Rides of the Night and its Observations (What?)

I made these observations in impromptu. All started when I was on my way to KLIA from UIA Gombak.

The night was clear. Half moon and stars filled the sky. The trees, they were all waving at me, bidding me goodbye. I looked back and it was a splendor semester I have ever had and as it ended, I must go back home.

At the bus stop near Farouq UIA, I waited for a bus, and a bus, empty and on rest, parked right in front of the bus stop. The sound of working engine meant that I might get my ride soon (at least what I thought). Unfortunately, it left me a few minutes later. Sigh.

According to my time, I have 25 minutes left before the last train takes off at the Gombak station, 11.45pm, as stated in the website I have searched. There was no time for me. Minutes passed and I have to decide. To wait for a bus? I rather not. I requested a Uber ride instead.

After 7-minute waiting, a car approached from afar, beaming its light and giving a signal to park on the side of the road, in front of the bus stop where the bus had parked. I got in and introduced myself. To my surprise, the driver was also an UIA student.

We have a talk. We were both engineering student, I left the school, though. He stayed and extended for 3 semesters. I reminisced the day I studied all the mathematics and we denied we enjoy it but in the end, it was fun and challenging. What made him stay even though it was a rough sail was that he has to do it. I observed his stiff voice. He was talking about his friends graduating from the university, leaving him as they embarked on another phase of life - working and getting their own money. The stiff voice, that was what I have had a few weeks ago within me when my friends graduated.

We arrived at the LRT. I left him a joke to leave UIA asap and it's boring to stay there any longer. In my heart, I prayed for his best.

With only one passenger, the train left the station.

At 12 am, we arrived at KL Central station. Bad news. The last bus took off from the station to KLIA at 11 pm. I asked around and a taxi driver suggested me to take a cab instead. Midnight price and high fixed price? Not a chance.

I bought a ticket to KLIA2. There were not many passengers and it was a pleasant rest. I woke up later arriving at the bus station in KLIA2. I went straight to the counter to buy a ticket for a transit to KLIA by bus. RM2 by right. Sadly, no transit bus available after 12 am and I have to wait until 5.30 am for the first trip for the day. If that's the case, no problem for me. The problem was, however, when you have a concerned father who was afraid that you might miss the flight due to these casualties, waiting for hours for a transit was a bad idea. I have no choice.

I went outside hoping for a miracle. As if He listened and responded in no time, a transit bus arrived. It was past 12 am and I was surprised. Maybe luck came to greet me like an old friend again. I talked to the bus conductor and asked if the service was still on the roll. The answer shocked me. A yes and no would probably best suited my dilemma. Yes, the bus shall give me a trip to KLIA but no, sir. No for an overpriced trip. He charged me RM10. I believed if taxis would do the same too.

In the end, I requested a Uber ride again.

This time, an old man with a clean black Proton Preve. He greeted me as I entered his car. His name was Uncle A (let's kept it anonymous yea). A 50-year old man from Malacca who lived in KL for most of his lifetime. A government retiree. He told me that age greeted him like an old friend. You thought it sounded bad, no? A lucky I have yet to meet.

He retired 3 years earlier, rest for a while, bought a new car, and became a Uber driver. I asked him why did he make the choice? As a government worker, you can easily get a lot of benefits. In a time of economic crisis such as this year, we all need a secure job. But this was not the deal for Uncle A. He chose to end his career, leaving his office earlier, to have his own job that he could control. Basically, Uber was it. He could do it in the morning or at night, and his working space was not limited. He could drive anywhere upon his customer's request. When I asked how he felt, he seemed to enjoy it at the moment. He felt energized and relax at the same time.

And at the same time too, we found ourselves at KLIA. I paid him a fee and I bid him farewell.

My observations were simply impromptu. But I could see a fine line between these people - all were motivated by money. Their social variability and psychology shaped their reasons but all led to gaining their own income. I claimed no justification for the overprice fees imposed on me, I leave them as they were. People have reasons. All of them - the engineering student, the taxi driver, the bus conductor, and Uncle A, they all have reasons. In all cases, I was depended on my money too, like them, and I was particular in choosing my rides.

Where does these impromptu observations lead me to? What does it teach me?

The economy is one of the basic aspects of human life. Human depends on the economy to survive, to keep up with a dynamic life they build, to not be statics or too slow, else they will be left. (and all the buses left me because I was late!)