1000 + minutes on a train...

So as some of you may know I have just started a bachelor of Design Computing at the University of Sydney :D Whooooo.

Yes it is a fair bit of work. Yes i'm exhausted. but YES I am enjoying it.... mostly...

So the most appropriate method of travel to Uni (especially with my silly knee), is by train. Our 3rd week of uni is only half over and already I have spent upwards of 1000 minutes on a train. 20 train trips in 2 and a bit weeks....excellent...

Sticky, squashy, crazy peak hour trains with 1000000000 other people all trying to cram into a single carriage.

You know what annoys me? People on peak hour trains who purposely sit on the outside seat of a 3 seater and just glare/stare at you if you walk past. Greedy much? Then, in contrast you have the overly sharing people who decide to practically sit on you because they thought they could squish themselves into 10cm of seat space. I HATE TRAINS. lol.

But anyway, so far I have come across numerous interesting characters on my train trips, some of which I thought I would share with you.

1. 95 year old lady - one morning I was travelling to Redfern as usual, minding my own business when across the aisle from me an Asian lady stood up to let an elderly woman sit in the middle seat (one of the nice people who actually SHARE their seat space). They began to strike up a conversation and the elderly woman revealed she was 95 years old! For starters, her physical condition to be able to catch public transport fairly easily was impressive, but there was a liveliness about her that was a sharp contrast to the other dull grumbling passengers.
She began to talk about her week...and this lady had a more impressive social life than me!! She had been out to the movies, out dancing, lunch with friends, doing something new and exciting each day. This got me thinking.... why can't everyone have the same spirit and enthusiasm as this lady? There were passengers on the train much much younger than her that seemed so bored and complacent with life, when really they should have been oozing energy!
So challenge number one: Be enthusiastic about all you do.

The lady then began talking about some of her experiences in her life, she had been to the great wall of China and many other amazing places around the world. How awesome would it be to b able to look back on your life as this lady was doing and be able to have such a wealth of experience!

The other thing that struck me about this woman was how hard she had worked for what she had. She had lived through war and the depression, seen amazing changes in technology, and encountered countless people and environments. However, the most poinient thing she talked about was going to university. Back when she was younger, there was no where near the opportunities we have now. She worked long and hard all day, and went to Uni at night to try and become a teacher. That was the only way she could get a higher education.
We complain that we have too many assignments and not enough time and we have to get up early to catch the train. She walked. Worked a full days work. THEN went to University and did it all again in the morning. Could you imagine doing a full days work and then doing a full day of uni... in the one day!! I doubt you would find someone in this day and age that would even consider this a possibility.
challenge 2: Be grateful for what you have. There are SO many things we take for granted. Be thankful for the things you have, no matter how little they may be.

My hat goes off to this lady, who's only complaint with life, was that at the age of 95 she found she didn't have the energy she used to and was frequently tired. wow. If my only complaint at 95 was that I was a bit tired, I think I would be pretty happy. Use your time while you have it. Take every moment as it comes. Don't waste your time grumbling and complaining .. smile :)


2. Young boy on his first train ride - On another 50 minute trip to Redfern station I had the pleasure of being accompanied in my carriage by a young mother and her son, probably only 2-3yrs old, who was on his first train trip. The bewilderment of this young child put a smile on my face, as even the smallest detail caught his attention. He was ecstatic when he was allowed to sit up on the big seat next to mum, taking in all of the wonderful things around him.
A quote from Randy Pausch's book The Last Lecture came to mind..."Never lose the child-like wonder" If only we could see things from a child's point of view. With innocence and curiosity, my train trip became that little bit more exciting.
challenge 3: See the exciting side of something, retain that lingering bit of childhood wonder.


3. The really tall man and the really short woman - With no intention of being rude or judgemental, my train trip home yesterday let to the encountering of two different people. On one side of me there was a lady who barely came up to my shoulder. Standing next to her I began to feel tall and confident.
However, on the other side of me there was a man, or should I say teen, whose head would have been max 5cm from the roof of the carriage. He was taller than the door by far, I was lucky to have come up to his shoulders. Standing next to him i felt small, putting me into my place.

This led me to the point of perspective. Standing next to these two people I was still the same person, still the same height, still the same age. However, the height of these people gave me a different perspective on my surroundings all together.
Challenge 4: Allow yourself to look at/experience things from a different perspective. Climb a tree, lay in some grass (yes onacloV- descomp lecturer who told us to look at different perspectives for photography), look at something from an angle you aren't used to. You never know. You might suprise yourself.


4. The over-enthusiastic train station announcer - You know the driver person on a train that announces the next station? e.g. "This is a cronulla service, next stop hurstville." Well the other day on the way home, the station announcer was over-enthusiastic. Announcing the stations like he was announcing something at a carnival. Some of us began to giggle at how hilarious this sounded, another passenger commenting to me 'i wish i had some of what he's got', which got me thinking. Why can't we put a little bit of enthusiasm into the boring and mundane parts of life. Sure this guy sounded pretty hilarious, but I bet he was having fun, and was bringing a smile to some otherwise dull faces. :)
challenge 5: Approach something with enthusiasm. Anything, it doesn't matter. Give something you normally do out of routine some excitement, some sparkle. You may even have a little fun. :p



Today I leave you with one of the good old graffiti/scribbled out signs commonly seen on trains (no i don't support damaging public property... but it is pretty funny :p )

"At night, rave near the guards carriage, naked with a blue light"
*giggle*

or.... on a more inspirational/serious note, a quote I found when researching for uni...
"The world is but a canvas to the imagination" - Henry David Thoreau.

=]

Much love.
Nadine.