is written anywhere on the apparel, and then i buy it (who am i kidding!) of course i don’t buy it! because i find out that i could not afford it, unless i decide to make my fashion a priority over my kids, food, rent, utilities, payables,,,,,, which iam assuring you all (and my husband) will not happen in this lifetime.
Which is why i like to fashion watch. It makes me enjoy a bit of that horrendously expensive piece of shirt or jeans, only that its just in the imagination. I picture myself wearing those, and thats it. I still end up buying items that are on sale and which are last season’s pieces. And although in my mind i would love to wear other styles and designs, i always end up buying plains, stripes, black, white, blue, nothing fancy. Well, i actually prefer those, its just that sometimes my mind plays tricks on me and makes me think otherwise.
Lately though, my people and fashion watching have taken a back seat in my MRT priorities as i am just too busy and tired to even care about it. As soon as i manage to get a seat, i doze off, mornings included.
