Happiness is .... (2)

I dare say that I quite enjoy bus rides. I enjoy the programs on Mobile T.V. the most. My favourite is "Just for laughs". How nice it is to travel on the bus and watch T.V. at the same time. Sometimes I laughed a little too heartily, forgetting that I was in a public bus and not at home!

Our buses are quite new nowadays. By golly! They are colorful and cheerful - orange coloured seats with bright purple and yellow railings!

Whenever I am in the bus, I thank God for His blessings of our wonderful vehicles and great transport system. I recall how in Nepal, passengers are like packed sardines in a can. Where there is not enough space, goods and sometimes people, and even goats and sheep are also put on top of the bus.!

Yet strangely, some of our people here are so stressed that even when they were in the wrong they would act righteous and punch the bus drivers when queried about the wrong usage of link cards, etc. This has prompted the company to put posters which say, "Our bus captains have the right to a safe and smooth journey.

Usually when I alight from the bus, I would thank the bus driver for a safe journey, especially when I happen to alight at the entrance when the bus is very crowded.

Once, a few years ago, I was interviewed on Channel News Asia on Prime Time TV. The government was then encouraging elderly people to be active and to be brave to try new things. I had ventured into the restaurant business and hence was a suitable target for the interviewers. I thought it would be no harm to experience being interviewed. Moreover, at the unearthly time of 8.30a.m., most people would not be watching the television anyway, as most would be either in the office or on their way to work.

Hence, I was pleasantly surprised when my friends and associates called me, "Hey, Choo, just saw you on TV.!"

"You're not working today?" I asked.

"No, I was watching mobile TV in the bus."

I had forgotten all about mobile TV as I usually took the MRT.

Some buses do not have TV installation, and I would try to read my novel or newspapers. Or I would try to get my forty winks before I reach my destination.

If I were in a hurry, I would prefer to take the MRT. If I had time, I would prefer a more leisurely journey by bus, where I could sit back and relax, watching the world go by, pondering and counting my blessings and naming them one by one.

Gan Chau