Rite and Ritual – Part 1

Dawn Driving

I love morning (AM) shift duty. I am an early bird. Previously, my last job starts officially at 0830hr. I will most probably be the second or first staff to arrive at the office daily.

The dawn period from 0500hr to 630hr is very meditative and spiritually uplifting. The air is fresh and the overall noise level is low. Traffic volume is not dense and the roads are not so congested and commuter or pax is lesser for this non-peak period.

Distant from afar, at around 0700hr, the morning glory of the sunrise is pretty nice to look at.

Whenever, I make a stop at the bus stop to pick up some pax, I hear and recognize those vented yellow tail bulbuls blasting away their soothing melody near the bus stops.

 Some time, I will just pause a little longer at the bus stop; to listen to the singing birds, before I close the bus doors and roll off.

Smile and Good Morning

Daily, mentally I tell myself that, I must enjoy my work as a BC. Whenever, I am on AM shift, and especially on my 1^st revenue-able service trip; when the pax board my bus; I will take the opportunity to look at their face for a potential eyes contact.

However, majority of the pax are shy and do not want to have eye-to-eye contact with me. Perhaps, I am not handsome lah. Once the linking is established, I will wish the pax good morning and smile to them. There was once, a male pax that I have greeted him, but I resent it. As he is boarding the bus and tabbed his fare card, I greeted him “good morning”, he replied, “what so good about the morning?”, he added that, I should drive faster as he is late for work. Oops.

As a whole, till to date, I still practice 1^st trip morning ritual as I believe; this will have a positive impact to myself for the next 9hours or so of my work. However, I still remembered very clearly in my mind on one particular day, that I could not smile for the entire shift work.

I also did not care to look at the pax face when they boarded the bus. I just looked at the road afar and the traffic.

That day, is Monday, the date is 23/3/2015; Singapore has lost an utmost respected statesman.

I am on AM shift duty. I heard the news of the passing of Bapa Singapura, from a fellow BC while I was performing my 1^st parade task at around 0438hr.

The late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew has passed away earlier at around 0318hr. I was frozen for a moment, recompose myself, and recited a short prayer for Him. The feeling inside me was then very unpleasant; and my face is just saddened to smile or wish anyone boarding the morning bus, good morning.