Thursday, May 25, 2006

Train of thought

Realising that blogging could never be as fun as it has been over the last few days with all the taporigiri in the comments space, I had made fultu plans of retiring from blogsphere in the Bhai-type glory of that post, lekin kismat aur Ipanema Girl ko yeh manzoor nahin tha. :|

So there's this guy I see every morning at the train station on my way to work.


This dude:

- boards the train at the same station as me
- takes the same train as me
- gets off at the same station (which is all the way in the east) as me
- crosses the same overhead bridge as me
- goes to the same bus stop as me
- and even takes the same bus as me to go to work!

(No, he's not a colleague of mine. I am not that crazy. Actually I am, but that's a different story.)

We're past the phase of first conversation or even a 'We take the same train and bus' acknowledgement smile. Which is why it's kinda weird to be around each other every single morning for more than an hour and not say a word. I'm sure he shares my sentiments.

Of course, I could take an earlier train or a later train and end the whole drama. But I can't. There's more to it, you see.

He and I both know the secret to the 7:15 train.

Every morning, at exactly 7:15 am, an unannounced train pulls into Clementi station, without a single person inside!!!!!! :O :O :O

Why is that so strange, you ask? Well, because empty trains don't just happen to Clementi like that. Clementi is probably one of the most crowded stations ever and they can make a full 'Survivor' episode just about getting on a train at Clementi.

I still remember how I discovered this train. Once, just as I reached the station, I saw a train whose doors were just closing, but surprisingly, not everyone on the platform was rushing to get in. There were a few folks, including this dude, who were just standing there, staring at the train. The train pulled away, and yet all these people calmly stood there. I was really surprised. Usually people would dash for the train the minute the doors open, irrespective of whether it's going in the direction they want to go or not.

I looked at the train arrival board and it said 'Next train 5 minutes'. I was all set to wait 5 minutes when I did a double take. A train was pulling into the station. Weird. The board now said 'Next train 4 minutes.' Maybe it was one of those 'unboardables' whose doors don't open, and it moves on without taking in any people.

But I was wrong. The doors opened. People dashed. I dashed. The doors closed. The train moved.

This train was completely unannounced!

Maybe it's a mistake, I thought. A glitch in the otherwise very orderly matrix known as Singapore. But I noted that it happened every single day. It
was indeed a regular phenomenon that few people knew about.

I told a friend about it and even dragged him to the station one morning to show him 'the phenomenon' as I called it.

He said with a straight face, "Achha. Must be a train from the shed."

"From the what??"

"Shed. Must be a train from the Clementi shed. It begins its journey at Clementi. That's why it's empty."

Huh? Shed?? That's it? A train from the shed? Every morning, at the same time?! Completely unannounced, completely empty?!

A train from the shed??!!

That's all you can come up with? How boring. Damn you computer engineers. Not an ounce of creativity! Wait, I'll give you the true explanation in a minute.

Remember Andaz Apna Apna where one of the most memorable characters Gogo ji says, "Mogambo ka bhateeja hoon, aaya hoon toh kuchh lekar hi jaunga."?

Well, Sayesha says, "
Bollywood ki rani hoon, aayi hoon toh kuchh drama toh hona hi chahiye."

How about this?


The train that pulls in every morning at 7:15 am into Clementi station is not actually empty.

:O




42 comments:

Unknown said...

me FIRST. after ALL.

Unknown said...

it carries the bhoot from blogistan. that haunts sayesha and says "you better make a post today hahahhahahahahaha"

and what about the guy? are you still stalking him?? huh? huh??

Sayesha said...

#Ipanema Girl,
Hahahaa! It should be 'Me first BEFORE all!" Hahahaah! Dhakkan hai tu bhi! :D

//it carries the bhoot from blogistan. that haunts sayesha and says "you better make a post today hahahhahahahahaha"

This bhoot sounds scarily like you! :/

//are you still stalking him??

Me stalk the guy?? Hahahaha! :D The guy is not very stalkable yaar... tall hai, handsome bhi hai... shareef bhi dikhta hai... lekin he has a moochh yaar! Sash doesn't dig moochhwalas. :D

#Venky,
How on earth did you get a Singapore shrink's number? Unless you're the shrink himself, and this is just a ladki-patao method, huh huh huh? :O

The Girl Who Sold The World said...

Uh, mujhe samajh nahin aaya...am I really that dumb? :-/

IndianArchie said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
IndianArchie said...

Sayesha bhai, you seriously dont see all the dead people inside?? I am sure they can see you! And maybe the other fellow is your guardian angel..sent to keep those 'dead' people from attacking you..think about it.

And ya, the taporigiri in ur prev post was fun..but too much in the comments made it difficult to read.

One more thing..*loved* your lapdance post :D

IndianArchie
Musings that Amuse
Think Dull

Abhishek Upadhyay said...

Sayesha Bhai,
i am amazed you dont know shed phenomenon.Arre exactly same lafda happens at Dadar station in Mumbai.One train comes from Dadar shed totally empty at 6.00Pm(most crowded hour).
May be your friend who told about shed phenomenon is from Mumbai.But the mumbai train comes with announcement unlike singapuri train.
Does this means Mumbai trains are well managed than singapuri conterparts?:)

HaRi pRaSaD said...

/Usually people would dash for the train the minute the doors open, irrespective of whether it's going in the direction they want to go or not/

:D :D :D That was funny!!

/Damn you computer engineers. Not an ounce of creativity!/

Great! Creativity and computer engineers?! Good joke! :D
The Royal Mechs are born with a flair for it ;)

(Err..Sayesha are there too many computer people in your bar?!! Gulp!!)

Shekhar said...

And even as I smile after reading the last 3 lines of this post, I can't help but say....


"HEYYYYYYYYYYYYY BHAGWAAAAAAANNN !!!!"

Anonymous said...

yaa, yaa, i got it. it must be the puking which is caused when u overdrink. kya pee liya tha aapne joh aishe 'sixth sense' waale sapne aa rahe the. so does the man with mysterious moustache wear over-coat??


mazza aa gaya padke.

Anonymous said...

waat was that :|

Anonymous said...

>> Which is why it's kinda weird >> to be around each other every >> single morning for more than an >> hour and not say a word.

Walk up and say ..."Hey you looked at me and looked away and then looked at me again and then looked away again....what does that mean??!" :P

>> The train that pulls in every >> morning at 7:15 am into
>> Clementi station is not
>> actually empty.

I see dead people!!! :O

Cheers
Kais

dharmu said...

sayesha bhai, zabardast post, nayi baat nahi..phir bhi.

aur kya bhai? i was waiting to see why the clementi train was empty or something about that dude, jeez.. platform par twist????

and i agree, comp engineers, or for that matter, any enginees dont have that ounce of creativity.

R said...

*maxxxxx gusse wala luk, maxxxxx*
//had made fultu plans of retiring from blogsphere
:O :O :O :O
no no no no no no no no no no
u are not retiring!!!!
you dunt blog for one day and the day seems khaali khaali and there u are talking abt retiring!

sharm nahi aati
hain???!!!
bolo bolo, koi jawab hai? huh!

Unknown said...

@ tgwstw,
//..am I really that dumb? :-/

lagta hai all the yoga has helped, you've just had your moment of enlightenment.
muahahahahhhhaha
btw..don't see you up there anymore? *almost* taken the fun out of my heists. (i said *almost*) :)

@sayesha,
// I had made fultu plans of retiring from blogsphere in the Bhai-type glory of that post, lekin kismat aur Ipanema Girl ko yeh manzoor nahin tha. :|

kismat aura mera kusoor nai tha, it was the 7:!5 TRAIN!!! BWAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Anonymous said...

I am that guy who travels with you...Come and get me baby!!

Anonymous said...

Though not a Computer Engg. by profession, I am nerd enough to believe in Matrix. NO!!! Not Matrix of Singapore... woh movie.. Neo wali... haan woh wali Matrix. So, I don't believe in ghosts... thus the train is not empty theory doesn't work with me. Ghost wost kuch nahi hota... these are shadow code in system.. lines that were not terminated with a ; and thus go into infinite loops or cause errors. Well coming to the train theory... (this point onwards I assume you have seen all three Matrix movies)

In Matrix Revolutions, there is this train station where Neo is caught. A train station where no person should go. Where code is sent to terminate and never to return to the system. Yes that station is between Clementi and station-before-Clementi. So this announced train is a train that passes through the station-that-should-not-be-named and drops off daily code that needs to be terminated. And then comes to Clementi. Thus it is empty and since Architect doesn't want people to know about this station-that-should-not-be-named, this train is never announced officially.

How is that for an explanation? Exceeds your crazy explanation in terms of CQ (crazy quotient)... hain na?

PS If you guess who can give this insane explaination, I will grant you a wish. Since I know about the Matrix, don't take my 'granting of wish' lightly? :D

Anonymous said...

Hi this is the architect again...

in case you are wondering the station is called 'Mobil Ave' and here is a hint to my name...

'A Dr. Ape got thy'

Lalit Singh said...

and i thought that this post was in line with the post about the gym guy
kya yaar????

Sayesha said...

#World Girl,
Aaj kal tu slow ho gayi hai... gold lene mein bhi, aur baat samajhne mein bhi! :D

#Venky,
Arre why did you delete the comment?? Itna mast tha! :(

#Indian Archie,
Hahaha! Interesting theory... can my guardian angel be Arjun Rampal? ;)

#Abhishek,
Arre apun kabhi Mumbai gayaich nahin toh kaise maloom hoenga?! :/

//Does this means Mumbai trains are well managed than singapuri conterparts?:)

Either that, or there's more to it! ;)

#Hari,
Thanks! :P
Actually I like having techie people around in my bar... the latest breed of techie guys seems to defy all stereotypes... they're not only good-looking, they're funny too! :)

#Shekhar,
Mera kya hoga, hai na? :D

#Satish,
Puking?? Oye apun is bar mein sirf orange juice peeta hai samjha? :/

//so does the man with mysterious moustache wear over-coat??

Hahahaha! Man with mysterious moustache nahin re! Mysterious man with moustache! Bahut difference hai dono mein! Hahahaha! :D

#Spammy,
Bheje ke upar se guzar gaya eh? You need a 'sixth sense' to understand the post. Pun intended. ;)

#Kais,
I KNEW it! There had to be a tip from you about how to approach that guy! :D Prob is - I don't want to! :D

//I see dead people!!! :O

Egg-jactly. :|

#Dharmu,
//Platform par twist

Achha idea hai! Bilkul mast! Next time apun karega... platform par twist... aaoooo twist karein... aao twist karein... :D

//any enginees dont have that ounce of creativity.

OYE! Zubaan ko lagaam de! Bhai bhi engineer hai, bhool gayi kya?? :/

#Raam Pyari,
Tera maxxxx gussa wala 'luk' is so adorable pata hai?? :)

Haan haan, not retiring baba... but will be taking a break soon... :)

#Ipanema Girl,
Kaiku World Girl ko tease kar rahi hai? Uske bhi din hua karte they un unchaaiyon par! :)

#Pink Panther,
Hahahaha! That guy looks too seedha-sadha to pull off a comment like that. Nice try. :D

#Architect,
Wow. I mean WOW. Solid explanation ma. Apun fan ho gaya tera! :)

I still maintain that my CQ is higher though! ;)

//'A Dr. Ape got thy'

Eeesh! Tough one... let me try...

A Dr. Ape = A drape = Ek parda... Naah!

A Dr. A = Adra = Adrak ki chai... Naah!

Ok, will think more about it... waise you sound like Ritzkini, lekin I know it's not him... not Weird Hair Anil either... Writing style doesn't seem to match anyone else either... sochega... sochega apun... :|

#Lalit,
Achha you mean Friday Night No Life Guy?? Woh toh history hai yaar... guys are like trains, ek gaya toh doosra aaya... Kyun? :D

Anonymous said...

I can't understand the catch of your last few lines... but your last sentence gives me a shiver...

I thought this post goes along with that gym man. :-)) Hey, is he cute or what?

oxymoron said...

hey, how about the hogwarts express concept? only for wizards. sharing the same platform (unlike 9-3/4)

Anonymous said...

________
Hahahaha! Man with mysterious moustache nahin re! Mysterious man with moustache! Bahut difference hai dono mein! Hahahaha! :D
________

thanks!:">

Sayesha said...

#Joy,
Don't worry about the hindi bit... just some Bollywood nonsense! ;)
The dude is cute I think... will find out if he shaves off his moustache! :)

#Oxymoron,
Oooh can I be Hermione? :D

#Satish,
Hahahaha! Still laughing over 'mysterious moustache'.

#Architect,
I have SOLVED the mystery!! That was you, Prad!!! Damn I should have guessed earlier! Dr Ape it seems!!! :D

Prayank said...

kya Tai ( i mean bhai) ... S'pore ke chokra log ko to shanti se rehne do ... kaikoo pechee padela hai ...

Bhavesh said...

OMG...!! U r awesome..!!

Anonymous said...

Bachhi,

You seem to be joining the gang of Bollywood directors who are into the genre of horror ;)

Kewl..planned any sequels to this one?

Raju Bathija said...

Amusing post.

Sayesha said...

#Prayank,
Phir tai??? Bhai bolne mein zor aata hai?? Grrr... :/ Aur ek baat, apun Singapore ka chhokra logon ke peechhe nahin, kya? Singapore ka chhokra log apun ke peechhe hai... apun ka tapori-history nahin maloom na... isliye! ;)

#Justme,
Whoa. Thanks? :P

#Naari,
Haan, hai na sequel! Naam hai - darna flop hai. :D

#Raju,
Thanks :)

#Venky,
How disappointing. Arre war kiya toh darna kya?? :D

dearbharat said...

Its not empty because there are some smarties who board the train in the service "Yard "or so called "shed".
And that 4 minutes funda still remains valid. Next train in 4 minutes implies that next train will leave the station in 4 minutes irrespective of what time it enters the station :D Thats true for all the trains orginating at a particular station.

Muhaaawaaaa....

Unknown said...

Ms. Bollywood ki Rani...

Am back to eat your brains!

Hey.. whats up with this 'Sayesha bhai'? Guess something to do with your previous post! Whoa!! I've got to catch with many of your posts yaar!!!

//I am not that crazy. Actually I am, but that's a different story
would like to hear that story too ;) :P

Nice post.. he's tall & handsome eh? I hope he shaves off his moustache soon so we can have another cute & funny post by you.. fighting your crush :P:P

Take care,
Aarti

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

One more thing Sash...

Don't ever think of retiring from blogsphere.. btw.. what made you take such a decision ma'am???

And plzzzzzzzzzz.. don't let the break be for too long...

Take care,
Aarti

Preethi said...

@Dharmu:
Bhai, kya bola tum??? Engineer logon ka bheja kaam ich nahi karta??
Aisa zor se mat bolo bhai.. apun tumko hi tapka dalega...

Sayesha bhai.. sachi mein batao to mereko aapka yeh wala post zyada samajh nahi aya... woh wala platfrom pe twist itna drama wala nahi hain bhai...
Abhi aap mujhe mat tapkao, baal bache hain bhai mereko..:)

-Preethi

Jeevan Baretto said...

It might be some summer special one.. just like how you have it in INDIA wherein majority of them won't know abt it.. he he... just a guess...:-)

Shekhar said...

//Mera kya hoga, hai na?

Arre baba, yeh to mere mummy ki line hai, jab bhi woh mere future ke baare mein sochti hai. :D

Anonymous said...

Kya baat hai... kaise pehchala? Anagram crack kiya ya IP track kiya?
-Prad

Prayank said...

I dunno lekin I feel Tai suits u more :-) ... bhai thoda old fashioned hai ...

Anonymous said...

AIIIII!!!!

fooled me again!!!!!!!

siddhu

Sayesha said...

#Disha,
Hahaha! No admirer yaar... bas bechara phans gaya hai same train mein mere saath :)

#Bhaarat,
Hainn??? Sab oopar se paar go gaya! :D

#Aarti,
Welcome back! :) And there's no way I'm gonna have a crush on him! :D

#Preethi,
Arre apun Dharmu ko already dhamka chuka hai... tum apna dhamki waste mat karo :D

#Jeevan,
Hahahaaha! Summer special train?? Hahahaha! Singapore has perpetual summer yaar! :O

#Shekhar,
Tera kya hoga re :D

#Pradyot,
Of course anagram crack kiya! I don't think I can track IP, whenever I see my statcounter data, chakkar aa jata hai! :O

#Prayank,
Ab tu nahin bachega mere haathon se! :/

#Siddhu,
:D

Anonymous said...

much ado about nothing! :(
?

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