Everything that could go wrong today and it has to be today. Or rather, it has to go wrong. Yeah, blame it all on poor Murphy's Law. What do you get when you acronym Poor Murphy's Law? (PM's) Law. That's right, PMS Law! A law to govern PMS, the literal pain in the arse hahaha. Ok, enough of lame jokes.

My first suspicion that something was wrong with the bus (105) i was in today was when the driver stopped at the bus stop, refusing to move out even when the coast road is clear and the engine was roaring healthily. I'm not a bus doctor, but i've boarded enough buses to atleast recognise the symptoms of bus failure.

After the extended pause, the bus continued its merry journey. The deejay speaking to me through the earphones plugged in my ears began talking about some Aloha pizza programme coming up and i knew at that point of time, beyond reasonable doubt, that Murphy meant for this day to come.

The bus (105) stopped again a second time, and this time it was for good. And the engines were still roaring healthily. The bus driver came to the center of the bus and began mumbling an announcement. Was he getting married? Anyway, why was he mumbling, maybe its because of the earphones plugged in my ears.

Unfortunately, it wasn't good news, the driver wasn't getting married. But the Ez-Link readers were in a "No battery" state, according to him. And the engines were roaring healthily.

A little telling to those not from around SG public transport system. Ez-link RFID readers are purchased by Ez-link company. The RFID readers are used to facilitate payment transactions for using public transport. And the Ez-link card can be used to pay for your McDonalds too, wonders of wonders indeed.

Anyway, the system is something akin to HK's contactless system. Didn't read up about HK's system though. What happens in SG is that when you board the bus, you'll have to scan the Ez-Link card and the reader will deduct the maximum fare from the card. If you don't scan, the bus driver will waltz up to you to ask for your card, making you feel embarassed the whole time. Sounds familiar to SG huh? And when you alight, you'll have to scan the card again to get a refund on the balance (remember you paid the maximum fare when boarding).

And people who don't have an Ez-Link card, but want to take a bus, they'll have to buy a single trip card + one dollar deposit, which the machine to purchase such cards isn't at any of the bus stops. And the thing about the dollar deposit... oh wait, i think i shouldn't talk about it. Ask me about it when you see me, if you do see me that is, if you really want to know.

Now, with the system explained and in place, but not working, and the engines roaring healthily, the driver told us to alight from the bus where we will be 'transferred' to the next bus. I was like, "Couldn't you continue without picking up more passengers?". But by then, the driver has alighted ready to explain to the next bus's driver the situation we were in. I guess i could have stolen the bus and drove it myself, since the engines were still roaring healthily. But i didn't think i'll get far.

While we were waiting for the next bus (105), a few uncles began talking to the driver rather angrily. I couldn't hear with the earphones plugged in and all, but their body language seem angry. And they appear to be talking about the Ez-Link card system. Aiya uncle, you talk to the driver so angrily for wat, its not like he built the inept system or propose inept policies for the system wat.

Anyway, when the next bus came, i distinctively felt like refugees being ushered up onto the bus. And we didn't need to scan our Ez-Link cards. Which in turn means the 'transfer' was only a physical transfer, not a trip transfer. We were physically on the new bus, but the Ez-Link reader at the exit door wasn't going to recognise the trip recorded in our cards and refund the appropriate amount when we alight.

Now what does that mean? It means it was no different than if we continued to stay in the original bus and the bus went on without picking up more passengers! The only achievement was that i was deprived of a seat.

When i reach my transfer (urgh, more transfers) bus stop, since i missed my usual bus (91), i decided to take bus 95. I actually took bus 95 yesterday. I was quite apprehensive, coz i didn't know if there were many NUS students who had no other life than to continue to go to school on their holidays. I didn't want to be stuck in a crowded bus, the only one alighting. But it turned out that the bulk of the people alighted at the factory, a stop before NUS, the stop which i also have to alight if i'm taking 95.

So i thought today would be the same. And i moved all the way to the back of the bus. Then the bus plied with NUS students. And when the bus reached the factory bus stop, i was like the only one to alight from the back of the bus. One of the girl students even make a "tut" sound when i came through. What the hell...

When i was walking from the 95 bus stop to the office, i saw bus 91A, my really usual bus, coming in the other direction. It had completed the loop and was leaving. Which means if i had waited for bus 91A rather than take bus 95 earlier, i would have saved from getting "tut", saved from walking and reached the office earlier.

And to top it off, some call-in audience was singing some homemade lyrics on how she likes Aloha pizza...