POTTT Update!

SO after what seems like AGES of not taking the bus and the train, today i finally had to. Duty called *yawns*

Anyway , when it was time to leave, i had to force myself to walk two bus stops away, because RapidKL came up with this AMAZING system called the ZONE system! *oooooohhhh aaaahhhh*

This was the saddest piece of news I heard when it first was announced, it still is BECAUSE :

1 ) Anyone using the RapidKL buses KNOWS that there's nothing very rapid about them. They're NEVER on time. Well, they are once u learn their UNpunctuality. I have a little book of Rapid, jotting down all the times i've spotted the bus so i might might just on time for one and not have to wait a million years for it. Anywho, the 20minute rule is pretty non-existent. Everyone only knows this : It comes after 3 yes, THREE Metro 12 busses.

  Side Track : Why doesnt everyone just take the Metro 12 then?
  Reason : Because like every student travelling back and forth EVERYDAY from Kajang, or Shah Alam , Klang or anywhere, its EXPENSIVE!

1) continued..

So the only reason anyone in the right mind would mind the half an hour to one hour wait , is cause it's RM 2 no matter how far you travel.

Metro : It's RM 2 one way to KL Sentral from Millenium Court.

So it was perfect, you had the Metro for all the one way taking bus people, and the RapidKL for all the two-way / lots of interchange of buses/ traveling every day kinda people.

Now, the system is just broken! Rapid has become like Metro, with the one way passes and the only-for-one-bus rule.

So what is a person like me, and like many others out there to do? I think Rapid is still slightly cheaper than Metro because Metro raised its prices too.

But anyway, its ridiculous ! Oh and the Zone system :

I found out today, since they've FINALLY pasted the list of zones and how much each stop costs from the place you get in the bus, that from the UH bus stop to the Mahsa bus stop, is a whole 90cents more! This is 2, yes TWO bus stops away, it would take u 5 minutes the MOST to walk from one to the other.

This just doesn't make any sense. OK! It would make total sense to make it 90cents more expensive maybe AFTER that MC bus stop, cause the next bus stop is after the fly-over and near Jaya 1? But to make two bus stops different from another one that's on the SAME stretch of road!

Ohmygosh! I don't think public transportation has ever frustrated me more. Not even the crazy KTM delays.

So today, i walked to the UH bus stop, and payed the FAIR Rm 1.00 fare! There, u happy now u Greedy RapidKL people!!

Blahhhh, this post was not supposed to be about RapidKL and their evil ways, it was actually supposed to be about the nicest old man i met in the UH bus stop.This bus stop is definitely more interesting than the MC one. Almost everyone here, is sick or has some part of their body bandaged and just anyone with from holding x-rays to children with the sniffles.

I finally got a seat after most of the peopel left when the Metro 12 arrived. And this very pleasant looking old man sat next to me after making conversation about my bottle and book that was occupying his soon-to-be seat. I picked them up and placed them on my lap and just simply said sorry and giggled a little.

But as we were sitting down there, this man kept glancing behind to his left, over his shoulders, and kept smiling like he's just seen a friend. I heard some voices coming from the back so i assumed he probably did. But it didnt just end with one glance and one smile, he did it again. Okay, so maybe they missed him the first time. But then, again for the third time. Okay, now i had to look, who was this very very blur person?

So i turned, and saw an indian man speaking to a malay man, while barely sitting on the little space the wall provided. Okay, so these are his friends huh? Sweet. They must be hospital buddies. (kekeke)

Then, he did it again, and this time with a "HI!" , i just impulsively turned to look at his friends, to quickly realise they weren't his friends. They did even stop their conversation. They've not been listening to him the whole time. And he, he was saying hi and smiling to no one.

I took a nervous glance to the man on my other side, and he returned it. I just looked straight ahead and ignored the rest of his glances and "Hi!''s. He also twitched and made funny faces in intervals of about 5 mins. But in the mean time, i just couldn't believe the absolute manner this man had. He smiled at EVERY person that walked by, be it a kid or a woman or a man! He smiled! And it looked absolutely genuine.

An old chinese man sat just down on the bus stop cement right beside him, and  he just began to talk to the man. He said " Ohh, nak duduk ke? i would give you my seat, but saya pun penat jugak." I immediately moved a little more towards the man on my left, making room just enough for one more person. He soon realised, and then said "aahh, adapun tempat duduk, mari mari duduk!" then turned to me and said "Boleh ye?" gesturing coming closer to me. I of course said ok,and giggled more. Then the four of us sat on this tiny strip of metal of a bench, and he continued talking to the chinese man. He asked him what he was there for, and after he said for gastric, he mumbled something about happiness and kept rubbing his chest.

I'm pretty sure the chinese man was a little uncomfortable, he merely answered in short simple sentences that left little to elaborate on, or make new conversation with. Then a Tempatan bus arrived, and this malay man asked the chinese man, "bus ape ni? pergi ke central market ke?" the other man didn't know so i told him, no it doesnt. Then he looked at me, and was just so amused, and said, "ohh, only the metro 12 does rite" , "oh yes and the U85" ,"my name is (memory fails!) what's your name?". we shook hands and he muttered something about talking and happiness and people. "ooo ok, how much is the fare?" then i told him the wrong amount with which he replied "ohh the metro is only 1.90". I told him a metro was at the traffic light, he just got up and said "arent u coming?". I told him i was waiting for the Rapid and he said "ok, all the best to you!" and slightly bowed before getting on the bus. As the bus moved, i saw him sit next to a young chinese girl and say something,and i saw the girl put on a small smile that quickly disappeared as soon as she turned away from him. LOL! =)

There was definitely something wrong with him. Delusional, ticks and weird eyes. The ticking and the Hi's never stopped but to think that such a nice man, had to be ill! That's heartbreaking. He was one of the most pleasant person I've ever met. And i think that bus stop is now my favourite one and my new inspiration for blogging! =P

Spinster the new IN-Thing!

With all the recent weddings, and more to come, there's just going to be pressure on all my other single cousins, relatives, friends I'm sure. What is this pressure anyway? Like finding a soul mate or "true love" has its age limit?

I'm often greeted with shocked faces, mocking ones when i say " When I'm 50!" if someone asks me when I'm gonna get married or start dating! So what if i were 50, I'm sure many people have been there!

I think for most women, its before 30, we've GOT to get married and have the first kid before 30, then we're set! Our lives will be a-okay! It's so crazy this weird constraint we have on ourselves. Yes giving birth after 30 has its risks, but that cannot be the only reason we force ourselves to find someone and get married! Or worse, find someone solely to be married before 30! We have got to be more than baby-bearing machines. And besides, what ever happened to adopting? All those poor kids out there without a loving home, and here you are ready to offer one, so why not? And who says all women must be ready to have a kid before she hits 30. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have this age limits when it comes to marriage.

We all have "standards" we set, not too tall, a poet, an actor, a rock star! =) When you're 21, and someone asks you "what is it you want in a partner?" the list may go on and on, as it should! And out of the list, you'd soon realise that there are some thing too important to compromise on, and some not so. But tell this to 30 year old cousin who's married with a kid, and they'd tell you "You're just young!".

So why should my standards get lower as i age? I'm certainly the same person i used to be, with a few more wrinkles and bigger feet? The only reason i think it gets lowered is because we NEED to get married by 30! by 26, 27!! When you're in such a rush, who cares if he/she doesn't know Led Zeppelin from Boy Zone or Enid Blyton from Arundhati Roy, all you care about is she/he's fertile and ready to make some babies! She's obviously got to be bearable enough to want to hang out with..but what if it matters? These thing...books, music, it may not be significant enough for another person but it might mean a whole lot to you! And that's all that really matters!

I'm sure everyone would have enough judgement to let some things slide and some things NOT! and it's exactly these things that should never change, be it you're 30 or 40! People find love when they're 50. I'm sure they do. It's either that, or finding love with a man who's in his fifties! Shessh, the racket that would create! But seriously, who can blame us? If only all men were as mature as we are!

Anywho, i say YAY! for all the people out there that are staying true to themselves and waiting for the right one before making that leap! Be it at 27, 37 of 57...you go girl! i mean.. people!

Indian Weddings I like!

Indian weddings are the best BESTEST! It's the only time EVERYONE gets together! And if there's anything I like, its a house filled with loud funny weird crazy non-privacy-respecting cousins and relatives! Well for that 3 few days at least.

I'm calculating after the recent MAJOR wedding that took place in our family, that it's just the first of MANY MANY! It just takes the first to get the ball rolling. Now, i hear my other cousins and all are under the pressure of tying the knot too. Marriage! Beautiful yet scary yet thought provoking?

I'm all up for culture! Always!! But in weddings, it perplexes me to watch cultures/traditions carried that I cant help but feel a little uncomfortable with. I cant help but find some traditions quite discriminating.

Like for instance, I noticed in most (all?) of the weddings I've been to, that the bride ALWAYS comes out for the first time as the "shy, bashful bride" . The bride looks at her feet at all costs, and if she forgets and by natural habits(ahh the horror!) starts to bring her head up, her faithful "bride's-maid" is ever ready to push that stubborn head back down. I'm thinking, it's your wedding and you should be able to see all the amazing people that came to your wedding and all those shocked/happy/jealous faces looking at you in your BEAUTIFUL saree. There's no harm in walking with your head looking at your feet, if someone is INDEED that shy, but I'm pretty sure they do it out of culture and tradition. Brides have to be shy. Chances are, you've known your partner for a nice hefty 4 years or more, so who is really EVER THAT shy?

Then there's the main event, that whole process of actually tying the knot! I know there's the washing feet ceremony that both the bride and bridegroom does for each other. And then they wear those cute toe rings for each other and all which is totally cool cause they both do it.

So I'm wondering, why is it that the "thalli" is only worn for the women? And i know older generation of women, think its an absolute CRIME to part with it on a normal day, and ESPECIALLY on an event like weddings or dinner, where ALL the what-the-hell-is-your-name relatives would be there. The "thalli" is displayed very proudly with their beautiful sarees. If a woman doesn't wear her ""thalli", something would just have to be wrong. The gossips and rumours would start.

So since only the girl wears the "thalli" then its only for the girl to give out a message , "I'm someone's wife." But wait wait, the men have their rings, but so do the women, so what is the need of this EXTRA string around someone's neck? And the absolute weird thing of how much importance and power it's given.

In a world so modern, where equality is all we strive for, definitely this tradition should be amended? I know I would feel absolutely weird if someone wear to tie something around my neck and for me to feel proud of it. If at all it should happen, I would wanna have the right to do the same.

And also, with all these snatch-thieves around, and the crime rates increasing, that we still want to wear these chunky pieces of gold chain and walk around. Surely safety must triumph over culture! And even the fact that we choose to wear them, or the rings at all times to show we're married? What exactly is the point? We NEED to show people we're married? Why? What has changed from the day before when you were merely a couple with no document forcing commitment unto your relationship?

So many things that come with marriage. I would think that the only reason sound enough to get married is in fact for security; that in the case of a spouse deceasing, you're not left to fend for yourself or with nothing to fall back on, or or security for future children.

The fact that people only live together after marriage and everything else, is merely just culture and the way each of us choose to see our roles in society. I know it's a big No - No for Indian couples to live together, before they're legally registered or engaged. It's absolutely crazy the social restraints we put on ourselves. If it feels right, do it! I am now living by a new motto : Life's too short, baby! Live it!

Then there's the walking around the fire, three times. The man leads the way, pinky finger in pinky finger with the bride. At no time in this ritual does the woman ever walk in front of the man. Why? After asking around, it makes perfect sense that this just means that the man holds the responsibility of taking care of the woman, leading in life; leading them in life, and being the leader in general maybe? Only once, i watched the girl taking over the man in the last round around the fire (watch: Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam *sappy movie that i absolutely LOVE with all its ridiculousness, forgiven because of its songs and the colours!*) just to tell her lover that the reason of this act is to die first, before him, the pain of living without him would be too much. That was the meaning of the last round. A sweet gesture but WTH? Is that the only thing we're allowed to "lead" in? I would be totally fine with my lover leading there. =)

So maybe, the women could also go three times around the fire, with them leading the way the next time.

I guess it would be a huge HuHa if someone were to alter these things, but everything starts with a first right? Cultures have been amended so many times before. We don't burn ourselves to prove our innocence or purity anymore as Sita did. We don't expect the women to have a full meal prepared on shiny silver platters for the hardworking husbands anymore or for the women to only belong in the kitchen and no where else. So traditions and cultures can be amended! as it should! All we need is a liberal/radical priest, a bridegroom up for a change and a hall full of people ready to be taken on an eye-opening journey! (*reasons provided on a projector screen)

Weddings are beautiful if someone does want to go through it. A small nice wedding ceremony joined by the utmost important people you KNOW are genuinely happy to see you getting married and not just waiting to run to that buffet table. Something simple that doesnt dig so deep into your pockets that leave you in debt for the next 10 years, that's remembered solely as the day you shoved your love down their throats!