by Maz Serena Rockers (116) (
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By mid 2012, I'll be finishing my economics and international relations degree. I love writing, art, music, hanging out with my friends & being a productive night owl. You can find me on twitter @Meowsha. PS Cats are the best! :)
You might work in the city, or perhaps you just don't drive. Even if that doesn't apply to you, chances are you have to commute using public transport every now and again. Seemingly, many people who drive hate public transport and are dangerously close to adding to the "first world problems" meme with their complaints about it. Nevertheless, even if you are used to the peak hour crowds, there are measures you can take to make the journey a little more bearable. Their effectiveness depends on personal preference. Given the variety of entertainment options, their subjectivity is unsurprising. What do you, the readers, fancy as your favourite mechanism to escape from the daily horror of public transport?
I'll start by naming the most obvious, listening to music via an iPod or similar. Any personal mp3 player will do for those of us who share the love of music. Some people also carry tiny personal radios. My personal frustration is when my iPod or smart phone dies and I can loudly hear someone else's often undesirable music.
Those of you who are lucky enough not to get motion sickness can read or even complete Sudoku puzzles. Some Sydney people leave their newspaper for other people to read as if it's an accepted code. I theorise that others are just too lazy to throw their newspaper out, with the Sudoku puzzle frustratingly complete. Never mind, you can always keep your hopes up for the crossword puzzle.
Of course despite intentions, it's still better to have a newspaper than not, especially if you don't get motion sickness. The MX is the free Sydney newspaper which is handed out around CBD train stations. I personally fancy the "MX Talk" section for a laugh, generally at how serious peoples' concerns are within it. It often highlights some of the issues with commuting, and indicates that these passengers were not adequately entertained.
If you travel by bus or on trains where reception isn't lost - you can do your all-important social media updates with a smart phone or a laptop. I love the Twitter app but it seems to chew through my battery a bit too quickly for my liking. Alternatively, some people are lucky enough to actually be well enough to do work on buses and trains. I often try to but I am plagued with motion sickness. Reading anything triggers it, and I know many others who are affected similarly. Being productive on public transport isn't as easy for us. Where does that leave us?
A possible solution to our problem apart from mp3 players and simply not reading anything is a bright idea presented to me by an acquaintance of mine. She suggested that I download audio books instead of torturing myself and trying to read on buses. This also removes the inconvenience of carrying heavy books around with you, for those of you who don't get motion sickness but still don't like lugging a book from place to place.
Does anyone have a better idea of what can and should be done to avoid murderous tendencies, motion sickness or even simply make commuting a tad more bearable for those who really dislike it?
