The people I've met so far on the train, whom in their own ways have at least stopped me from dozing off and missing my stop :
A refugee from Sri Lanka that i tried so very hard to speak in Tamil to and DID, and learnt quite a lot from. I bet he was secretly wishing he never asked me how much a cab to Bangi would cost cause i wanted to know so much but just had all the trouble in the world finding words in Tamil to relay...i ended up making really lame gestures and signals and got the message across. He had a very different Tamil slang but i understood it almost perfectly =) HATERS: BOO!
A TNB/Telekom guy that had this weird habit of taking off his shoes and putting his feet (with socks!) on the seat in front of us. I learnt how the telekom business was blossoming and nothing comes without hard work. The weird thing was, that he didn't move to the vacant seat but instead placed his bag there. Most people would move, cause you'd rather have no one beside you for the added space, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise? To imagine his feet next to me? Eeekk!! He shook my hand before i got down in Kajang, (a first!)
A young boy from Kedah? that just could not stop talking, or just wouldn't! And admitted it to everyone on the train when he spoke so loudly about where he's from and that he's not shy to speak to girls and made that very clear in asking this one particular attractive Malay girl where she worked and how she gets there and what she does and woahh a whole lot more of question ...bordering on STALKER type questions! But the whole coach, no one slept! i noticed! He was so loud , i could hear him over Led Zeppelin , and that's a rarity! But good for him, for being so secure with the amplitude and the convictions of his questions! I don't think he was a stalker, just a VERY curious traveller....first time in KL!
A law student that was headed to Nilai, that said "you don't look like a UKM student" when she correctly guessed where i was headed! As if UKM students don't wear shorts? lol, but it made a good story for a couple of months. She offered me tissue paper, and to the new mother that was running out of it for her VERY drool-ly kid! We kept gushing over the cute kid and then talking universities and studies.
Oh and all the long-lost friends I've met! YAY! I've met people I've not seen since primary school sometimes! And people I've seen way too often, hehe..the KTM is a good good way to keep in touch.
And riding the 7.21am train everyday naturally makes some people more recognisable than the rest. Like there's this one guy that always wears a grey long sleeved shirt with black pants, always with his white pair of ear phones. His shirt might be a dark blue on some days, i only remember the grey though. He must be a hard worker, cause he looks absolutely exhausted every time he gets into the train.
Then there's the aunty that's always trying to find the right place to stand so she's right in front of the door. And always in a conundrum when the express train comes first. Seem to always think that the KTM people are going to change the stops and on some days its not going to stop at Sentral.
ohh and that guy that seemed to be annoyed at every girl he looked at. something against us higher beings i suppose. Or just broken hearted.
More to come I'm sure...and i cant wait!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
LRT Folk, KTM Folk
Recently, i've not only been taking the KTM, but also the LRT! I've grown so attached to the KTM that every time i step into the LRT, i feel like a lying conniving cheat, so i make up funny little excuses in my mind to justify the act.
Most of the time its "I've got exams! i HAVE to be there on time..." or "my friends are waiting..i cant get there any later!" and they usually work in making me feel better. I guess this must be the sort of thing curang people say to themselves just before entering that hotel room "ooohh it'll make me appreciate her/him more..." "ohh its just a one night thing, I'll go back HAPPY for once and that cant be bad for the both of us...".
Well anyway, taking the train almost everyday, i couldn't help but realise that riding the LRT was in so many ways different than riding the KTM. The main difference being...the people!
Now, i love KTM folk as much as i can possibly love them. They've made my travel logs so so much more interesting and just have been the best entertainment on boring days! But...on certain days, KTM folk get cranky as any old partner does, they don't smile at you, push you to your edge, and just irritate the living daylights out of you! Now, its usually on these days that i tend to appreciate the LRT folk a lot better.
LRT folk generally, are a lot more courteous and smell better! Generally. Everyone smells bad though on Sunday evenings from KLCC or KL Sentral.
Reason : But generally...on working mornings. I guess people that work in KL use more perfume? Or...it could be that they travel a very short distance, so the perfume tends to last! Perfume from Kajang to Sentral on the 7.21am train will last you about 10mins till Serdang station when the REAL crowd rushes in. Then you'll be lucky to catch a breath!
Courteous .
Reason : And the other day i was in the LRT, this lady saved a girl from staining her perfect off white slacks by telling her the seat she was about to sit on was wet! This gesture alone made me smile the whole way, and made me a more annoying optimist than i already am. People are nice! People don't do that enough and they should. The girl kept thanking the lady repeatedly and all was well. Ahh...its amazing when two strangers suddenly seem to have all the care in the world for each other over a wet seat! The most amazing feeling!
Also because the stops are a lot nearer to each other, people tend to standing most of the time so you NEVER see an old man/woman, pregnant woman, kid that's standing!
This (^) you will never see in the KTM, or at least i have not. No one cares if you seat on a wet seat or a stained one, everyone is just too damn cranky!
Reason : They've waited too long for the train, tried too hard to get on the train then tried too hard to not fall in the train and bear the constant shoving and nudging of everyone around them!
And because the stops are lights years away and the train moves at an incredibly tortoise speed when its packed with people, people get a lot more possessive over their seats! They see someone old/pregnant, they either look the other way hoping no one noticed that they noticed, or pretend to be sleeping(most common). Some are pretty good pretenders, to the extent of the open drooling mouths...they must really love that seat to bear public humiliation.
Whatever the reason, its plain ridiculous!
Although, KTM folk are much better talkers than LRT folk.
Reason : LRT folk are like those people you see in New York or Japan that are in a CONSTANT hurry. So they wouldn't want to waste a minute of their precious time talking to YOU! They've got better things on their mind, meetings and being on time...they probably take the train at the nick of time, since its THAT fast.
KTM folk on the other hand, have all the time in the world to get to know you. Where you're from, what you do, where you're headed, your family...and at times of awkward silences : the weather.
Reason : Now this is just an obvious reasoning. With the KTM, you either decide to be REALLY early or you are bound to be REALLY fashionably late to an event. Mostly opt for the former. No one likes being late rite? Unless you're about to meet a bunch of friends who are always late, but that's a different story. And the journey takes easily more than 10 minutes, so theres loads of time to get to know someone.
On my journeys alone, I've met some pretty interesting people: (different post!)
I do enjoy the train with all its moods. Very menopausal. And i enjoy the people! The nice, interesting ones that take an effort of course.
the mean , rude ones should be pushed off the platforms to face the wrath of the KTM/LRT! Muahahhahah.....
Most of the time its "I've got exams! i HAVE to be there on time..." or "my friends are waiting..i cant get there any later!" and they usually work in making me feel better. I guess this must be the sort of thing curang people say to themselves just before entering that hotel room "ooohh it'll make me appreciate her/him more..." "ohh its just a one night thing, I'll go back HAPPY for once and that cant be bad for the both of us...".
Well anyway, taking the train almost everyday, i couldn't help but realise that riding the LRT was in so many ways different than riding the KTM. The main difference being...the people!
Now, i love KTM folk as much as i can possibly love them. They've made my travel logs so so much more interesting and just have been the best entertainment on boring days! But...on certain days, KTM folk get cranky as any old partner does, they don't smile at you, push you to your edge, and just irritate the living daylights out of you! Now, its usually on these days that i tend to appreciate the LRT folk a lot better.
LRT folk generally, are a lot more courteous and smell better! Generally. Everyone smells bad though on Sunday evenings from KLCC or KL Sentral.
Reason : But generally...on working mornings. I guess people that work in KL use more perfume? Or...it could be that they travel a very short distance, so the perfume tends to last! Perfume from Kajang to Sentral on the 7.21am train will last you about 10mins till Serdang station when the REAL crowd rushes in. Then you'll be lucky to catch a breath!
Courteous .
Reason : And the other day i was in the LRT, this lady saved a girl from staining her perfect off white slacks by telling her the seat she was about to sit on was wet! This gesture alone made me smile the whole way, and made me a more annoying optimist than i already am. People are nice! People don't do that enough and they should. The girl kept thanking the lady repeatedly and all was well. Ahh...its amazing when two strangers suddenly seem to have all the care in the world for each other over a wet seat! The most amazing feeling!
Also because the stops are a lot nearer to each other, people tend to standing most of the time so you NEVER see an old man/woman, pregnant woman, kid that's standing!
This (^) you will never see in the KTM, or at least i have not. No one cares if you seat on a wet seat or a stained one, everyone is just too damn cranky!
Reason : They've waited too long for the train, tried too hard to get on the train then tried too hard to not fall in the train and bear the constant shoving and nudging of everyone around them!
And because the stops are lights years away and the train moves at an incredibly tortoise speed when its packed with people, people get a lot more possessive over their seats! They see someone old/pregnant, they either look the other way hoping no one noticed that they noticed, or pretend to be sleeping(most common). Some are pretty good pretenders, to the extent of the open drooling mouths...they must really love that seat to bear public humiliation.
Whatever the reason, its plain ridiculous!
Although, KTM folk are much better talkers than LRT folk.
Reason : LRT folk are like those people you see in New York or Japan that are in a CONSTANT hurry. So they wouldn't want to waste a minute of their precious time talking to YOU! They've got better things on their mind, meetings and being on time...they probably take the train at the nick of time, since its THAT fast.
KTM folk on the other hand, have all the time in the world to get to know you. Where you're from, what you do, where you're headed, your family...and at times of awkward silences : the weather.
Reason : Now this is just an obvious reasoning. With the KTM, you either decide to be REALLY early or you are bound to be REALLY fashionably late to an event. Mostly opt for the former. No one likes being late rite? Unless you're about to meet a bunch of friends who are always late, but that's a different story. And the journey takes easily more than 10 minutes, so theres loads of time to get to know someone.
On my journeys alone, I've met some pretty interesting people: (different post!)
I do enjoy the train with all its moods. Very menopausal. And i enjoy the people! The nice, interesting ones that take an effort of course.
the mean , rude ones should be pushed off the platforms to face the wrath of the KTM/LRT! Muahahhahah.....
Inside the KTM
I only think its fair i blog about something i know all too well, so the KTM!
If you've been in the KTM, you would have noticed the stained, discoloured seats. Now a BIG BIG thing that's wrong with these seats are in fact more than that, its the SEAT itself! Notice those seats that go all the way over you head? I recently found out (cause its a MIRACLE to get a seat!) that those seats are just so so very uncomfortably painful! Every time i rose from it, i feel my sacrum aching for a much needed massage! And its IMPOSSIBLE to REST your head when you're in that seat! Trust me...
First, I thought it was because i tied my hair, so maybe that was why my head was in a permanent "im too shy to look at you" position, i couldn't get myself to look straight ahead! So i just assumed that it was because of my protruding hair clip.
So...
One day, my hair was untied, but it was still the same!
Those chairs were probably designed for a 6 / 7 feet person cause there is NO WAY to actually let your head REST on them if you were the height of every other average asian! Its absolutely crazy!
Walking out of the train in KL Central, i find myself for the first 3 minutes or so looking only at the shoes of everyone around me.
And the coaches where the doors are really far apart, coaches for SEATING, are made up solely of those seats! Gosh! The ergonomics are just all over the place!
Those metal seats in the LRT are so much more comfortable, at least you wouldn't be dreading that you decided to sit down, and feel too bad to offer the seat to some innocent standing person. Or even the other seats that only go up to your shoulder, would make a much much better solution!
The KTM is so far from being APT even, but the least they could do is to offer the people that have already waited for (most commonly) 30minutes or more( MUCH more) a comfortable seat, or and OKAY-ly comfortable place!
They don't come on time, have stained "back ache giving" seats but they ARE extending their services, the latest i think was to Batu Caves? Just means the longer you wait for trains, and the KTM is bound to be the number 1 reason of back injuries in Malaysia. The seats NEED to go!!
I might be a little paranoid ever since my recent clinical placement, but there are just SO many way bones get misaligned or injured and people are growing older faster , so the least we could do to not hospitalise them into the already over-crowded hospitals is well to be a little health conscious! Back aches are often the MOST common kind of injury, everyone in their lifetime is bound to have a back ache of some sort, and these problems just make up for a more unproductive society, capable of contributing less than they already are.
And metal seats, or half seats ---- cleaner! cheaper for sure!
No more sitting for me, at least on those evil things!
If you've been in the KTM, you would have noticed the stained, discoloured seats. Now a BIG BIG thing that's wrong with these seats are in fact more than that, its the SEAT itself! Notice those seats that go all the way over you head? I recently found out (cause its a MIRACLE to get a seat!) that those seats are just so so very uncomfortably painful! Every time i rose from it, i feel my sacrum aching for a much needed massage! And its IMPOSSIBLE to REST your head when you're in that seat! Trust me...
First, I thought it was because i tied my hair, so maybe that was why my head was in a permanent "im too shy to look at you" position, i couldn't get myself to look straight ahead! So i just assumed that it was because of my protruding hair clip.
So...
One day, my hair was untied, but it was still the same!
Those chairs were probably designed for a 6 / 7 feet person cause there is NO WAY to actually let your head REST on them if you were the height of every other average asian! Its absolutely crazy!
Walking out of the train in KL Central, i find myself for the first 3 minutes or so looking only at the shoes of everyone around me.
And the coaches where the doors are really far apart, coaches for SEATING, are made up solely of those seats! Gosh! The ergonomics are just all over the place!
Those metal seats in the LRT are so much more comfortable, at least you wouldn't be dreading that you decided to sit down, and feel too bad to offer the seat to some innocent standing person. Or even the other seats that only go up to your shoulder, would make a much much better solution!
The KTM is so far from being APT even, but the least they could do is to offer the people that have already waited for (most commonly) 30minutes or more( MUCH more) a comfortable seat, or and OKAY-ly comfortable place!
They don't come on time, have stained "back ache giving" seats but they ARE extending their services, the latest i think was to Batu Caves? Just means the longer you wait for trains, and the KTM is bound to be the number 1 reason of back injuries in Malaysia. The seats NEED to go!!
I might be a little paranoid ever since my recent clinical placement, but there are just SO many way bones get misaligned or injured and people are growing older faster , so the least we could do to not hospitalise them into the already over-crowded hospitals is well to be a little health conscious! Back aches are often the MOST common kind of injury, everyone in their lifetime is bound to have a back ache of some sort, and these problems just make up for a more unproductive society, capable of contributing less than they already are.
And metal seats, or half seats ---- cleaner! cheaper for sure!
No more sitting for me, at least on those evil things!
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