Of Bus Trips, Compulsory Annuities And Good HouseKeeping

Open And Close Sesame
This bus just wouldn't open up its doors.

There was one right in front of it, parked by the bus bay, for boarding and alighting passengers.

So moi walked to the back for this bus. But it just refuses to open its doors. It waited for the first bus in front of it to move off and then it moved forward to park itself by the bus bay.

God, do the bollards ever prove to be an obstruction and a crotch-hitter if one should be so unaware to knock into one.

Crouching Hands, Crotch Hitters
Much like the swinging hands of a person (usually a gall) walking in front of you. You are squeezed right behind her because to your left and to your right and also your behind, there are other people walking.

Just do not walk your crotch into her waiting hands or your crown jewels may just be knocked off its pedestal.

Black Out
It was way past 7pm and it was getting darker and darker.

But the interior of the bus hadn't been lighted up yet. It was so dark, nothing could really be seen inside. When moi enquired, the bus driver replied that the lights aren't working.

You mean there are no prior checks to ensure it is all systems go before a bus goes on the road?

It is like seeing the engines of buses stalling when a bus stops, taking a while to start again or never doing so.

Isn't this gonna be a safety hazard?

Block Out
It is bad enough that some buses have those grey and dotted glazed windows (serving as advertisement vehicles) that blurs the view outside in the daytime and gets even worse at night.

Imagine someone new on a bus trying to make out the landmarks so he can alight or an elderly person with poor vision.

Scan Out
My EzLink card just wouldn't scan again. This is the second time this has happened.

The usual explanation at the ticketing office is that it is corrupted and I had to buy a new one, a totally different type from my last two cards.

This is the one where there is a non-refundable $5 cost for the card, a $7 stored value and a refundable $3 deposit- making it a grand total of $15. Compare this with the old type where it is only a refundable $5 withheld as a deposit.

Seems to me that the previous type probably has lots of glitches so they came out with this new type. Let's see how this one turns out.

You Wanna Count Every Cent, So Can I (Is This Fair?)
But it was more what happened on board the bus that irked moi.

The driver insisted I pay my fare in cash. Fine. But I had only a dollar in coin. The trip costs 90 cents and the bus ticket only prints the 90 cents fare trip.

If the ticket prints out a $1 receipt but indicates a 90 cents fare, I could probably walk up to a ticketing office and asks for a refund of the difference.

But it doesn't.

Make It An Option After A Number Of Years
I am dead-set against the idea of a compulsory annuity.

I suggest that a certain number of years lapse (so he can gauge more effectively if he needs a longer coverage than usual coverage based on his own life expectancy) with the current scheme of a 20-year payout from the minimum sum before someone decides if he wanna convert it into an annuity which will cover him till death at a lower payout.

And yes, do show us the calculation of how the figure of $790 was arrived at. This is the payout based on a 20-year current level minimum sum.

This looks much better than the $400-$500 of an annuity payout.

Good HouseKeeping Extends To The Region And Globally
Let me extend this argument further.

If you keep your house in good order, this leads to the same at the workplace and the country.

Never mind the region and the international scene.

As long as we do, we can show them how this has helped us keep order and that they should do the same.