Anyway, after i got back to Vitoria from the crazed hitchiking trip to Portugal i felt that time was rapidly running out there for me. I’d almost come to the end of my savings and there was no prospect of getting a job. Winter was coming, too - and as Vitoria is high in the mountains, winters there are very cold. It was time to reluctantly pack up my few belongings and head back to London... Read more at http://SnapAndScribble.com »

On the return trip back to Singapore, I chose to travel on Transtar. This will be my fourth trip with Transtar. I've tried their Premium Double-Decker and First Class Single-Decker coaches on my previous trips. This time round, I will travel onboard the luxurious First Class Solitaire coach, which is currently only available on the Singapore-Genting Highlands route.

I made my way down to their branch at Hock Seng Building, Lavender Street a week before my departure date. This branch is also known as the Transtar Express Terminal where Premium and First Class coaches to Kuala Lumpur (KL) and Genting Highlands depart. I did not buy my tickets in Malaysia as seats for First Class Solitaire has almost always sold out way earlier. I chose to book at this branch because the staff are more accommodating and it's less crowded than Golden Mile Complex branch. Luck was on my side as there was only one seat left for the trip back to Singapore. Booking and payment was done in just under 10 minutes. My inaugural trip on the First Class Solitaire has been confirmed!

There are currently four Solitaire buses on the roads, PC3L (green), PC5G (green), PC22G (maroon) and AGG555 (maroon). The e128d Twindex bodywork was designed and assembled by sksBus coachworks, one of the largest coachbuilders in Malaysia. Transtar has plans to operate as many as 23 Solitaire buses by 2010. The Solitaire, however, will not replace the First Class buses. As mentioned earlier, the Solitaire is only available on the Singapore-Genting Highlands route.

The Solitaire seats a maximum of 18 passengers; 14 on the upper deck and 4 on the lower deck. There is an extra seat on the lower deck but this is not used most of the time. Like any other First Class buses, a row of single seats lined both sides of the buses. But what sets the Solitaire apart are the innovative cocoon seats. Instead of reclining seats, the cocoon seats slides down at the push of a button to become a 'sleeper' bed. All seats are equipped with a massage system, also at a push of a button. The Solitaire features an individual entertainment system with over 170 channels of the latest blockbuster movies, music videos and concerts from the world's top performers, award-winning documentaries and children programmes. A video game system loaded with popular games such as Super Mario Brothers are also available. All of these are available throughout the journey.

Food and beverage are also served onboard by the coach attendant. For those who prefers to do some work on the laptop, or need to recharge their handphones, a power point is available at each seat.

Fast-forward and it's time to head back to Singapore. Transtar Express has two 'drop-off' and 'pick-up' points in Genting Highlands; First World Hotel Bus Terminal and Genting Hotel. The Premium buses will arrive and depart from First World Hotel Bus Terminal whereas the First Class and Solitaire buses will call at Genting Hotel. A waiting lounge for First Class and Solitaire passengers was also available.

It was quite hard for me to find the Passenger's Lounge at Genting Hotel, where I was told to check-in. Although the unit number was stated on my ticket, there seem to be no indication of such a lounge at the hotel's directory. Believe it or not, it took me nearly half an hour just scouring around Genting and Highlands Hotel. To make it worse, the Solitaire buses were parked just outside Highlands Hotel, and not Genting Hotel! At that point of time, I was thinking, maybe the lounge has been moved to Highlands Hotel and it was not updated on the ticket. Still, I did not find any Transtar Lounge at Highlands Hotel. I only found the Passenger's Lounge while walking through the shopping arcade, for the third time! Only this time round, I decide to venture nearer to the Skyway Cable Car Station. 

There were a few passengers at the lounge when I checked in. After showing my ticket to the ticketing officer and confirming the bus, I was told that I may board the bus immediately. I wasted no time and headed to the bus, which was parked outside Highlands Hotel entrance. The bus deployed for the 3.15pm trip was PC22G, a Euro-4 compliant Scania K380EB triaxle, double-decker coach. The coach attendant for the trip, Ms Hidayu, stood by the door to welcome all passengers onboard. At 3.15pm sharp, the bus left Genting Highlands. The journey down the steep slopes of Genting Highlands was a breeze. A brief stop for some shopping will be made at Batu Caves, as announced by the coach attendant on the way down.

The bus reached Batu Caves at around 4.10pm, almost an hour after we left Genting. The other passengers onboard alighted to do some shopping at the local produce shop while I took the opportunity to snap some pics of the bus. The bus continued the journey back to Singapore at around 4.35pm. It's interesting to note that the bus took a rather scenic journey through the Kuala Lumpur city centre before entering the North-South Highway.

A light snack was served not long after the bus reached Sungai Besi Toll Plaza. A cup of tea/coffee and 2 slices of Egg Mayo and Tuna Sandwich was served to all passengers. I was a bit disheartened to know that only sandwiches were served. Or so I thought. The bus made a 10-minute toilet break at Kg Bemban, Malacca. Almost 10 minutes after the bus continued the journey, Ms Hidayu once again went along the aisle and prepared the tray as well as the cutleries - for dinner! My initial thoughts that meals won't be served were wrong. A packet of Nyonya Fried Rice with Butter Chicken and Pickled Vegetables were served for dinner. It was sumptuous and piping hot. It was back to the movies after that. The super comfortable bus made the journey even more relaxing. Time flies so fast...

The bus reached Gelang Patah Toll Plaza just before 9pm, 5 hours after we left Genting. 20 minutes later and we will soon reach Tuas Checkpoint for Singapore's immigration clearance. Just before we entered the Immigration Complex, we were told to switch off the monitors, due to Singapore's regulation that does not allow such entertainment to be shown while on Singapore's roads. The bus finally reached its destination at Lavender MRT Station at 10pm. A longbut fun and exciting 6-hour journey.

My trip on Transtar this time round is the best yet. From the point of booking, to checking-in, to boarding and all the way to the point of disembarkation, I was treated to smiles and hospitality not seen with other bus companies I've travelled on. Everything was done without a hassle and up to my expectations. The level of comfort and entertainment onboard the Solitaire coach is certainly worth every single cent of my money. Food was also above my expectations. However, I'd love to see more variety of drinks to be served onboard. Not just tea and coffee. I have to say that Transtar has really prove itself as one of the premier coach providers between Singapore and Malaysia. I will certainly recommend anyone to try out their Solitaire service, because it lives up to its name!

I'm pleased to award First Class Solitaire a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Contact Details:
Singapore - Transtar Travel Pte Ltd
Golden Mile Complex
#01-15, Beach Road
Tel: +65 6299 9009

Regent Star Travel
#B1-01, Lavender MRT Station
Tel: +65 6292 9009

Transtar Express Terminal
Hock Seng Building
#01-01/02, Lavender Street
Tel: +65 6295 9009

Genting Highlands - Transtar First Class Passenger's Lounge
Lot G/LG 6.00, Genting Hotel
Tel: +603 6101 1771

Genting Highlands - First World Bus Terminal
Transtar Express Counter No. 1
Tel : +603 6436 2088

Kuala Lumpur - Transtar First Class Passenger's Lounge
No 10, Ground Floor, Pasarakyat Bus Terminal
Jalan Melati (off Jalan Imbi)
Tel: +603 2141 1771

Online Ticketing:
http://www.transtar.com.sg
http://www.transtar.travel

MOJOKERTO - Sebuah bus antar provinsi hangus terbakar di Jalan raya By Pas Desa Kenanten Kecamatan Puri Kabupaten Mojokerto siang tadi. Beruntung semua penumpang selamat dari maut.

Informasi yang dihimpun menyebutkan, kebakaran hebat menimpa bus Antar Lintas Sumatera (ALS) Nopol  jurusan Medan Surabaya BK 7699 DJ sekira pukul 13.00 WIB. Bus yang datang dari arah barat menuju Surabaya, berpenumpang 30 orang itu tiba-tiba mengeluarkan asap dari bagian belakang. Mengetahui itu, si sopir kemudian menepikan badan bus dan memeriksa kondisi bagian mesin yang terus mengeluarkan asap pembakaran itu.

Beberapa saat kemudian, asap yang muncul dari bagian mesin semakin tebal. Melihat kondisi ini, seluruh penumpang panik dan berebut keluar bus untuk menyelamatkan diri. Beberapa dari mereka mengabaikan barang bawaan dan langsung berlarian keluar.

Sopir yang terlihat panik, berusaha untuk meredam api dengan mematikan mesin. Namun upaya itu tak membuahkan hasil. Api terus membesar dan merambat ke badan bus hingga habis. Diduga karena takut, si sopir yang belum diketahui identitasnya itu malah kabur dan meninggalkan bus yang berubah warna menjadi merah itu.

Beberapa saat setelah api membakar bus ini, polisi yang datang ke lokasi kejadian, berusaha untuk memadamkan api dengan memanggil tiga unit mobil pemadam kebakaran dari Pemkot Mojokerto dan Gama. Namun, upaya petugas PMK itu sia-sia. Api terus membesar dan menghabiskan seluruh badan bus hingga tinggal kerangka. Sekitar 15 menit, petugas PMK berhasil menaklukkan api, meski terbilang terlambat.

Yuni, salah satu penumpang bus menuturkan, sebelum kebakaran hebat itu menimpa bus, ia mencium adanya asap dari bagian belakang. Mengetahui itu, ia memberitahukan kepada sopir. Lalu si sopir berhenti dan memeriksa bagian belakang, terang Yuni.

Dia mengaku sama sekali tak mengalami luka bakar atas kejadian ini. Hanya kata dia, beberapa barang bawaannya hangus terbakar, dan tak bisa diselamatkan. Ada dua tas saya yang terbakar.

Di dalamnya berisi uang transport dan simpanan. Semuanya ludes, keluh Yuni. Dari pengakuan penumpang lainnya, Udin Siregar (30) bus yang ditumpanginya itu memang dalam kondisi yang tak layak.

Menurut dia, beberapa kali dalam perjalanan itu, bus mengalami gangguan. Hingga menyebabkan perjalanan penumpang terganggu. Sudah dua kali bus rusak dan sempat berhenti, kata Udin.

Dikatakan dia, kerusakan pertama terjadi saat bus sampai di Kota Dumai, Sumatera Utara. Bus mengalami kerusakan di bagian air conditioner (AC). AC-nya mati. Beberapa saat dibetulkan, dan bus jalan lagi.

Sementara kerusakan kedua, terjadi di Kabupaten Nganjuk. Di Kota Angin itu, bus mengalami kerusakan di bagian mesin. Ia sendiri tak tahu, bagian mesin mana yang rusak saat itu. "Pokoknya enggak nyaman. Selalu saja ada yang rusak," keluhnya.

Sementara hingga sore tadi, polisi masih terus meminta keterangan kepada sejumlah saksi atas kejadian ini. Salah satunya adalah Iqbal Batubara (26), warga Kelurahan TS Mandala Kecamatan/Kota Medan, Sumatera Utara. Sementar si sopir yang belum diketahui identitasnya, memilih melarikan diri.

Kita masih memeriksa saksi dari sopir cadangan. Kita juga sedang mencari sopir yang melarikan diri itu, terang Kanitlaka Polres Mojokerto, Iptu Etika Triadi.

Dia sendiri juga belum bisa memastikan penyebab kebakaran. Hanya ia menduga, kebakaran tersebut karena korsleting pada mesin bus.

Sementara 30 penumpang yang lolos dari maut itu diangkut menggunakan bus ALS lainnya menuju Terminal Purabaya Surabaya, setelah sebelumnya sempat terlantar. (Tritus Julan/Sindo/fit)

Sumber : okezone.com

When it was time to buy a new media player, I had 2 choices.  First was the ipod, and then it was the zune.  I already had an ipod mini, So I was in favor of an ipod video.  But there was someting about the zune that caught my attention.  So I went to my local best buy and checked it out.  At first I didnt like it becuase I wasn't used to the players twist interface.  Owning an ipods for 3 years, I was accustomed to the basic list format.  But 5 minutes into it, I actually noticed that it was much faster getting through songs.  Radio grabbed my attention, becuase I know everyone says "who listen to radio anymore" but I actually spend a good 30-40% of my day listening to radio.  I dont care how much music you have on your mp3 player, youre going to get tired of it sooner or later.  And thats when the radio comes in handy.  Spending a good 25 minutes messing around with the player, I chose to buy.  As soon as I got home I ripped that box open ( not literally ) and got my entire music/video/photo collection onto it.  after a good 3 hours of syncing I was set.  As I rode the bus to school the next morning some guy a couple of seats down also had a zune.  I was excited but the first thing that hit my mind was the wifi sharing.  So without evening knowing the guy I went to him and asked him if I could try the wifi sharing on the zune.  The man didnt even know that his zune could do that, he told me he got it a few days before for a birthday present.  So he sent me some techno music that he was listening to, and it took roughly about 30-40 seconds per song to transfer.  There was something about being able to share your music that as I got off the bus the guy waved at me and I waved back with a good feeling insided.

eine gewisse dramatik scheint wohl hinter den kulissen gewesen zu sein, denn vorstandsvorsitzender günther elste, 59, übernahm selbst kurzfristig den job, um ihn gleich an ulrich sieg weiter zu reichen.

damit übernimmt nun ein erfahrener hochbahner den job; führte der diplom-ingenieur sieg doch bisher erfolgreich das U-Bahn ressort.

es bleibt zu hoffen, das diese personalie längerfristig bestand hat, um die lage des busbereiches zu verbessern.

Being in LA always makes me want to write, and since the last thing you said to me as I walked out the door was "write me a letter" I am addressing these scattered thoughts to you.

Riding a bus over a long distance is always interesting to me, even if I spend most of it half-asleep as I did on this trip. I awoke, bleary-eyed and crooked-necked, to a landscape that seemed wholly unfamiliar to me, though I have made this same trip hundreds of times before. "Where am I?" I kept thinking in my incoherence. I was near the end of the grapevine on the 5, why was it so unfamiliar? I began to recognize the scrubby vegetation off to my left, but the sparkling body of water on my right I could swear I've never seen before. Which is strange because I was in this same spot only a week and a half ago -- I remember having a conversation with N about it -- Pyramid Lake, same as in Nevada. To my blurry eyes, it was so bright and fresh a sight that I could feel it in the center of my chest, and I mapped the rest of my journey around that feeling: the familiar hills in gold, the descent into the valley, the surprise of plants I could recognize from the road, even a line of Catalpa trees in North Hollywood.

As the bus rolled down the freeway offramp in San Fernando, it stopped working. And there we were, all thirty-five of us, stuck on the offramp in a hot stuffy bus. The lack of airflow and the poison smell of cheap perfume was making it hard for me to breathe, so the bus driver escorted me across the offramp, where I realized that it wasn't the air in the bus that was stuffy, it was the air in the valley.

I stood on the side of the offramp with a group of men from the bus (I was the only woman who had decided to get off). They stood in one group and I stood alone, staring at the oleanders that grow next to every freeway in southern California. Cars drove by, sometimes stopping for the light, and stared at me. I met the challenge of their gaze every time, though I noticed the group of men weren't getting stares. And I wasn't even wearing a short skirt.

Finally, another bus came and we all crammed on, most people confused about what, exactly, was going to happen to their luggage. I love seeing the people on the bus, such a different scene than an airplane. All the maternal-looking Mexican women squeezing down the aisle carrying two bags in each hand, obliviously hitting their already-seated fellow passengers, or all the Korean women talking to each other in the back, or the men on their cellphones. I heard the man seated behind me get a booty call -- you were right, I just am completely unfamiliar with the mating habits of people in this society. The woman called him from his hometown, he was in Pomona on business and had taken the bus to see the sights of Hollywood for the day. They chatted for a bit, gossiping about other people, and then he said "That's personal, that's none of your business... That's like asking someone if they had sex because they went on a date...."So you wanna go on a date? ... Well, that depends on how horny you are... Now you're talking about something I'm interested in.... Yeah, well, I'll call you when I get back to town." It went on like that for a while. They do not seem to like each other that much, but they are definitely going to have sex. Oh, and she is going to work out at his gym.

I know you might have heard this already, but let me confirm that it is true: there is a financial crisis. We live in such a bubble in Santa Cruz, and even the news reports don't make something real to me. But walking through a store and hearing conversation after conversation about how it is actually affecting people's lives -- now that is real. I heard a woman on a cellphone find out that her company was merging with some larger company, and she was frantically making phone calls to find out more information, to find out if her job was safe. I overheard things like this all over the place -- people losing their houses, people losing their jobs, people not having the money that they had last year, people hoping it will all work out, but finding it hard to see how giving 700 billion dollars to Wall Street banks is going to help them.

But you probably want to know how I am doing. That is what everyone wants to know, it seems. I'm fine, of course, I'm always fine, I always weather every disaster that comes my way in what is seeming like the hundred-car-pile-up of my life. "This state of emergency is not the exception but the rule." That has always been one of my favorite quotes from Walter Benjamin. It describes so aptly the sense of crisis that the news is always telling us were are in, as if it is new. But sometimes it feels more personal than that, it feels like it applies to my life.

I've been prepared for my dad's death for so long, that I thought it would be easy. It turns out it's not. My dad has been sick for twenty years, and now I find myself mourning for the dad that I lost when I was ten, as if the past two decades had never happened. Except that I am an adult, I am making all of these funeral decisions as an adult, contacting long lost friends of my dad, people who never knew how sick he was.

I feel surrounded by death right now, and that is hard. I want to be surrounded by life, by trees, by music, by babies, by friends. Death is part of life, but there is no place for it in this culture. We lock it away, we put it off, we ignore it. I don't even know where my dad's body is right now, some central holding location in some other part of town, I suppose. I haven't even seen it. How can it be real if I haven't seen it? It was so different when my grandma died. I was right there. I hugged her goodbye after her last breath. I wish I'd been able to do that for my dad.

Looking through old pictures, contacting people who knew my dad before he was sick, helps me remember my dad as he was when I was a kid: the man who taught me to ride a bike, hit a baseball, shoot a free-throw; the man who brought me a doll from every country he visited; the man who cared deeply about the condition of life in countries far away; the man who sat at a desk surrounded by books; the way he smelled when he got off plane, holding hands with me as we walked through the airport; tickling me, taking me out to dinner, teaching me to play chess. That man has been gone for so many years, but right now it feels like he just left.

Saia hari ini nyampe Jogja dengan rute Landasan Ulin - Surabaya - Jogja. Dari Landasan Ulin naik pesawat ke Surabaya dengan Wings Air, lalu dilanjutkan dengan bus ke Jogja.

Bus yang saia naiki adalah EKA. Bus ini nyaman sekali karena dengan Rp66.000,00 kita sudah mendapatkan air mineral dan kupon makan siang di daerah Ngawi.

Alhamdulillah saia sampai di kost dengan selamat.

It's amazing what you can do if you have a large open space, some spare time and a dozen buses. Real life transformers are a lot of fun <link>.

If you don't have the buses you could make a crop circle <link> or paint pictures using different varieties of rice <link>.

Bandung, jakarta, depok, 25 September 2008

Di kampus suasana liburan lebaran telah sangat terasa, banyak mahasiswa yang sudah pada persiapan mau pulang kampung, kereta, bus, travel, pesawat, menjadi rame,
begitu juga dengan gw, si tampan ini juga siap-siap mau pulang kampung ke solo,

Hari itu Kamis sore gw putuskan untuk pulang ke rumah tante gw dulu di depok, seperti yang telah direncanakan, saya akan mudik ke solo menggunakan mobil, nemenin om tante biar ga sepi, karena mereka tau kehadiranku memang membawa keceriaan di seluruh pelosok tanah air.
Siangnya gw ke garasi bandung express buat ngebatalin tiket bus yang udah gw pesen sebelumnya, lumayan lah balik 75% seenggaknya gw ada ongkos buat ke depok..
Nah ini inti ceritanya, cerita perjalanan terdahsyat abad ini..hahaaa...

Sorenya gw diantar temen gw disini ke terminal Leuwipanjang, yang merupakan temen kosan gw yang juga asuhan gw gmn bertingkah layaknya pria tampan!!haha
Sekitar jam 5.40 gw nyari bus jurusan depok, dengan segala kekuatan dan kesaktian yang gw miliki tak sampe 2 menit gw dah mau masuk bus jurusan bandung-depok, akhirnya gw naik dan duduk di kursi penumpang sayap kiri dekat jendela. Udah ada beberapa penumpang yang tentunya melirik gw dan berkata dalam hati("Anjrit ganteng banget tu cowok") dengan cool gw duduk terus menenangkan diri dengan bermain handphone, penumpang mulai naik ke bus......

Sampai akhirnya naiklah seorang cewe', yang gw taksir seumuran dengan gw, untuk diketahui, ni cewe' cantik buangett,meni geulis pisan, dengan langkah anggunnya dy bergerak dari pintu masuk untuk mencari tempat duduk..dan setelah melihatt, menimbang, memikirkan dengan seksama tu cewek tanpa babibu, tanpa tedeng aling2 langsung duduk di kursi samping gw!!!WAAAAA...padahal masih banyak tempat duduk yang kosong, sbenernya gw maklum sih tu cewe pasti terkagum melihat cowok seganteng gw..hehe. yah mau gmn itu udah menjadi resiko gw, padahal gw sebenernya mau duduk sendiri,merenung dalam perjalanan, tapi ya apa boleh bwt, ntar klo gw menolak dy duduk disamping gw takutnya dy ga bisa tidur ngebayangin gw mungkin parahnya dy malah lompat dari bus!!Akhirnya kita duduk berdua, ga ngobrol ato saling lirik(ga tau klo tu cewe curi2 pandang ke gw), Samp[e akhirnya waktunya berbuka puasa, walopun gw ga puasa, gw tau tu cewe kok ga bawa minuman ato makanan, dengan penuh bijaksana gw nawarin pocari sweat yang sengaja gw bawa. Dengan jaim tingkat tinggi si cewe bilang "ehmm udah mas, makasih", yang tentunya gw tau perkataan itu sangat bertentangan dengan hatinya "gila tu cowok, udah ganteng mampus baikk bangettt lagi!!mau dong mas..."hihihi
ya udah akhirnya gw minum sendiri tu pocari sweat.

jam 18.00 akhirnya bus mulai berangkat, keluar dari pintu terminal terus masuk pintu tol, kami berdua masih diam seribu bahasa, gw masih ngegame di hp, si cewe masih sibuk smsan, mungkin dy sms keluarga, temen2nya, pak RT, pak RW klo dy lagi satu kursi sama pria ganteng!!
beberapa lama setelah berjalan, suasana bus yang gelap dan sepi, serta jalanan yang rata dan lancar memang bikin ngantuk, sampe akhirnya gw ngerasain ada yang nyentuh pundak gw..gw liat ke kanan ternyata tu cewe ngantuk berat, kepalanya udah ga ngontrol, bergerak kesana kesini, lucunya setiap nyenggol pundak gw dy langsung kaget dan terbangun..haha gitu terus..
Secara gentle gw mulai ngegeser duduk gw untuk lebih ke tengah, Sampai akhirnya pemirsa di seluruh Indonesia!!!dy ga bangun lagi, dy terlelap di pundak gw!!haha bayangin aja, kita ga kenal, ga ngomong, tiba2 dengan mesranya dy tidur nyenyak banget di pundak gw!!!haha gw bersorak sorak penuh kemenangan!!!Gw yakin tuh cewe lagi mimpi nyenderin kepalanya di gw, senja2 di pantai!!!hahaha hal ini bisa gw maklumi juga dkarena ya itu tadi, gw ganteng!!
Sepanjang perjalanan gw cuma nahan ketawa liat tu cewek nyaman banget tidur di pundak gw!!Gw jadi mikir, beruntung bngt tu cewe' bisa tidur di pundak gw!!padahal pundak gw cm pernah bwt mantan gw tentunya. Tapi gpp, sebagai orang yang penuh kasih sayang dan cinta kasih gw relain aja pundak gw bwt ditidurin tu cewek, mungkin klo dy minta dada gw juga bakalan gw kasih!!haha
Sampe di Jakarta, dy masih terlelap di pundak gw, sampe akhirnya dy terbangun karen ada telpon, yang kedengerannya sih dari orang rumah yang nanyain udah nyampe belom, haha tu cewek langsung kaget setengah mati, tu cewe langsung ngeliatin gw dengan matanya yang masih ngantuk, gw masih bersikap seolah ga tau apa2..dengan ketenangan yang luar biasa gw ngeliatin dy dengan pandangan yang menenangkan, hah tapi si cwe langsung sok jaim gt, sok gatau apa yang telah terjadi!!haha padahal dalam hati dy pasti seneng banget!!haha

Akhirnya di daerah pasar minggu dy turun, ga lupa dy tersenyum simpul yang berarti sejuta makna kepadaku!!hahaha gatau nama, nomor hape, tapi dy berhasil memiliki pundak si tampan ini untuk beberapa saat..

Resikoku sebagai pria ganteng dengan sejuta talenta dan kelebihan berlanjut, sekitar jam 21.00 bus udah nyampe di terminal depok, turun di terminal depok gw langsung nyebrang ke depan mall yang gw lupa namanya tu mall apa, gw nyari angkot 05 mau ke stasiun Citayam, akhirnya cpet juga dapet angkot, tu angkot pertama sepi banget dari penumpang, setelah gw masuk, beberapa pasang mata kagum ngeliat gw, diantaranya ada cewek2, sama mas2 yang ada di depan gw, gataw kenapa setelah beberapa saat tu angkot jadi penuh dengan cewek mahasiswa yang kayaknya mahasiswa UI depok, kontan tu cewek langsung pada curi2 pandang ke gw, biasalah walopun tampang gw dah capek banget belum sempet tidur seharian plus konsen tadi di bus memberikan kenyamanan ke cewe misterius di samping gw tapi tetep punya pesona tersendiri yang memancar menyilaukan mata cewe2 tadi! Angkot berjalan, sampe di simpang rel tu angkot ngetem, di situ ada stasiun tapi bukan stasiun Citayam sperti yang gw maksud, beberapa saat naik juga beberapa orang wanita yang gw yakin bukan mahasiswa dari dandanannya aja masih 70'an, terus omongannya medhok banget, bedaknya 5 meter tebelnya, terus kerjaaanya ngerumpi sama temen2nya gitu sok2 pake bahasa loe gue segala, tapi ga bisa menutupi tampangnya yang tampang pembokat, haha kayaknya sih para buruh pabrik ato pembokat2 yang lagi maen,haha liat ada pria tampan di dalam angkot mereka langsung sok2 cari perhatian gw gt!!hahaha males banget!!lama angkot berjalan sampe akhirnya tu angkot ngetem lagi karena beberapa penumpang dah turun, disebrang jalan ada stasiun juga tapi gw masih have no idea kalo itu stasiun Citayam, gw diem aja disitu, para penumpang sama abang supirnya juga ga ada yang bilang kalo itu stasiun citayam!!Angkot jalan lagi, sampe akhirnya tinggal 4 penumpang, satu orang di depan, gw di pinggir dekat pentu, sama 2 orang cewek cantik, hahaha, nyampe ditanjakan tu angkot tiba2 mogok, udah jam setengah 11 mlm cb, dengan umpatan gaya khas supir angkot tu supir mengumpat dengan dahsyatnya, dengan penuh perasaan si sopir mengeluarkan kata2 yang bikin gw antusias, gw jadi mikir si sopir bego juga dy sama aja ngata2in kebegoannya sendiri, akhirnya si sopir4 mundurin tu angkot ke tambal ban yang jaraknya cukp jauh bwt beli bensin, haha karen jalan sempit, nanjak, rame, dua cewek di belakang nampak ketakutan banget!!berkali2 tu cewek teriak2 sm ngeliatin gw!!sampe ditambal ban tu angkot langsung minum, si sopir nampaknya khilaf terus minta maap sejadi jadinya ke kami..haha begoisme rule!!!
Angkot jalan lagi, bapak di depan udah turun, disusul dengan cewek di depan gw yang berjilbab cantik mampus, ga lupa senyum dulu sebelum turun ke si tampan ini, terus tinggalah si cewek satunya lagi, ni cewek juga cakep, hehe kmi hanya bisa saling pandang sambil sesekali menebar senyum!!sampe akhirnya dengan suaranya yang merdu namun menggetarkan jiwa yang membangunkanku dari lamunan2 jorokku tu cewek bilang "bang..gang depan kiri.."
berhentilah angkotnya, sambil senyum dia turun, terus sambil bayar si sopir nanya, mas turun di satasiun mana?si tampan jawab " di Citayam bang". "waduh kelewatan mas, tadi tu yang tempat saya ngetem"kata si sopir, si cewek manis ga mau ketinggalan bilang, "iya mas udah kelewatan, gmn donk?ni bagian yang gw suka si cewek bilang " MAs mau mampir aja" hahaaha nah lo!!hehe sekali lagi efek ketampanan gw kali ya, gw sama sekali ga kenal tu cewek, terus si abang sopir yang mungkin dy bersyukur bisa ngeliat cowok yang jauh lebih tampan dari dy bilang, "ya udah mas, saya anterin balik lagi aja ke citayam!!!"hahaha nah lo!!!!kena efek kegantengan gw juga tu sopir, gw jawab'"ya udah deh bang boleh, maksih ya mbak"gw bilang gt, hehe tu cewek masih senyum manis banget ke gw!!hehe akhirnya puterlah angkotnya nganterin gw ke Citayam, hehe meskipun muternya jauh gw cuma disuruh bayar goceng doank!!aahahaha tampanisme berbicara, akhirnya dari stasiun gw ngojek ke tempat om gw nyampe disono jam 11 mlm gtlah, terus langsung tepar dah!!!haha mengingat besok paginya mesti bangun pagi buat mudik ke solo!!!

Nur zwingt mich diese Geschichte einfach das ich sie weitererzähle.

Gestern Abend um Mitternacht warte ich am Fritz-Gressard Platz auf den 03 der "glücklicherweiße" Freitags um diese Uhrzeit ankommt.

Mitternacht ist wie jeder weiß Geisterstunde. Was vielleicht früher Menschen mit Bettlacken waren die munter umhersprangen, sind heute miesgelaunte Menschen mit Bier in der einen Hand. Die nicht ganz so hübsche und nicht weniger alkoholisierte Freundin in der anderen Hand.

Tja da Geisterstunde war hatte ich es gleich mit 7 "Geistern" zu tun.

"Solange sie nicht randalieren ist doch alles in Ordnung oder nicht?"

Tja das stimmt zwar aber wenn einer dieser "Geister" den Bus fährt ist das nicht mehr ganz so lustig.

"Der war doch ganz bestimmt nicht betrunken, oder?"

Nun so ganz weiß ich das auch nicht. Aber ich nehme es einfach mal stark an. Denn wenn er es nicht war dann ist er ein sehr merkwürdiger Mensch.

Aber noch mal auf Anfang.

Nachdem ich mich von den "Geistern" abgesetzt habe und mich im Bus möglichst dort hingesetzt habe wo Fäuste,Bierdosen und/oder Kotze mich nicht erwischen kann fühlt man sich in Sicherheit.

Die 5 Betrunkenen sitzen hinten brabeln Zeug und vorne breitet sich ein gewissen Gefühl von Sicherheit aus.

Tja ein sehr trügerisches Gefühl, da ich ,wie ich oben schon erwähnt habe, es mit 2 weiteren zu tun habe.

"Es ist schon Spät", denkt man sich und dösst leicht weg.

Aber nicht ohne das man noch ein paar Gesprächsfetzen von vorne mitbekommt. Was einem nicht gerade schöne Träume bereitet.

"und ich fragte sie willst du mit mir schlafen oder mit meiner Mutter"

"rau wird es dann da unten. Das muss ich immer mit ner speziellen Creme behandeln."

"Haha die ist wohl selbstgemacht!!"

Ich schätze jetzt haben sich bei 80% von euch die Nackenhaare schon aufgestellt.

Wäre das alles gewesen hätte ich es vergessen oder versucht zu überhören. Aber bei den Beiden spielte Lautstärke und Ekel keine Rolle also wurde munter weitererzählt.

Als nächstes versuche ich das Gespräch zwischen den beiden zu rekonstruieren. Da ich dannach höchstwahrscheinlich erst mal ne lange Pause brauchen werde werde ich noch kurz beschreiben, was, nachdem einer der Hinteren, ziemlich lautstark, den Bus verlassen hat, geschehen ist.

Nach unzähligen Ekelattacken später kahm endlich die lang erhoffte Haltestelle. Leider war es nicht nur meine Haltestelle. Die restlichen 4 verließen,ebenfalls lautstark, den Bus.

Nachdem Bierdosen, Kotze und öfters Menschen auf der Straße lagen verschwanden sie um die Straßenecke.

Nun gut das wars erst mal von mir. Wie versprochen das Gespräch zwischen den Beiden.

"Meine letzte Freundin hasste mich"

"warum?"

"weil ich es ständig wollte, morgens,mittags,abends! Die konnte nicht meh"

"Haha wie gut aber du benutzt kein Viagra oder"

"Nein habe ich nie gebraucht. Aber brauchst du das?"

"Nein aber ausprobieren schadet nicht in der Apotheke bekommt man das, oder?"

"Nein dafür brauchst du ein Rezept vom Arzt, aber ich kann dir mal eine geben"

"Ja das wäre besser ich komme mir dumm vor wenn ich da hingehe und sage ich brauche Viagra"

--------Pause--------

"Hattest du eigentlich mal ne Thailänderin?"

"Ja einmal schon hat mich aber nicht so gut gefallen, die wollte immer mehr als ich ihr geben konnte"

"Du kannst mir ja mal eine klar machen, haha"

"Willst du? ich könnte dir eine klar machen"

"Ja wäre voll cool"

So das wars vom Kotzfest. Ich traue mich garnicht noch einen Abschlusssatz drunter zu schreiben aber ich muss es tun. Erwartet nach der Vorstellung aber kein kreatives Feuerwerk.

Ich bin kotzen, haut rein und um es mit den Worten von idneS zu sagen:

"You want to fuck in your suck."

While researching the book McCorkindale became fascinated (some would say obsessed) with these 'frequent flyers' and would chat with them for virtually the entire journey between Christchurch and South Dunedin, which by 1983 was a regular occurrence.

The venerable 1968 Starliner coach which ferried the lads and served as tour bus, writing room, coffee wine drinking establishment and muse became the Axemen's second (and in Bob's case, first) home throughout the mid-80s, and was later featured in the Axemen's short-lived New Zealand version of the long-running British TV Series "On the Buses."

The programme, though critically regarded as a Pinteresque masterpiece, became yet another casualty of Rogernomics, New Zealand's pathetic but ruthless imitation of Thatchernomics and Reaganomics---this type of sycophantic replication of dumb-ass overseas trends continues to this day unfortunately, reaching a possible new low recently with New Zealand versions of "Wheel of Fortune," "The Weakest Link" and "American Idol" (brilliantly re-packaged as "New Zealand Idol").

To say these programmes are a crock is doing a harsh disservice to crocks everywhere, and perhaps the Axemen's brief glimmer in the spotlight as TV stars was its only redeeming feature; but I digress.

The demise of the show did have one lasting benefit - it gave the lads much more time to concentrate on honing their songwriting, performing, spray-painting, screen-printing and self-promotion skills, and forced them to extend their minds further.

Through experimentation with early blends of coffee wine (brewed by Steve and locally known as 'Co-Wi' [pronounced 'Kowhai' like the native New Zealand flower], which McCabe was always trying to perfect), alongside other powerful psychoactive agents, the songs really began to flow at this time, and the legendary banter and verbal interactions which were the staple of the show now became the Axemen's trademark---many a club manager or promoter remember ruefully being on the sharp end of one of the lads' papercut-on-the-eyeball retorts.

Posted By Little Stevie McCabe

Ausserdem gabs Wuerstchen, suessen Senf, Leberkaese, Gulasch und Ugandisches Bier, dass nach dem dt. Reinheitsgebot gebraut wurde. Moonberg heisst das.... schmeckt gar nicht uebel.

Auf jeden Fall war es schoen mal wieder in Kampala gewesen zu sein. Denn die Stadt ist sooo aufregend. Wir waren zum beispiel auf dem Ovino Markt. Dort kann man echt Alles bekommen. Von Gewuerzen ueber Schuhe und Klamotten, Kinderspielzeug aus China, Schreibwaren, Haushaltsgeraete, bis hin zu verwegenem Voodoo-stuff, den wir nichtmal fotografieren durften. (hoffentlich hat uns die Verkaeuferin nicht verflucht^^)

Wir haben da dann erstmal neue Schuhe fuer Malte gekauft, und Fussballschuhe fuer Dimi gesucht. Die meisten Sachen sind gebraucht und die Verkaeufer wissen ganz genau, dass sie bei den Bazungu ordentlich zulangen koennen. Nach ca. 2 stunden und ca. 30.000 Schilling Preisnachlass (das sind ca. 12euro) hatten wir dann alles

Danach ging es dann weiter auf den Taxi Park. Es ist echt ne Herausforderung aus den tausenden Taxis
das Richtige zu finden. In meinem Reisefuehrer standen zwei Regeln zum Matatu fahren: 1. Das Matatu faehrt erst los, wenn es voll ist! und 2. Ein Matatu ist nie zu voll! Na klasse :-)

Wir waren uebrigens auch in mehreren Craftshops. In einem hab ich mir dann auch endlich meine Trommel gekauft. Sie ist ca. 70-80cm hoch und mit Kuhfell bespannt.

Achja, wir haben uebrigens im DED-Guesthouse gewohnt. Eine sehr sehr schoene (fast schon) Villa am Tank Hill in Muyenga, eimen der "Bonzenviertel" von Kampala

Die Rueckfahrt nach Kabale war die Hoelle! Weil wir ja am Sonntag zurueck wollten, konnten wir nicht den "angenehmen" Postbus nehmen, der uns auch hingebracht hatte. Zurueck sind wir mit einem privaten Reisebusunternehemen, called "Gateway". Wir wussten nicht genau wann der Bus genau losfaerht, also sind wir am Sonntag frueh aufgestanden und mitm Special hire zum Buspark. Da angekommen haben wir zwar direkt den richtigen Bus gefunden, uns Tickets gekauft und schonmal in freudiger Erwartung reingesetzt, aaaber private Reisebusse fahren nich zu bestimmten Zeiten los, sondern erst dann wenn er voll ist und sich die Fahrt auch lohnt.... 5 Stunden und 3 Chapatis spaeter ging es dann auch schon los. Nach 6 Stunden Busfahrt waren wir dann endlich in Kabale.

Die Woche hier war dann, anders als erwartet, nicht wirklich gut. Ich hatte von Dienstag an Fieber und dachte schon ich haette Malaria. Mir ging es wirklich dreckig und ich konnte eigentlich nichts machen, nicht mal pennen... nur da liegen und fiebern. Irgendwann bin ich dann mal vorsichtshalber mit Ben, Clive und Ivan zu einem Arzt in der Naehe gegangen und hab einen Malariatest gemacht, der zum Glueck negativ ausfiel. Am Donnerstag konnte ich dann langsam wieder was Essen und halbwegs gescheit schlafen. Gestern gings mir wieder bestens. Hab nur noch ein bischen Husten und Schnupfen.

Okay, bevor ich euch jetzt weiter mit Details langweile, hoere ich lieber auf.

Freshman year I started to like Amy's even more, because catching the bus from her house equaled a finger bang session with the high school freak. Matt had green hair and lived a few houses down from Amy. He was a year or two older than me. We probably met in gym class or at lunch.

My first more than flirty encounter with Matt was in the stairwell near the locker room. It was at the back of my school so it wasn't that busy in the mornings. He slobbered all over my mouth when he kissed me, and left my neck wet (and slightly hickied as well). He went as far as to pull my tits out and suck on my nipples. When we heard the stairwell door open we'd pull away and act like we were talking but it was so obvious to everyone we were making out. As things progressed he put finger into my tight previously untouched by man pussy.

I'd so glad loose fitting jeans were popular in '95/96. My parents had to know something was up when I was actually ready and eager to leave home 30 minutes early a few mornings that week.

The next week my parents had to be somewhere  one morning and dropped me at Amy's to catch the bus. I sat next to Matt and he fingered me the whole way to school. The good thing about rural suburbia is it takes A LONG time to get to school. His cock It was extremely hard to contain my excitement. After all, this was only the 4th or 5th time someone had touched my pussy- and the longest without interruption. And boy oh boy did I like it.

Changing gears, after a two week strike set up by union members who operate the Viva bus service all across York Region, it seems that they have accepted the offer and it is anticipated that full VIVA service will be back up and running this weekend. It seems that people in York Region are coping with the situation, quite similar to our strike in the Durham Region back 2 years ago. The strike will be distant memories for me of course.

References:

"Viva strike over." Vaughan Today. 10 October 2008. 10 October 2008. <http://www.vaughantoday.ca/story.php?id=1133>

"Drivers vote to end Viva bus strike in York." Toronto Star. 10 October 2008. 10 October 2008. <http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/515754>

- todas las que vuelven en el autobús y no paran de hablar sobre si su novio se ha apuntado a clases de ruso para ponerla celosa (verídico) u otros desvaríos paranóicos.
- las que tienen un irritante tono aflautado y se empeñan en compartir con todos.
- los que dan la luz a las 6 de la mañana
- los que reclinan los asientos sin preguntar
- las que ponen sus maxi-bolsos (odio el término) en el asiento del pasillo para evitar que te sientes al lado suyo (por supuesto, es donde suelo sentarme, y que se jodan y tengan que aguantar un invasivo y atufado obeso con mala baba)
- los que se ponen los cascos a un volumen tan alto que eres capaz de sentir los bajos
- los cogen un periódico y no lo leen, se lo guardan, lo roban sin permitirnos a los demás echarle un vistazo

para todos

OS ODIO. Sí, tan frío como cierto. Tras cinco años en ese pequeño Guantánamo no me queda ningún otro sentimiento hacia vosotros, más bien la ausencia de ellos. Por momentos me gustaría creer en Dios. Sí, porque eso significaría que hay infierno, ya que para mi no tiene sentido algo bueno si no hay algo malo. Si no se puede comparar, no sería bueno; sería, sin más; dualismo vaya. Bien, pues me gustaría que existiera para así poder resarcir mi alma al saber que ese iba a ser vuestro futuro, una condena eterna por canallas, asquerosos, malparidos. No hay derecho, generáis mucho malestar, sois los responsables directos de que nuestro día empiece mal. Os odio.

Well, basically, I needed some inspiration, some hummus if you're a b3tan. My Art Of Noise/Hot Chip comment above? That was it. I thought that up on the bus. I bet you're privileged. Every day on the bus, I spend my time staring out the window and thinking of shit I'm going to write on a blog, before going to spend the day getting shouted at by what is blessedly a minority of customers because some people still think that queues in a bank are a rare occurrence and an excuse to scream and stamp their little footsies. I should probably kill myself. Other people use the time to write the blog posts, like this dude. If I can find a WordPress client in Java for phones I might use it. It's either that or Twitter, which I've never got into because I'm not the sort of dickend who creams himself over such silly bullshit.

BUT I CAN DO BETTER. TONIGHT IS "I'M GOING TO POST RANDOM SONG LYRICS IN MY FACEBOOK STATUS TEXT EVEN WHEN THOSE SONGS HAVE NO LYRICS" NIGHT. I'm not drunk, but this was another idea I thought up on the bus, and I wasn't drunk then either, so this is real me talking. OH GOD. Prepare for some lyrical attacks!

(Quick and painless suicide methods to the email address on the about page pls, kthxbai.)

Sufferer of unfortunate mental slowness: "Hey sexy..."

Me: Blank, yet mischievously condescending stare. "You and I can't speak."

Sufferer of unfortunate mental slowness: "What's up? I saw you looking at me when we were waiting for the bus."

Me: Pause. "Yes, you're right. I was desperately trying to figure out whether you had an unfortunate mental retardation of sorts, of if you were only suffering from a learning disability."

Sufferer of unfortunate mental slowness: "Uhhh... What?"

Me: "After you cut in front of a girl who is visibly disabled (no joke), I figured your disability must be greater than hers, and probably of the psychological variety. Possibly something that prevents you from understanding the nature of line-ups."

Sufferer of unfortunate mental slowness: Starting to look mean, and marginally constipated. "You're a fucking bitch."

Me: "Your powers of deductions are exemplary, considering your disability."

...

Then the imbecile rose out of his seat and moved to the back of the bus.

Lesson of the day: Contrary to popular opinion, good looking, innately stupid men are actually not amusing. Go figure.

Suasana Edaran's Singapore office is located at the ParkRoyal Hotel Shopping Arcade, just behind Mustafa Centre at Little India. I made my way down to the office to book my seat almost a week in advance. Not being kiasu (Chinese for 'fear of losing') or anything, just that I want to make sure that my preferred seat is not taken by others. The preferred seat that I booked was the first row of the upper deck, appropriately dubbed 'Gunzel Seat' by one of my bus enthusiast friend. I was served by the Manager/Director of the local office, Mr Vinod, who is very friendly, accommodating and always patient in answering my queries. There were several other prospective customers who were asking questions of their own, and Mr Vinod ensures that all of them have their questions answered. Only cash payment is acceptable as their credit card machines are yet to be set up, which is understandable for a new company, so it is not much of a problem to me. Once the tickets are issued, Mr Vinod gave me the assurance that he will personally call me should any problems crop up. He also requested that I call the office, or even him, if I were to be late for the bus. The bus will wait for me. Now that's what I call personalised service. Excellent.

I wasn't late for the bus on the day of departure. In fact, I was quite early. It was 11.10am and I was just outside the hotel when my handphone rang. It was Suasana Edaran. I confirmed that I will be checking-in very soon. The ticketing office is also where the passenger's waiting lounge is located. Upon entering the office, it's noticeable that there is no one else except for the bus' crew. I asked the ticketing staff and she confirmed that I will be the only passenger for the 11.30am trip to Kuala Lumpur (KL). Pleasantly surprised indeed. I get to charter a whole double-decker bus to KL for only S$45! I opted to wait outside so that I can snap a few more shots of the bus before departing.

The bus that will bring me to KL was KCH6, a Scania K124EB with a horsepower rating of 420bhp. In fact, all of the double-decker buses on the Singapore route are of this model. The e128d Twindex bodywork is manufactured by sksBus. It seats a maximum of 34 passengers; 28 on the upper deck and 6 on the lower deck. The seating in the coach are arranged in the '2+1' configuration, which means a row of single seats on the nearside of the coach, and a row of double-seats on the offside of the coach. Every seat comes with a personal LCD TV with multi-channel entertainment and video games, massage function and adjustable leg-rest. The reclining and leg-rest functions of the seats are however, manually operated. Food and drinks are also served onboard by the coach attendant.

The bus left ParkRoyal Hotel 15 minutes behind schedule. I was a bit agitated because I was told that the bus will leave on time. Just like any other direct KL-Singapore express service, the bus used Tuas Second Link to get to Malaysia. Immigration clearance at both the Singapore and Malaysia checkpoints was a breeze as there were no other buses that were passing through at that time.

While onboard the bus, something unpleasant caught my eye. Rubbish left behind by other passengers were still on the seats. It seemed that the attendant did not bother to clean up the bus for the next trip. The leather upholstery which lined the windows were also torn. Apart from some rubbish, the bus was considerably clean. The seat was very comfortable and large enough for a plus-sized passenger in my opinion. The reclinable seat also comes with a leg rest. However, I was a tad disappointed that the reclining function is manually-operated. It may not be a big problem but for regulars on the KL-Singapore express buses, this may seem a step back in time. I have not come across a manually-operated reclining seat on any KL-Singapore express buses, at least not yet. The massaging functions are of course, automatically-operated with a touch of a button. I am not a fan of massage seats so I was not too keen to try it out. The only good thing I like was the aircon. 

The TV sets are only switched on after we passed the Malaysia checkpoint. It is a Singapore regulation that the TV sets cannot be switched on while in Singapore. Video-On-Demand are not available on the bus. Instead, four movies were shown simultaneously on the LCD screens. 'Wanted', 'The Fast and The Furious' and 'Kungfu Panda' were among those shown. The movies shown were decent enough to keep me occupied throughout the journey. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any indication of the games offered. In any case, watching 'Wanted' was already good enough for me.

Lunch was served soon after we left the Senai Utara Toll Plaza. Piping hot Nasi Sambal Udang (Rice with Spicy Chilli Prawns) and a bottle of mineral water was the offer for the day. I'm not a big fan of seafood and so obviously I was little bit disappointed. Nevertheless, the food was above average. At the point of booking, I was told that free-flow of coffee and tea will be served onboard. However, they were not served. I wasn't even asked if I'd like any. I've to rely on the mineral water to quench my thirst on the journey.

After a speedy journey on the North-South Highway, the bus reached Sungai Besi Toll Plaza at around 4.00pm. Soon after the bus left the toll plaza, the coach attendant approached me and asked for my preferred disembarkation point. There will be two such 'drop-off' points in KL; KL Sentral and Puduraya Bus Station. I chose the latter since it's closer to my hotel. It was 4.20pm when the bus finally reached Puduraya. In all, the journey took only 4 hours and a half, which in my standards, exceptionally fast! No way you could beat that travelling on an airplane.

In a nutshell, the experience travelling on Suasana Edaran was up to my expectation, if not better. They could have done better on certain aspects, particularly on the cleanliness of the bus and the attentiveness of the coach attendant. However, I've to give credit for the hospitality and the attentiveness of the staff at the ticketing office, who have performed above my expectations. I would also like to see more varieties of entertainment programmes being shown on the tv. The food was nice but it looks like something which was bought from the stalls and not from a caterer. They should also ensure that choice of drinks be offered to passengers onboard, even if there is only one travelling.

I'd also like to applaud their daringness to enter the highly-competitive Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route. It is good for Suasana Edaran to promote their services as it seemed that only a handful knows of its existence in Singapore. Hopefully, the online ticketing at EZ Bus will be available soon. I for one, would love to see Suasana Edaran to be on par with the rest of the Big Boys.

I will give Suasana Edaran Express TopClass a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Contact details:
Singapore - Suasana Edaran Pte Ltd
ParkRoyal Hotel Shopping Arcade, Units 01-18/20
Kitchener Road, behind Mustafa Centre
Tel: +65-6296 2666

Kuala Lumpur - Suasana Edaran Sdn Bhd
Kaunter 41, Hentian Puduraya
Tel: +603-2072 2666

Pulau Pinang (Penang) - Suasana Edaran Sdn Bhd
Kaunter 12, Terminal Bas Ekspres Sungai Nibong
Tel: +604-657 6666 

Ticket Price (Singapore to Kuala Lumpur):
Adult: S$45 (one-way), S$85 (return)
Child: S$30 (one-way)

Online Ticketing:
http://www.ezbus.com.my

Although it's not as convenient and prevelant as in Northern Virginia, it's still a viable option.  Here's the info:

City of Huntsville
Public Transportation Division
500B Church Street
Huntsville, AL 35801

John T. Brown, Director
Telephone: 256-427-6811
E-mail: Tommy.Brown@hsvcity.com

The goal of the Public Transportation Division is to provide adequate and efficient community transportation services for the general public, senior citizens, physically challenged citizens, commuters, and individuals with limited transportation alternatives.

SHUTTLE BUS SYSTEM (fixed route)

Operates Mon thru Fri from 6 AM to 6 PM on thirteen (13) routes (maps & time schedules) covering more than 175 miles of city streets each hour of service. One of these routes is the Tourist Trolley Loop. There is a Downtown Route FREE on the weekends from 7 pm to 2 am. It targets city attractions and motels and restaurants. (Tourist Loop Brochure)

FARES

One-way fare.....$1.00
Senior (60+) and Disabled Citizens and Medicare Card Holders.....$ .50
Children 6 and under.....$ .50
Students with valid student ID.....$ .50
TRANSFERS.....FREE
Tourist Trolley - ALL DAY.....$2.00
*Senior, and Disabled Citizens, VALID MEDICARE card holders, Children 6 and under, Students with valid student ID.....$1.00

In addition to being available from Bus Drivers on all Buses, complete system maps and schedules are distributed at 15 facilities.

Service animals are welcome on all City of Huntsville public transit vehicles.

HANDI-RIDE for seniors and disabled citizens

Operates ADA Paratransit Service for individuals with disabilities who because of their disability are unable to use the fixed route buses. This specialized, door-to-door, demand-response paratransit service is available Monday thru Friday from 6 AM to 6 PM. ADA Partransit service application and advanced reservations by 5pm the day before are required to schedule this service. The 14 vehicles are radio dispatched and ADA accessible. Call 256-427-6857.

RIDESHARE

RideShare is a computerized service for working commuters. The service links commuters with potential carpooling companions. To sign up for this service, commuters must complete a RideShare Information Request form. Companies can also request that the RideShare coordinator conduct on-site surveys to help their employees develop carpool relationships. In December, 2001, the RideShare database contained 1200 commuters. RideShare has contact with approximately 30 of Huntsville's largest employers.

Map 1 here shows the whereabouts of various members of the
Axemen in the first few months of the band's existence.

PHOTO-ESSAY: A LITTLE BIT OF YESTERDAY

South Dunedin - home of the South Dunedin Sound.

Maureen of the Empire Tavern
about to burn life-size effigy of Little Stevie McCabe.

<-- South Dunedin | Starliners (so-called) | Christchurch -->

<--Alpha Centauri | Starliners (actual) | Eta Tandoori-->

Christchurch, 1983

[caption id="attachment_321" align="aligncenter" width="470" caption="Enjoy Christchurch graphic by Stu pre-dated the try-hard Absolutely Wellington campaign by at least a decade!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_322" align="aligncenter" width="470" caption="Christchurch's Disco Queen Mere Nihoniho at Caledonian Hall '77 by Kowalski"][/caption]

*

Accompanying this photo-essay are some more tracks recorded live at the Star & Garter on 4-11-83:

cassette recorder

untitled (sounds
like fiery jack)

get down

9 candles on the cake

a little bit of yesterday (johnny cash)