My pet peeve

Like most Singaporeans, I commute to work via the MRT (that's what the tube is called in Singapore). I used to drive into Raffles Place until my cousin worked out the math; he added up the parking charges at Raffles Place, the ERP (ie electronic toll) for entry (and for the trip home) and it was way too expensive. There was not even the need for the daily traffic jam going in to tip the balance.

This MRT commute of mine just started this year and so far, it has been a joy. My journey in is now fuss free, arrival assured in 18min. The MRT is so efficient it even gives you the travel time down to the minute! And accurate as well. I never get a seat though because the train is full all through and I am quite happy to stand for the 18mins, reading the morning paper. Its my little serenity before the work day starts.

I have a pet peeve though. There are priority seats on the train. These are well marked, with stickman figures to show the pregnant, the older and the infirmed are entitled as a priority. It goes to reason that if you are not one of those who have been accorded priority, you would leave the seat empty, a little ashamed to be occupying something that was meant for others. But this is not the case for Singaporeans. These seats are always taken by the young, worse by those serving in the military, who then promptly pretend to fall asleep so they become oblivious to those whom were meant to occupy. Many a times I have seen a parent holding an infant child, a pregnant lady, or an older person standing and eyeing the occupied seat longingly.

Imagine my chargin when the priority seat gets vacated and someone makes a beeline for the seat, cutting past one or two commuters along the way. And there are those who are seemingly polite; when it gets vacated and I am standing right in front of the seat, they will ask me if I am wanting to occupy. My reply is "No, thanks - I am not priority"; implying that they should not as well because they are hardly priority. But no one cares because no one gets the backhanded insult.

Oh well, back to reading the morning paper. The contents are not as depressing as they were 6 months ago although I doubt we can hardly say we are coming out of the economic depression..