Appreciate or complain

We always hear complaints in the city we live in. I could remember grumblings on how irregular the bus trips would be, how crowded the MRT are and how often the trains have broken down in recent months.

It was until I travel overseas that I realise that we are in a fortunate world. That when we compare ourselves to the developed countries and cosmopolitan cities, we are miles ahead in terms of infrastructure and efficiency.

Buses - I traveled to Australia before. More recently, my visit to Nottingham allowed me the opportunity to use the buses on a frequent basis. I made trips down to the city after my classes and hang out till the night falls. But catching a bus goes by a 30 mins interval. And here we are, complaining when the buses take more than 10 mins to arrive.

Crowdedness - Singapore MRTs can be pretty crowded. But Paris re-defined my meaning of 'crowdedness'. I was heading for the airport at about 4.30 pm that afternoon. The mass of people astonished me. Such that when the train arrived, I was pushed up the train. Accidentally collided into people around me and nearly tripped over my luggage in the process. The train had problems closing their door, as it was so packed to the brim.

MRT Service - SMRT was recently slapped a hefty fine for their incompetence in the trains service. I thought about how justified it was. London was a developed cosmopolitain city. However, their "tubes", which are the trains, have halted involunatrily for 5 times for no apparent reason in my short 5 days stay there. I wowed in amusement when Londoners watch just how sparks fly at the 'TUBE' rails when trains decelerate to stop at the station.

Do Singaporeans have valid reasons to complain or are we just a bunch of picky people? For me, it was a valuable lesson in life to appreciate whatever we have.