Sunday, March 24, 2013

It's so easy to step on someone's foot in Singapore

Talk about overcrowding. In Singapore, it's very frequent that you will be stepping onto someone's foot while you are out. Be it in public places or transport. Probably you have said your apology numerous times, or for some not more than the digits on your right hand. People of the latter perplexes me. It's as if, apology is a difficult word (or incriminating). Are we all lawyers nowadays?

I have the feeling that, there are some people out there in Singapore street purposely stepping on people's feet. They are doing it intentionally, just to bring a message across... "out of my way!". If you are stationery, the "foot-steppers" would intentionally assault your foot with, "you are on my spot!". That should be an explanation for the reluctance of people to say their courtesy sorry, whenever they accidentally step onto someone.

How do we as society guide these lost sheep back into the flock? The next time someone steps onto you, don't hesitate and wait for an apology. Just say "ouch, you stepped onto my foot". If without response, add in, "aren't you going to say sorry?". If that didn't evoke any response too, just step onto his/her foot and say, "I'm sorry".

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Bus - Door hoggers

I believe daily commuters should have realised that there are bus doors hoggers. How do we classify them? Well, they hog the exit door and very reluctant to move further back into the bus (thus preventing other commuters from entering).

What are the reason for their hogging? I can only think of easy and quick access to exit door.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Good intention, bad presentation

Today, boarded a bus. The bus captain (aka driver) could be inexperience and was not comfortable with all the buttons he has to operate before, during, and after each stop. In one stop, he forgot to close one of the bus doors and one teen commuter tried to highlight this. The commuter's intention was good, he cared and worried that someone might be flung out of the moving bus. The commuter said to the captain, "close the door".

However, the above three words were uttered as if the speaker was really irritated (similar to a parent saying something to the kid for the upteepth time). So I wondered. How true it is that kids learn/emulate parents. We sometimes forget that by shouting or speaking in an angry/irritated tone, we aren't actually increasing the efficiency of passing a message. It is rather, diluting the message with distraction (loudness, tone, emotion) for the person on the receiving end. This I'm afraid is contagious, and kids will follow.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

SBS BUS upper deck uncomfortable seat near window

My left (or right) sole is killing me. It's so uncomfortable resting your feet when you are seated near the window on the upper deck.

The reason is due to the uneven, and awkward surface/floor at the side of the upper deck (see pic). I would have preferred that the uneven surface could have been modified into elevated flat surface.

Fig shows the uneven flooring that is uncomfortable and awkward to rest your foot there.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

SBS bus #179 love to overtake "slower" NTU shuttle buses

Waiting for SBS 179 bus can test patience. Sometimes, you wait for >10 min just to find two of these buses tailgating one another, with seats (or occupancy) half empty. This scenario of course, happens off peak. That is why you get to wait longer for a bus at NTU. I wonder why there isn't strict enforcement of standardized timing for buses to start and end at a station. It seemed that there are some drivers eager to finish his shift faster, hence the haste to finish the journey, and resulting in two to three buses tailgating one another.

Back to the topic, some drivers of SBS 179 seemed eager to overtake "slower" NTU shuttles. This poses few concerns, mainly safety as the road around NTU is not meant for overtaking. Second, by overtaking shuttle, especially at bus stops (while the shuttle is stationery), SBS drivers often miss out few patrons waiting at these stops. For the drivers convenience (i.e. driving in front of slower vehicles), they are causing inconveniences to patrons who might have waited for the bus for ages.

Is fuel price getting low these days? Why the waste of dispensing buses just to get them back to base half/quarter utilized? How to change drivers mentality? How to implement/enforce simple rule?

I'm not paid to solve this problem. Get someone under SBS payroll to do it. My opinion is, SBS service is not getting any better.

Friday, March 1, 2013

System flawed at Public Library Singapore

I love our National Library of Singapore. The book collection is superb. The atmosphere in most places are conducive for reading, meeting, and working on assignments.

I can renew books and check catalogue online. I can keep tab of my borrowings, set reminders for impending overdue etc.

However, there is one flaw in the system. If I forget to renew my books on time, the system will prevent me from renewing them (even though I was allowed to do so a day before overdue). The penalty system kicks in by commencing charging of overdue cost and at the same time penalises users from renewing, which is very unfair. IMHO, renewal option should be given to user to prevent further overdue charges (esp. considering that the book is still needed by user).

I believe it could be a computer bug. If user has unpaid overdue, he/she will be prevented from both borrowing and renewal, hence the only way is to physically be at the library to return the book(s) or request renewal of book(s) at the counter after overdue payment.

So for now, if you forget to renew on time, you have to return the book ASAP and pay $0.15 per book per day. That is the penalty for not renewing on time. Bummer.