On The Train, Dec 29, 2011

Today is my last KTMB Komuter ride for the year. Tomorrow a longer ride on KTMB’s Intercity up north and that is going to be my first during daylight. Another excursion that I am looking forward to eagerly. He he he Talk about a train nut or a better term foamer. 

I forced myself into a 1950 train home simply because I want to be home a bit earlier. As expected a decent ikan sardin now but I am seated. 

I was bored big time with nothing seem to interest me so I made a fool of myself being a nuisance on somebody’s FB he he he. I sincerely do hope the person would tolerate my foolishness he he he. Anyways, I am getting closer to home and the train was instructed to stop before entering Kajang. 

On The Train (Big Brother is Watching), Dec 28, 2011

Now I routinely takes the six-car train to go home. Not only I am assured of getting a comfortable preferred seat I am also assured, insyaAllah, to get home without a drama fairly quickly. But a lot of commuters do not realise that the six-car train is equipped with CCTV to help the driver to monitor the comfort level of the commuters. A young couple or a group of young kids got to know about this in an embarrassing way yesterday. I was sitting and doing my usual thing when somewhere between Serdang and Kajang the driver came on air with this announcement,

‘Para penumpang sekalian sila ambil perhatian bahawa keretapi ini diawasi menggunakan CCTV ini supaya kami dapat berusaha memberi keselesaan kepada semua penumpang. Pengumuman ini terutama ditujukan kepada penumpang dicoach tengah, coach C, supaya berkelakuan baik. Kerana perbuatan kamu diperhatikan.’ (The driver repeated this in English, he tried very hard and I applauded him for trying, but it came out wrong.)

When I heard this I was not surprised but I almost laugh loudly LOL. And just now almost similar announcement was made but to say those sitting on the cabinet n the buffet car to get down :))). I would really going to make my day to be a train driver for a day he he he. I am all for this as sometimes some commuters just need to be told to behave. I guess they would be totally embarrassed being single out.

So the next time you are on the new train behave yourself.

On The Train, Nov 1, 2011

Yeah! it is Nov already folks. Even people on this train seem to be acknowledging the fact by going home earlier. 

It was raining today and I took the last of my umbrella in my office to walk to the station. While walking a man came from the opposite direction in the dark and when he was closed by he asked me the way to KL. I asked him where he wishes to go and told me LRT station. I said he was going the opposite direction and he should turn back. With that he just trotted away under the rain. I asked myself where in the world he came from in the first place. Jeng jeng jeng was I in a twilight zone? I continued to walk and arrived at the station without a problem :) 

The 1950 train came 10 minutes late but I just ignored the fact as I knew even in a normal condition the train will be late anyway he he he. Capacity was a bit tight when I boarded but I got a seat. I sat in between a Singh and a young man later I discovered disembarked at Bangi as well. The moment I booted up the Singh kept on looking at what I was doing so I camouflaged what I was typing. As it was raining outside everyone was a bit sullen looking. Some seated embarked on a journey into a never never land hoping to find enchanting summer dream on beautiful island somewhere. I as usual locked and hooked to my laptop and at the same time trying to be observant of my surrounding. looking at people around me I wonder how many of them are foamers like me? I am currently finishing a book about train services in the US and cannot but amaze by some of the similarity. Top of the list is the train is never on time. One of the premise of the book that I agree totally is the need to have public-private ownership in order to have a very good train services. The infrastructure cost is high and only the government could sustain and further develop it. 

The ridership of KTM Komuter is seriously increasing now. I cannot take fro granted that I will get a seat on my normal schedule anymore especially in the morning where now I have to ‘fight’ for one. Going home I can still have the option of waiting for the next one but going to work could be tricky. 

On The Train, Oct 10, 2011

It is October already!

The train is full of foreigners tonight. Seeing this a Malay speaking Chinese gentleman standing in front of me commented, ‘A lot of foreigners came to Malaysia to work. Malaysians are too lazy to work.’

True and not true. You judge yourself and I do not wish to start another debate on it. A guy next to me is reciting the Quran on his Samsung phone. A bangla standing in front of me keep on stealing a look at what I am doing and a row of heads looking at eternity probably complete with a dream or two. I can understand, you can get a good 20 minutes nap and rest if you can do it. Some people could not sleep on a moving train and a lot can, including myself he he he. 

On The Train, ( A Red Hot Ikan Sardin Day), Sept 30, 2011

If you are not a regular commuter or still not aware Friday evening is a Red Hot Ikan Sardine Day. To the newbies who intent to make Friday evening as their first attempt to ride the commuter you would not survive after the first five minutes and you would probably either;

1. Pengsan after five minutes
2. Your first five minutes on the commuter train would also be you last
3. You will be like me cursing KTMB endlessly
4. You will hate KTMB forever. Well I am ok with that LOL
5. You will hate train. Which I do not want you to

So, please avoid Friday evening and you will be doing me a favour as well he he he. 

It is no different today I am in one. I purposely left the office late and boarded the 2034 train, the type of train that I prefer not to board, home and as usual I got a seat. 

At KL Sentral the crowd is still decent but standing room only. 

Alhamdulillah it is also decent at Mid Valley and we can enjoy a nice cool ride home.

A good crowd configuration today as well, not dominated by certain age group or race. Which is one of the important ingredients for a good atmosphere for a nice ride for everyone. I can hear nice chatters around the coach, also the usual indication of a Friday evening ride. Commuters looking forward for their weekend break. Have a nice weekend everyone

On The Train, I am a mess, Sept 20, 2011

When we landed last Sunday I thought I was my normal self. After I waved goodbye to my colleagues on the bus going back to the office only I realised I was in a mess. What was obvious I was a mess physically due to lack of sleep and the long journey. I realised also I was a mess mentally. It did not come to me like a gust of wind. It just came slowly and you can say in a way subconsciously as well. Especially when I sat alone trying to charge my phone. The thought of the kids I left behind at Ulu Entaih brought home some realities of my own life. The questions kept on popping out :

Have I done the right thing with my own kids?

Have I given more than it should?

Have I set the right standards for them?

Are they what they are supposed to be mentally?

The right values?
Especially Mar, being the youngest I may have gone overboard

All these questions kept bugging me and prayed to Allah that I have done the right things.

To the kids at Ulu Entaih, although the program was a success, I was worried we have set wrong expectation for them. They may just want their easy life and I would have not blame them for that. Clean water, air and wonderful environment. Ninety percent of them may not even have been to the nearest town, Pakan, which is about almost 50 km away. I was assured after awhile by the words I remembered uttered to me by the teachers and their parents at the longhouse. They have the right to be given another opportunity and option. Just like my children we just give our best to prepare them and let them in due time to discover and decide for themselves. After all, I thought, that was how I grew up. 

Still, I was a mess and turned my car towards a no entry zone instead of the obvious on Monday. I think I am ok now. I think :)

The usual crowds tonight and I am expecting a normal ride home as well. KTMB please give me a break today.

On The Train, Sept 15, 2011

A three day weekend and a KTMB mess at Kuang are perfect ingredients for a Friday evening packed solid sardine can that is assumed to be KTMB commuter. Definitely the majority are additional and non regular going home or going to open houses. They should have known to just stay at home and let me go home peacefully LOL. I have got open houses waiting for me to grace tonight as well :). 

The train pushing hard towards Seremban now and we’d just let some people escaped out at Serdang LOL and we have a bit of space to breath now he he he. 

Some more rushed out at Kajang. I am almost there.

Dah la panas ada plak couple buat babak panas dalam train ni hishhhh sa,dul betul. 

Have a nice weekend everyone!!!

On The Train, Sept 13, 2011

Something interesting, funny and peculiar happened on the train home yesterday. I’d wanted to write about it straight away yesterday but than decided not to make my blog piece too long so here it is. 

As I was typing yesterday I heard a strange sound coming form the front seat and I thought at first it was from somebody that was sick. The sound was like ‘Fuuuuhahhhhh!’ It was softer when the train was on the move and louder to all of us when the train stopped. For few minutes I just ignored it as I thought if it was not from somebody that was sick it must be from somebody that has screw missing from his head :). After a louder ’Fuuuuuhaaaah’ I looked up a bit and I saw a chinese man two rows ahead of me sleeping and instead of snoring obliviously making that loud strange sound. It was unbelievable and how’s that possible I said to my self. I am not kidding! Man! I thought I have seen everything on the train? Apparently there are more to explore and experience ha ha ha. The colors of Malaysians and Malaysia he he he.

Today I was late again but caught the train after only few minutes waiting. It is a younger group tonight which is good to see. 

I am happy today to read Bro Shabery is taking the lead to cycle and encouraging people to take up cycling to work. 

On The Train, Sept 12, 2011

A gentleman came and sat next to me at the platform. He asked, ‘Train dah lepas ke?’ I knew he was asking about the Seremban train but just to make him realise the inappropriateness of his question I asked him back, ‘ train pergi mana?’ He replied, ‘Seremban’. I wanted to say that this is a commuter service if one train gone there will be of course another one on the way albeit of course for KTMB could be a big question mark as to how soon. But I just kept quietly. Maybe I have been dealing with a lot of Malaysian stupidities over the weekend that is why I am a bit sarcastic today :)

The train arrived at 2026 and it is one of those old train reconverted that the seats only in the middle of the coach and standing only room at both ends. I chose a window seat facing towards the direction of the train traveling. Some commuters I noticed would choose the opposite. It makes no different for just feel like traveling along with the train tonight instead of facing backwards. Over the weekend at my cousin’s Hari Raya One House George her husband remarked to me something like ‘Still getting on the train?’ Smiling I said yes despite all the misadventures on it. Truth be told and I sometimes failed to admit I just love to be on it no matter what. My daily ranting probably is my way of badgering KTMB to improve it services. Probably somebody may say I am wasting my literary words but then again we must believe LOL. 

On The Train, Sept 9, 2011

I am inside a Friday evening sardine can now. And this particular one is pretty stuffy even for an ikan sardin. The only good thing now this can is flying towards Bangi and at least I am comforted by the possibility of getting home in time to visit my cousin. Forget about cycling tonight and tomorrow as well. Another ‘stuffing your face’ weekend ahead of us. Some family members are coming over as well. 

A good mix of commuters inside the train and some look like they are also going to visit their friends or families tonight. A good mix in all sense of the word. A good mix of races, age group and gender. Almost there now and we are making good time. See you all next week.

On The Train, Aug 26, 2011

Just made it. I am not sure which train but when I boarded it was 1751. Yes, very early for my standard. Reasons - to beat the mad rush as well to be home early for the family.

The mad rush begins at KL Sentral. Ramadhan or not ugly Malaysians surface in front of me. I decided not to witness them anymore, closed my laptop and took a nap and woke up from my slumber at Kajang station.

On The Train, Aug 25, 2011

Crowd on the train since this morning is getting thinner. Definite indication that some have gone balik kampong already. Soon this train will be a United Nation train where most of the commuters will be foreigners. Except for an obvious Malaysian like me he he he. 

The train suddenly stopped at Seputeh like yesterday. No announcement yet and the doors are closed. Now exactly like yesterday is happening it moved forward a bit then backwards with the doors closing and opening. Ok the driver now just forced the train forward with the door’s alarm going off. Looks like it is ok now, I hope.

Thank goodness history did not repeat itself if not I would definitely be cursing KTMB yet again today. Nevertheless, with the train already late and with that short episode I was late home. Met my old friend Salem Cabre when I disembarked at Bangi. We chatted as we walked out and both or us being season commuters agreed KTMB is beyond repair and we will continue to get on one everyday to work LOL.

On The Train (The Third Place and was dumped yet again), Aug 24, 2011

This morning I had a nice feeling moment when I heard a group of commuters were talking and laughing happily on the way to work. I would like to assume it was not because of the Eid is around the corner. 

I wrote a short note about the characteristics of The Third Place today that I picked up through my reading and suddenly I asked myself is the Komuter train service my Third Place? Let us let loose an have fun with this :)

Characteristics of The Third Place:

• Exist on neutral and socially equal ground for its clientele

Oh yes it is natural enough and definitely no one in their right frame of mind would want to to be saying they are above KTMB or anybody else in the coach. Equal as equal can be - equally late. equally squeezed, equally mishandled and equally annoyed of the service. Really once you are on this train all the trappings that you are somebody will be stripped off automatically.

• Primary activity in the third place is conversation

Talk about conversation! There’s all kinds of conversations occurring at the same time. In fact you have a choice of listening in different languages. Beside Malay, Tamil, Mandarin or English you could have Indonesian, Bangla, Vietnamese, Urdu, Mynamar, Tagalog, Parsi and once in a while Arabic and German. The topics ranges from football to arts. They are also groups of people that converse to themselves in their dream, to their phone like he was the only person on the train, with their ITunes or audio players. Or you would have somebody like me who diligently creating a conversation using his laptop. 

• It is a place where human personality and individuality are displayed and appreciated

Oh my! I do not know about being appreciated but human personality definitely. Especially once you have the train packed to the seam. Animal instinct came out immediately when they just jump in thinking no body’s going to disembark first. If they got push they yell at all directions. The line when waiting for the train would be straight and decent but once the train arrive everyone seem to be asking WHAT Q??? I tell you a lot more human personality to share here. Opps maybe not not human. 

• They are taken for granted and most have a low profile. 

The coach and train are way beyond taken for granted. With the kind of service they dish out they should be low profile but instead they strife for national attention especially regarding their breakdowns.

• Third places normally open in the off hours, as well as at other times. 

Ha ha ha ha off hours alright. When we need them they conveniently went off the schedule.

• The character of a third place is determined most of all by its regular clientele and is marked by playful mood, which contrast with people’s more serious involvement in other spheres.

No way Jose. This is the domain of chaos own by KTMB.

• Though a radically different kind of setting from home, the third place is remarkably similar to a good home in the psychological comfort and support that it extends. 

Finally, to me yes it is home somewhat. How else would you think I survived for the past 8 years?

Joking a side. My conclusion the train is not the Third Place for just anybody but train nuts like me. Hey, I am on one and typing this now!

No, not again!!!!

As I was finishing this piece the train stopped at Seputeh. After about five minutes it started to go backwards and the door kept opening and closing. I ignored it at first but after another five minutes it started to reverse again. At this moment my commuting comrades around me started to recount our misadventure with KTMB Komuter train two successive Friday ago. They were conversing the kind of experience that I experienced as well. So in that way we were soul mates. They joke about the whole things and of course lamented about KTMB. I just kept quiet and listened to them as I was afraid if I say something I would be fasting for nothing. At this juncture the train really pushed back all the way back to MidValley station and the dreadful announcement came on the air that there was a mechanical problem with the doors that would not closed. We were asked to abandon the train and wait for the in coming six-car train. The station master, or at least that’s what he think he is, came on the air to ask us to moved to platform 1 for the six-car train. As if we need the exercise badly as soon we were at platform 1 he came on air again to say that platform 2 is back in service and ask us to moved back there again. I must tell you by then I lost few fasting points already by cursing them. So in the end the conclusion as always I was late yet again and thank you very much to KTMB.

On The Train, Aug 22, 2011

I caught the Bangi short run train home and lucky to get a seat at KL station. Solid packed at KL Sentral.

I found out today I missed the registration date big time. I guess I have to do it after the Eid holiday. Someone told me I could be fined RM200 for late registration. What can I say it is my fault.

Huh! I just realised most of the human being on the train are men. The ladies must be at home already. Men just conscious about eating and wanting to eat whereas women more about preparing food or at least making sure there are food on the table for breaking fast. Kids, well, they just eat now days. Worse they could demand for certain kind of food.

On The Train, Aug 19, 2011

Caught the 2242 train home. No I was not derailed by KTMB today but due to the function I attended. Our yearly office activity during Ramadan. Clad in full baju melayu with Bangla’s ketayap on my head I looked more like a cross of African and Indian. Who cares I wore and looked upon worse before. Nevertheless the train was a tin of ikan sardin at KL Sentral. I could hear kids voices coming from both end of the coach. Weekend commuters going home or maybe shoppers coming back from their Eidul Fitri shopping. The train moved out of KL Sentral slowly that worries me. After what had happened the last two Fridays I have a very good reason to worry. 

Still solid pack at UKM. I guess most are going all the way to Soromban.

On The Train, Aug 18, 2011

I thought I could go home early today. I rushed out of the office and KTMB spoilt it for me yet again he he he. 

It is a different scene on the platform this year compare to during Ramadan last year. If I could go home comfortably at 1804 last year it is not so this year. A change in the demography of the commuters? People are working late? KTMB change the schedule? I am not sure what really. But for me it is not like last year that I arrived home on the dot for iftar. I am not complaining really. The last two weeks the train service has been erratic and unpredictable. More than its usual erratic self to the extend that I really could not plan my trip home. For now I just go with the KTMB flow. Now, the six-car train is packed due to the delay of the normal Komuter service.

On The Train, Aug 17, 2011

When it rains it pours. I barely reached the station when the sky opened up once again and this time it was pouring. I was thankful I was not drenched if not I would be shivering instead of complaining (silently) about the Komuter’s air-condition which is not working now. It would be disaster if it were not Ramadan. Still I could sense a couple of restless commuters.

Combination of heavy rain and people from Selangor coming back from their shopping spree the train was ikan sardin can until Serdang. It is a good thing we want Malaysian to spend more locally he he he. I was ok as I got a seat at KL Sentral.

On The Train (Deep Thinking mode), Aug 16, 2011

The train this morning was punctual and with the normal number of people inside. Yesterday was another outlier with extra bodies coming from no where to fill the train. I started to read for a couple of pages and when we got to Kajang my eye lids were pushing downward powerful that I closed my book for a short nap.

The sky looked like erupting when I walked out the office. I hasten my pace to avoid being caught under an evening downpour. I arrived at the station just to miss the 1820 train. I’ll be taking taking the six-car train home again I said to myself. To the wire again today. Tomorrow will be a holiday for Selangor and will be a dream for me going to work. Going home will be another story as always KL will be packed with Selangor folks shopping. I have to time my departure properly tomorrow.

On The Train (KTMB is a big mess still), Aug 15, 2011

Now two Fridays in a row commuters for the KTMB Komuter were treated like shit by KTMB. I am not going to mince my words anymore and I know it is Ramadhan. Alas, this story need to be told and shared so as KTMB would know that what their Komuters carry daily are human beings. Due to the familiar ‘technical problem’ the train services was disrupted the Friday before last. The saving grace for me was then that the announcement caught me at the right time and place that I could rearranged my transport home. Last Friday I was not so lucky. The 1804 train came almost on time and I boarded happily anticipating I would be home earlier than the usual. Everything went well until we reached KL Sentral where the train was made to wait at the station. As I was busied with my laptop I did not realise it at first until I could sense restless commuters standing in front of me. We had been waiting for awhile and yet there was no announcement. Only later the driver came on the air to see we were waiting for the green light to proceed. By then I was really tired and I decided to close my laptop to have a quick nap. When I woke up I thought we had not moved an inch but when I looked outside we were waiting somewhere at Brickfields. It was pathetic and straight away I knew I was for a long night on the train. I decided to boot up my laptop and fired up my broadband to check if there was any updates. Now we were told there was a technical problem at Salak South. The commuters inside the train by now were tired, frustrated, hungry and very angry. Soon it was iftar and those with water and dates started to pass them around to share. It was a mess inside the train and I could not understand why KTMB did not inform us earlier and let us suffered. I continued communicating with my friends via Facebook and all of them were sorry of our predicament. We have no option but to wait inside the train. After a long suffering the train moved slowly and finally came to rest at MidValley station. I thought our agony would be over but what came next really hit the roof for most commuters. KTMB asked us to disembark there without giving any clue as to what to expect. Practically KTMB dumped and abandoned their customers at MidValley that night. I just walked out and entered MidValley Mall to search for my dinner.

Again the failures of KTMB are:

1. Failure to inform and communicate
2. A big time customer service failure
3. Failure to be human being
4. Strategy failure
5. Implementation failure

The added benefit to this episodes is that now I have reason to continue to blog daily.

Today, it is a technical problem at Kuang station!!!!!????? Luckily I am on the six-car limited train to Seremban already

Personality and Perception Game

Always when we are not careful when we do not understand people enough and reading a wrong signal will put us in a difficult situation. It can be hurtful, stressful and down right angry. People can just read a lot from a situation and making it the truth about what they see. They are not wrong only sometimes they need to take a step back to think and maybe they will see a different perspective. As always, as we always say then sometimes the damage has been done. So how do we deal with it? I certainly do not have the right answer because I am also seeing perception. I guess asking the right question would help me. 

The Third Place

I remember those days growing up in Gali when my grandpa’s sundry/coffee shop was always being patronized by the same people every evening for them to relax and meet. When they met they either were talking about the current national events, the happenings in the kampung or just playing checkers (dam haji). The hardship of life and their problems were put away and they were genuinely happy. Late in the evening before maghrib they dispersed and walked or cycled home for the day. This was a standard routine for most of them. Most people will dismiss this as a culture of wasting time or worse pemalas. No doubt they are some truth to that to certain people but they were honest men just gathering at one place every evening to meet, relax and talk. Only recently social scientists concluded that this kind of activities and routine is a community culture building, networking and therapy. 

Oldenburg (1999) in his book discusses this phenomena and taking American backdrop says,

‘In the absence of informal life, American are denied those means of relieving stress that serve other cultures so effectively. We seem not to realize that the means of relieving stress can just as easily be built into an urban environment as those features which produce stress. To our considerable misfortune, the pleasures of the city have been largely reduced to consumerism. ‘ p. 10

‘In the absence of an informal public life, living becomes more expensive.’ p. 11

Expensive because we almost have to pay for everything that used to be availabe to us free before. To be in a community today you may have to pay for steep club membership. Fees to go to the gym, spas and swimming pools to name a few. All these are required by us to help to manage our stress. Rules and regulations sometimes prohibited us to be at one gathering place just to meet.

The concept of the third place is not new then but because of new social behaviour and thinking induce by the new knowledge that we termed as management thinking we misguidedly destroyed the concept.

Oldenburg, Ray (1999). The great good place: cafes, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons and other hangouts at the heart of a community. Philadelphia: Da Capo Press.

On The Train (Walking and Serendipity), June 24, 2011

I was walking to my new office this morning, it is a bit farther then the usual walk, and as usual I was reading at the same time. The competency that I had mastered after 8 years of doing it. I knew it already what walking can do to you. Apart from it being good physically it is also good for the mind to relax and sometimes reflect and ponder. Most of us take walking for granted now. Kids hardly walk now as there were sent or driven to school effectively from a door step to another door step. All through out their life they had it easy so the thought of walking for 10 minutes to our new building is definitely a big hoo hahh to them. But they are missing a lot. What they really not getting is the opportunity to reflect and discover new things as the mind is induce into thinking and processing all the knowledge that we have. The walk, the surrounding where we walk, the trees, people and whatever else we see and experience along the way are triggers. Triggering you to recreate or create new knowledge as you walk. If one even more relax even more could be gained.

On The Train (I am ashamed to be a Malaysian today), Mar 17, 2011

Something happened on the train to work today.

When we arrived at the UKM station an African couple came on board. I presumed they were married judging from the way they handled themselves. They were quite a young couple. The husband sat next to me and his wife in front of me. Immediately when the wife sat down she saw somebody that came on board together with them dropped something. Being a good samaritan as she was, when the wife saw that she got up form her seat picked the thing, whatever been dropped, and walked to the end of the coach to return the thing back to the owner. What was shameful thing about some of us Malaysian is that not only we are not as civic minded as her. The moment she left her seat to return the thing those standing close by started to run trying to beat each other for her seat. I just stared at them and I could guess what’s coming next. True enough the African lady came back to claim her seat by saying to the lady who was occupying her seat now that she was sitting on hers. I do not know whether the lady was playing dumb of honestly did not realize the situation. The African lady kept on trying to explain to her. Seeing this and trying to avoid a situation her husband got up and vacated his seat for her. I was angry and very ashamed of the incidence. We Malaysians are really sorry lots. I dreaded the day when what happen in Japan now would happen here.

On The Train, Jan 28, 2011

I walked down slowly to the station after I had finished what I wanted to do in the office at 2015. Today the short walk seemed to be taking forever. I guess a lot on my mind and a major changes are ahead of me in the office.  Upon arrival at the station I thought my train was still at Sg Buloh so I stopped at the snack shop at the entrance to buy a bottle of mineral water and a small packet of nuts. That’s an irony I thought maybe I was going nuts LOL. I just could not be bothered with my ticket anymore and just walked through the barrier down to Platform 1. Luck had it that I had been listening to a wrong announcement before, my train was actually 3 minutes away as soon as I wanted to get comfortable at the waiting bench.

The train was empty when I boarded but was filled with the normal Friday evening commuters as soon as we got to KL Sentral. I welcomed the crowd actually for I could resurrected my old favorite activity observing all sorts of characters on the train. Through the corner of my right eye I could see a young boy looking at me wondering, I guess, what was I writing about? A lone young lady standing in front of me was staring down through the floor obviously taking her mind away from the train. Two young ladies beside her were busied 'texting' and talking to each other. I overheard a young  man sitting next to me on my left calling one of his service providers in terminating a service. More crowds started to push in at Mid Valley Station. I ignored them. Two African ladies were talking in their language on my right. This has been a common fixture on the train these days. Whether in the morning or evening, well in fact, whenever I was on the train I would see at least two of them, the Africans. Good or bad the main Malaysian feature now.

I over heard the young lady that was staring through the floor asked the lady next to her whether she could get down at Serdang because she missed her station or something like that. I was not sure though as she said later something like wanting to go ahead to Seremban whereas maybe her ticket was only for Serdang. I wanted to butt in to offer help but decided to just observe especially when I heard she was given the right information she suppose to get. Amazingly while typing my mind wondered off LOL. I needed to be a bit more focused especially with a lot of thinking and writing waiting ahead of me. I do not want to be typing something and  thinking about something else at the same time as I may end up writing what I am thinking that I am not suppose to be thinking he he he.

The train was still a can of ikan sardin when we arrived as Kajang Station. I smelled like ikan sardin myself LOL.

At UKM Station half of the train was empty. I immediately stretched my legs out lazily waiting for Bangi Station to show up.

The CNY week break is something I am really looking forward to now. Away with the family again will do good for me. This time we are going to places that we really have not been before. New experience for all of us.

Yeap, Bangi Station at 2131 and I am home.

On The Train ( The New Year KTMB style and what not), Jan 5, 2011

It’s an increase of another digit to everything again. Work wise I am expecting a new exciting thing to happen in 2011. Morning routine remain the same as last year with just very minor adjustments here and there. KTMB at large remain the same with a bit of improvement with the introduction of the new six car train plying during peak hours on the Seremban Rawang line.

Today I was early going home as I had promised my family a dinner outside. My schedule further helped me to make sure I was out of the office at 1730. I took the 1800 shuttle train to Bangi. I tried to write something but dozed off after Mid Valley station only to wake up at Kajang when the train pulled into platform number 3. As if trying to be a constant spoiler in my life, KTMB dumbed all of us at Kajang station to wait for another train to Seremban. %%$$&O&^$ KTMB! Only recent we were stranded at Salak South station because of a malfunctioned train now this. As I was sitting waiting to walk out I sensed a gentleman was on the phone talking on my left oblivious of the announcement. As I walked out he sort of asked somebody as to what was going on. Since I was the only one in front of him I remarked that KTMB asked us to abandon the train as it was turning back to KL. He replied, ‘Can they do that?’ I said, “ Nothing surprise me anymore about KTMB and they can do anything they like.’. With that we started to talk as we walked across the bridge to platform 1 to wait for another Seremban bound train. He continued, ‘ I thought they have a new good guy as CEO?’. “Yes’, I said. ‘but what can a guy do if they still operating with old and almost obsolete train sets or infrastructure. As long as you have the majority of the workforce with the same old mentality, no point as well.’ As we reached Platform 1 he remarked, ‘I might as well go an have satay Kajang first before I take another train home.’ ‘Not a bad idea.’ I replied. With that he walked away to exit the station.