The Guards of the Seat

The first thing that anyone who just boarded the bus will look out for is an empty seat. You can see the smiles of the people's faces upon discovering the seat. Without hesitation, they scamper to grab the seat. It's like playing musical chairs with strangers. Of course, this time the losers just have to endure their rides standing on fatigued legs.

The seat on our daily public bus is something all of us should be familiar with, unless you drive to school everyday. The inner seat is the one near to the window and the outer seat is nearer to the aisle. It is designed such that 2 human beings can get to enjoy resting their legs while travelling in the bus. Yet, sadly, not everyone knows this.

When I board the bus, I would notice some people sitting on the inner seat while others on the outer seat. Now why would anyone want to sit on the outer seat and leave the inner seat vacant? Do they have an invisible friend with them? No. Obviously these people want the whole seat to themselves, which really defeats the purpose of the design of the seat. This has been something prevalent in many of the bus trips I have taken.

Apparently, these inconsiderate bunch of people wants to be able to spread their legs as wide as possible or even perform the YoGa on the seat. By sitting on the outer seat, they act as an obstruction for others to get in. They are like security guards and you need to seek permission to share a seat with them.

" Hmm... Hello, excuse me, can I sit inside?"
" NO! Show me your pass first!"

Ok, I am just kidding. Naturally, they are obliged to let you sit with them. They either move in or shift sideways for you to enter the premises. At the same time giving you a complimentary frown on the face.

However, if in some cases when the bus is crowded with stinking people, and if you see a seat behind only occupied by one person, and if he has the size of Moses Lim, i would reckon it is better to leave him alone. It is more suffocating being squeezed by them than being stuck in the middle of perspiring army boys.


-doubleU

Things to ponder about

How come Superglue does not stick to its tube?

By Now.......

I have managed to catch the Campus Superstar Result show a few days back. I am truly amazed that the program's producers are able to plan a show, that has minimal content, to fit in a 30-min timeslot immaculately. A result show is unlike the talent show. It can last for 1 min or as long as half an hour. Obviously, the producers chose the latter. Here's some of the highlights of the show and methods the producers adopt to delay the whole process:

It was late in the night. The curtains went up, as we witnessed loads of screaming teenagers displaying posters of their Idols or mere friends. The 3 hosts appeared and invited the 5 contestants up on stage.

The hosts read through the names and the respective tag numbers of the remaining contestants. One by one, the contestants posed for the camera with their megawatt smiles and the "two fingers" hand signs. It was follwed by a recap of their performances earlier on and the judges' comments.

Soon, it's the moment we have been waiting for; the result. The contestants could not hide their nervousness. Armed with clenched fists and stiff bodies, thet stood in the middle of the stage as if an accused waiting for the verdict. Then it was one of the girls who took the initiative and interlocked arms with her neighbour contestants. With that, all of them were instantly reminded to appear like good friends instead of competitive rivals. They held hands, assuring each other that they will definitely go through, when what was going through their mind is just the reverse. Lights were dimed, spotlights centralised on the girls, everyone was riveted to their TV screens. It was the moment. Then one of the hosts grinned and said " We'll be back after this break!"

That was also when I took the remotely control and almost smash the host's face with it.

The show returns. The 3 familiar computer screens began flashing the contestants' faces randomly until they stopped with each displaying the same photo. " It's F2, Imm Kim!!" ( Oh yes, give that shocked face. I bet you did not expect to go through either). Imm Kim said her thank-you speech before her her fans go wild with her cheer.

Now, the hosts read through the names and the respective tag numbers of the remaining contestants. One by one, the contestants pose for the camera with their megawatt smiles and the " two fingers" hand signs. You can see how this process repeats time after time. 4 contestants became 3 remaining. Then it's down to 2. They are Geraldine and Yvonne. Without even feeling a tinge of surprise, Junyang said " You'll find who's going through after the commercials"

2 bodies were standing shakily on stage. Both of them looked solemn and even when the cameras zoomed in on their faces, their lips struggled to form a smile. Wide eyes staring in space, one pondered " How am I going to face my friends in school tomorrow if I am out?" while the other thought " How should I react if I go through?" Awkwardly, they interlocked each other's arms. Computer screens started to flash their pictures and the audience held their breath while anticipating for the final result.

"Geraldine, you are through!" exclaimed JunYang. The survivor seemed stunned for a while and broke into a glum face while Yvonne could only afford to smile gently. They remembered and hugged each other. Yvonne stayed to say her good-byes and Geraldine went to join her fans. Yvonne was still smiling, yet lines of her lips began to curve downwards. Tears gathered at the bottom of her eyes, only she restraining them to fall. DesmondKoh patted her back to comfort her, at the same time urging her fans to give a cheer for her. The show ended at the end of the 30 minutes.

The show could have been much shorter. Just imagine Sugiato is standing alone on stage. He takes out a card from an envelope, which he has been holding all along and read out, " Good evening, I know you are all eagerly awaiting for the results to be announced. Here it is. It's a close battle between the contestants. They all have done well. But, one of them will have to be eliminated for obtaining the lowest score. She is (with no sounds of drums rolling at all) Yvonne. The rest are through to the next round. Congrats to them. Ok. Goodnight everyone!"

That should fit the 1-min timeslot perfectly.