Sunday, January 15, 2012

Public Transport Jinx strikes again

So today i had to be somewhere, and decided to take 175 there, since while being the only bus service to get there, it also magically happens to pass one of the bus stops near my place, at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.

So i got to the bus stop and the bus info screen said that it would be 7 minutes until it arrived. Great, i thought, as that gave me enough time to head to Plaza Singapura to withdraw some money first. So i did so, but when i got back to the bus stop the info screen still read 7 minutes. Stupid me figured that it meant that the bus was delayed somewhere, so i went to the red line portion of Dhoby Ghaut to take the train to Lavender, where i could also take the same bus.

However, after reaching the red line portion of the station i saw that i'd just missed the train and the next one would arrive in another five minutes. So i figured, to heck with it, i'd jsut go back to the bus stop and take the bus. Of course, just as i got to the street level on the opposite side of the road from the bus stop, 175 had just reached the stop, and since there was a red man, i was unable to cross the road to catch it.

Of course, i then went back to Plan B, taking the train to Lavender (after waiting a fair bit for the connecting train at city hall) and hoping to catch the same 175 there to my destination. I walked very briskly, as i usually do, past the gantries, but ended up stuck behind a couple with a baby and a heavy and fat stroller blocking the passageway at the escalator headed upwards. Normally i'd ask politely to be let through everytime people are blocking my way, but since they had a stroller and seemed to be having some difficulty with it as it was, i decided to stand there behind them and wait patiently.

What better time for the same 175 that i saw at Dhoby Ghaut to leave the stop then when i finally got to the top of the escalator.

Needless to say, i ended up giving an income opportunity to a cab driver instead..