Please stand behind the yellow line...

我于六月中旬经常乘搭我国的地铁去改考卷，因此又能目睹我国交通高峰时段的现况。若以两个字形容，那就是“恶心”。

尽管地铁公司已经：

一、在月台地板画上黄线和箭头以显示乘客应该站在哪里排队等候地铁，
二、通过广播提醒乘客不要越过黄线，并且让下车的乘客先走出地铁，
三、指派工作人员指挥人潮以及提醒等候地铁的乘客要排队，

还是有人在地铁停下后便越过黄线或插队走到最前端，唯恐没有机会搭上地铁。没错，大多地铁都是十分拥挤，因此往往要等上两至三趟才能挤进一辆地铁，所以许多上班族都会尽量挤进列车。可是我觉得身为受过教育的白领阶级，他们不是应该懂得排队和先让下车的乘客出来的逻辑吗？别人想出来，你却上前从两侧企图挤进列车，岂不在出口处导致阻塞？这不但使整个过程缓慢，也根本没有顾及别人耐心排队等待。若照“女王本色”里的潮州叔来说，就是“让他们全部进猪笼啊！”每天看见这种场面，很想大声斥责那些没有耐性、无礼的乘客，即使自己无法挤上列车，但至少不会和他们同流合污，让人鄙视。

I had the chance of taking the MRT for 8 consecutive days during mid June to go for O level marking. Unfortunately, I was also there to witness the disgusting side of fellow Singaporeans.

Despite SMRT having
1) clearly drawn lines and arrows to guide passengers where to queue to board the train,
2) broadcasting reminders over public announcements to let alighting passengers come out before boarding the train carriage,
3) sent traffic controllers to guide the flow of traffic, remind passengers to queue and allow alighting passengers to come out,

there are still some who will cross the yellow line and jump queue the moment the train grinds to a halt. It is already a known fact that during rush hours in the morning, most would have to wait for 2-3 trains before able to board one train. There will always be people who fear being late for work, thus resorting to jumping queue and resorting to all means to board a train, but I feel that as educated white collar workers, they should have basic manners and common sense to let passengers alight before boarding. Trying to squeeze into the train from the side of the doors while others are alighting means creating a choke-point at the doors of each carriage. This not only slows down traffic, but also shows a complete disregard for people who have queued patiently for their turn to board the train.
There are so many times I was so tempted to burst out in anger at those inconsiderate and disgusting passengers, but at least I am proud of the fact that I do not belong to this group of disgraceful humans.

Chances in Life

When you are given opportunities, would you pass them up, or grab them?

1) Nominated by teachers to represent school in an event or competition

2) Selected to go for a tough interview.

3) Attending a good concert which has limited seats/tickets.

4) Someone telling you where you went wrong, and you are given a chance to make amends.

Most educational institutions are there for us to err and learn from our mistakes. It is also a place where we learn some basic knowledge. Some may say that the knowledge is usually not applicable in further studies, but none can refute the truth that learning foundational knowledge is critical to developing one's cognitive skills, for example the ability to gather the right information and synthesize knowledge. This is the only phase in life where as long as we make small forgivable mistakes, we can still improve ourselves and move on to be a better person.
Society, however, is not that forgiving. Take the private sector for example. If you were to make a big error, that may be the last one you make for your current job, or the final thing you do before the whole industry learns about you and condemns you for life. A crime committed will entail a jail sentence, a fine, caning, or a combination of the above-mentioned. A heart broken as a result of words spoken rashly will probably mean the relationship will not be as good as new, no matter the efforts to mend it. An opportunity to go for a sought-after course or position, once given up, will probably mean that this chance will never be offered again, since you choose to pass it up.
How many times can we afford to miss our chances before we finally come to terms with the price for our actions? In simple English and in a nutshell, have you missed any chances so far?

2 Scenarios

Have thought of 2 descriptive paragraphs some time back in March, but only got down to typing it out now. Feel free to make a guess as to what the 2 scenarios refer to. Sorry, no clues/hints and the paragraphs are meant to be similar for a healthy level of ambiguity. :)

Scenario A
Entering the premises, the visitors usually go about their businesses quietly, coming and going when they have achieved their objective. Most will refer to the electronic panels for their ideal results. Most will acknowledge each other's presence in quiet manner, though once in a while, you will hear someone greeting a familiar face, a couple of visitors chatting relaxingly over similar interests or pointing at familiar sights. Electronic voices acknowledge the visitors' efforts while a slip of printed paper records down the important details, and everyone leaves knowing they will be back for more.

Scenario B
Entering the premises, the visitors usually go about their businesses quietly, coming and going when they have achieved their objective. Some will refer to the electronic panels for their ideal results. Most will acknowledge each other's presence in quiet manner, though once in a while, you will hear someone greeting a familiar face, a couple of visitors chatting relaxingly over similar interests or pointing at familiar sights. Nonchalant faces acknowledge the visitors' presence while a slip of printed paper records down the important details, and everyone leaves knowing they will be back for more.

Got it yet? :)