The Day My iPod Died

It has been one of those days.

1.15PM: ELDERLY MAN REFUSES MY SEAT
I got on the train at Tanah Merah and sat down. Usually I do this so that by the time we get to Bedok or Eunos there is usually one old person or one mother with kids to give up the seat to. One of these days I will mount a campaign to photograph people who do not give up the seats with the sign "PLEASE GIVE UP THIS SEAT FOR SOMEONE WHO NEEDS IT MORE" — pretending to sleep doesn't cut it. I have woken up many many many people before.

Anyway, today, there were a bunch of people who got on at Bedok and stood in front of me. Then on climbed this dude who must be like, 80, more wrinkles than a bulldog. But I should have suspected he is in denial because his hair was coloured CARROT.

Anyway, I was sitting 4 seats away from the door, and Mr Carrot came in and hung round the door. There were 2 slouchers standing in front of me and the minute I took my bag one of them actually positioned his bum in front of me so that as I pulled away he can reverse into the parking lot. Incredible.

So I half-hung my bag on the seat, got up, climbed over the extended legs of this teen girl next to me and reached the object of my kindness.

Who looked at me and shook his head like "What? Do I look like I'm pregnant?"

"不要“　he said.

I looked at him incredulously and nearly said something that hasn't exited my lips since 2003.

I wish he got on at BUGIS, one stop before I had to get off so at least my humiliation would be only one stop long. An old angmo saw all that transpired and snickered at me. And Mr Parking Ass got the seat.

4.00PM: WMD T-SHIRTS INFESTED WITH TERMITES
UNIFEM calls up and says that some of our fundraiser T-shirts were in boxes and that the boxes, together with a lot of other boxes, were infested with termites.

So many thoughts flashed through my mind I thought I might explode.

Anyway, I went to check out the damage and they had rescued two boxes (thank God). But there was one remaining box that was beset with the nasty buggers. As my able helper commented, "I thought termites had gone out with the '50s."

There was police tape around the area that had been visited by the pestbuster company, and I was not allowed to touch the boxes for fear that the termites might still be alive and would spread.

All this just before Women Expo which opens on Thursday — we were hoping to sell all the extra T-s there. Now there are no M's and L's to be sold.

Very very bad mood. Former cusswords appear in the window of my mind, but I resisted uttering them.

9.00PM: MY IPOD CALLS IT A DAY
Just when I thought I would just come home from a terrible day, drink some diet root beer and watch CSI, I take out my iPod to charge and notice that it had gone deathly still. "Just needs to be charged," I told myself. But it had passed away, quietly as this horrible day drew to a close.

I just realised it's been 3 years to this day that I first bought it: 6 Sept 2002.

Farewell my sweet friend, you who have been with me on countless flights, through the streets of Chicago and Salt Lake City, you who have accompanied me on countless days when I rode the train to see my mom in hospital and in the hospice ...

I'm going to sleep, and when I wake up, I pray it will be a termite-less day, and I might find the funds to get a new iPod somehow ... (yeah I know the grave ain't even cold yet, but I can't live without my white knight).