Malaysian man receives ‘shock education’ during commute to Singapore; compares it to an Ironman competition

SINGAPORE: In a Facebook post, a Malaysian man wrote that he used to envy his countrymen who worked in Singapore. However, after trying the long and exhausting commute for two days, he was so tired out that he compared the journey to an Ironman competition.

He shared his story on April 3 in an account called “Is my CPF sufficient?” which describes itself as “A gathering place for working people in Singapore and Malaysia.” 

In it, the post author wrote he had recently gone to a concert in Singapore, which gave him a taste of what commuters from Malaysia who work in the city-state go through regularly. While stories may abound on social media about their high salaries and good lives, behind the scenes is “bitterness behind the glittering beauty.”

Commuters’ problems begin even before the sun goes up, he wrote. “In order to avoid the peak period of traffic jams, force yourself to get up before dawn… hurry up, and queue for a bus. In case you press snooze an extra time and wake up a few minutes late, congratulations, you go straight into the peak of hell, the queue is really out of sight.”

And then, even if people want to get home early, they can’t, because they have to grapple with the same crowds of people, he wrote, adding that some workers even stay in Singapore until late at night just to avoid crowds, and then catch the last bus home.

While one bus after another goes back to Malaysia, “the flow of people passing through is always like a bottomless hole,” the post author observed.

In Singapore, people have the options of taking the bus or MRT, or walking. But if they do need to take a taxi, they need to be prepared. 

“Especially calling a Grab during peak hours; the fare will genuinely give you a heart attack!” he wrote.

His aspirations of working in the city-state have changed. “When I was in middle school, I also dreamed of going to Singapore to work. After all, the exchange rate was 3.5. Who would not be interested? But after these two days of ‘shock education,’ my mind was completely flipped.”

He also joked that he is no longer surprised that many people working in Singapore are so slim, given how much walking and running they have to do each day. 

“The amount of exercise is simply excessive! I might have lost weight by now,” he wrote, adding that if he had to do this, he would “just raise the white flag and surrender.”

He now confesses to having a newfound respect for the people who commute between the two countries daily.

When a friend asked if he would ever go to Singapore to watch a concert again, he said he would, after saving a little more money and then springing for a hotel stay in order to avoid the strenuous commute, “and never experience this everyday ironman life again.”

“Just two days of personal experience made me understand more and admire all the people who insist on this life every day. You guys really work hard!” he added. /TISG

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