Public transport

This is a real blast from the past - was at the transport display at the Jurong Library which had a nice little showcase of bus tickets and the ticket puncher the conductor used to wield. It was a pretty good system, except that there used to be ticket stubs stuck everywhere - in the joints of bus seats, in the windows...we used to collect the tickets when we were kids just so we could play bus conductor at home.

Since coming back from the US, I must admit to my embarrassment that I have not stepped up a bus or into the MRT at all. Maybe it's a bit of a reaction to having to sit on the illegal Hispanic but across the George Washington Bridge every day for 2 years, along with bomb scares and the like. I remember the time there was a big scare on the GWB, the bus I was on stopped suddenly and because I was in my favourite seat behind the driver, I couldn't see the road ahead. First thing I saw was an NYPD helicopter hovering at eye level next to the bus window. So we sat there, all the traffic stopped for about 2 hours. Called Stanley in Fort Lee who was trying to find out what happened on the news, but in the end someone got off the bus and found out that there was a bomb scare because this guy who jumped off the bridge had left his briefcase tied to the side of the bridge. So the poor guy did make a big final gesture. The bag was fine (except sans owner) and so were we (except this lady behind me who was a little upset because she really needed the loo.

Since coming back to Singapore, I've been really spoilt with my own car (albeit a rather boring Toyota Altis...oh for a nippy BMW open top), but there is a lot less second guessing the weather, the traffic and the trials of car-sharing with my significant other. Of course, there is now a scrape down the side (thanks to tiny hospital car lots and general poor judgement), but it's hard to imagine a life without wheels again.