I've wronged you, SMRT

Pardon me when I said SMRT was like packed sardines, if I've ever said that. It's just that I don't know what packed sardines really was until last Sunday. It was a truly unique experience.

This thing happened after my Ma.lac.ca trip. I'll write about Ma.lac.ca trip next time when I have the photos and time to write.

At around 2pm, the Ma.lac.ca trip kakis sent me to Ma.lac.ca Sen.tr.al to buy bus ticket to make my way to K.L for work trip. But little did I know that the ticket could sold out so quickly. The best timing we could find was 730pm bus. I was supposed to reach there by 6pm. Then while asking counter to counter about the availability of the tickets, one taxi uncle was rounding up people to take his cab to the train station.

Then as usual, I never ask thing properly, so I took up his offer. And once he managed to find 4 pax, off we went to the train station.

All along, I thought the train station he's referring to was some K.L train station. Until when he reached the train station, he stopped the car and waited for us to alight. Apparently all the 4 of us onboard was staring blankly at him, and he looked back at us blurly too, and said, "KTM! Ini!" Or something like that.

Oh well... What to do... FYI, it was pouring heavily outside. I swiftly exited the cab, ran to the boot, picked up my barang barang, and ran into the K.T.M station. The counter queue was long, so I gey kiang time again (as usual) trying to find my own way to K.L.

Looking at the train route map, I was at Se.rem.ban (and I totally have no idea where the hell was that place), and K.L Sen.tr.al was 13 stops away. Saw an automated ticket vending machine, so book my ticket via there. Then I asked the usher/security guard/whoever nearby to confirm the train I gonna take was at the platform there.

Next suay part of the adventure. The gate only has 1 gantry in. A me.la.yu family was hogging the gantry. Apparently one of their tickets had some problem. Retry and retry and retry and... When it's finally my turn to go in.... THE BLOODY TRAIN WENT OFF!!! AND THE TRAIN STILL GOT LOTS OF SPACE! AND IT'S NOT PACKED!!!

Fine! Looking at the board, next train was coming in 15min time or so, so never mind, I'll wait. Then an announcement came, in me.la.yu, I don't understand but I saw the time on the board changed. Great. It was delayed. And this went on for a few more times. End up, The train came 1hr later. Bravo!

By the time the train came, the platform was already overcrowded. Everyone rushed into the train, and luckily I managed to get in too. Despite the train being full like what we saw on SMRT during rush hour, people still kept pushing their way in. Pack and pack and pack, until 80% of your surface are in contact with other people on the train. Nice eh? Luckily I scare troublesome, never buy any stuff from Ma.lac.ca. Or else I'm pretty sure they will all end up crushed.

Then this procedure of packing sardines continued for the next 12 stops until K.L Sen.tr.al. GG. At 730pm or so, I finally managed to reach K.L Sen.tr.al in one piece, with some scratches on my arms due to the squeezing out of the train.

When I got out of the train, I could feel my feet and legs totally sore. Stood for 3hrs with my heavy bag and heavy laptop, plus the fatigue from previous day.

This is quite stupid. The train was delayed because people kept trying to squeeze into the packed train, which often resulted in improper closing of the train doors. Thus the train doors had to open and close many many many times until they were all properly closed. Waste of time.

Next, concurrent entering and exiting of passengers. Come on lah! Don't be stupid can? You want to come into a fully packed train? Let people go out first to give up their space lah! You trying hard to squeeze in, people can't get out, you wasted that their time because they exceed their stop, AND less person can come in! TOTAL INEFFICIENCY! Waste of time x2.

Argh... Been there, done that. Fullstop. No more second time for me.