Okay, I know I said I’ll write once a week, but I wrote another one because I couldn’t figure out how to transition from the tone of my previous post to suit what I have to tell you now:
This week, the new LRT stations on the Kelana Jaya line officially begin service and starting yesterday, my new default stop is Glenmarie. This is good news for thousands of people, me included. With 13 new stations extending all the way to Putra Heights, so many people now have easier access to public transport. I mean, there still isn’t a stop right next to my house, but I should be happy about not having to go all the way to KJ because I am now spared from braving the LDP. Plus, it’s about time; the Kelana Jaya line has not been extended since it began operation 18 years ago. When it first opened, my parents picked me up early from Rainbow School (my kindergarten) to go on a ride. So like I said, this is really good news! Yay, improvement!
And yet…
(I am half laughing as I tell you this but) I was so sulky about this change! I would add more exclamation points at the end of that last sentence but I don’t like how that would look just aesthetically so I am adding verbal emphasis with this extra sentence. Seriously, ask my family, I talked about it almost everyday since I found out. I just didn’t see it coming so soon, you know? I wasn’t ready!
Why? Kelana Jaya, the LRT stop I’ve used the most, is the terminating station for its line (hence, the name). This means, no matter what time of day I get on the train, it will always be empty because everyone on it would have gotten down by then. This means I always get a seat on the train. And the seats will always fill up at this first station during rush hours. So if you are boarding the train at any station other than KJ, you have very slim chances of getting a seat.
People who board the train regularly at Kelana Jaya are well aware of this special perk and make the most of it. I know this for a fact because we obediently queue up to enter the train coaches, and sometimes, if we are at the back of the line and see that the seats are all taken up by the time we are about to enter, many of us may opt to not get on and just wait for the next train instead because we have that privilege. However, now that there are 13 (THIRTEEN!!!) new stations before Kelana Jaya………. all that I have…… will be……. lost……… forever.
Why is this important? It’s not. If I’m going somewhere between Bangsar-KLCC, it’s only about a 30 minute ride. I can stand for that long just fine. I am a very young person with very healthy knees, thank you very much!
So why am I upset? Good question. I don’t really know. Perhaps it is because I liken the feeling to when a kid who has been the only child for years suddenly learns they have been dethroned by the arrival of a new sibling. And because that was my experience when my sister was born 21 years ago, perhaps this just… you know… opens old wounds. Except instead of getting one new sibling like I did in ’95 and ’97 each, this is like getting 13 new “siblings” all at once! *Cue purposely exaggerated gasp and sigh* Alternatively, perhaps I feel this way just because we are all naturally resistant to change. You know, inertia and what not. But more likely, it is really because I am super mengada.
All of last week, I would get on the train at Kelana Jaya and look around at the platform, (comically) exclaiming in my head: “GUYS, DON’T YOU KNOW??? THIS IS ALL GOING TO BE OVER! We’re not going to be special anymore!!! Everyone, please freak out accordingly!!!”
Another thing I just realised is that I’ve gotten used to seeing the same faces at the Kelana Jaya station everyday. A more-or-less usual set of people in the morning and another in the evening rush hours. And like, I didn’t get to say goodbye to them?! Will I ever see them again?!! Because I mean, I feel like we had a bond??? And it’s so weird that we didn’t have a farewell makan-makan kinda thing??? How will they know I will miss them??!
And oh my god, what about the kakak jual kuih across the station??? *Cue the wailing* Thank god I bought a last round of karipap and popiah goreng on Wednesday evening. Thanks for everything, kak. 😢
Yesterday, when I took the train to Glenmarie for the first time, I was really in for an emotional ride. Pun intended. The Glenmarie station is 3 stops past Kelana Jaya. As my train was approaching KJ, I could feel my heart start to beat faster. Was I ready for this? Ultimately, no. There was no way I could have been ready. But you know how it is. Sometimes people push you into the deep end before you learn how to swim. Life, am I right?
As we pulled up at Kelana Jaya, it felt so odd not to be getting up and fumbling for my Touch n Go card. So instead, I just stared on longingly and took pictures.
To the untrained eye, this may all sound ridiculous. I totally understand. I see it too, and so do my loved ones. They give me facepalms or just say “lol” while shaking their heads. In fact, I often get dismissed because everything I say sounds really funny and unbelievable. “Dramatic la you ni” they say. Ha! Well, tell me, who would be your source of humour if I were any less dramatic?
At the end of the day though, everyone has to accept that I just am a dramatically sentimental human being to the point of sheer comedy. But even though it’s funny, it doesn’t mean my feelings aren’t real. I genuinely feel these things, you know. I just have so many feelings. I feel all the things.
Anyway, I guess I just need time to get used to the “new norm” as my dad calls it. So don’t worry, I will be okay (eventually lol). In any case, on a very level-headed note, I am pleased about this change and I hope the government consistently continues improving the public transportation system by gradually adding new stops…
…so that I don’t have to deal with this rampant emotional upheaval again in 20 years.
Dayana Writes 
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