THOUGHTS ON A TRAIN

Somehow the electric trains of the Putra LRT do not go clickety clack . They just go clack. Of course they go whoosh and creak and sometime shriek too especially on corners. There is also the sound like a reverse crescendo when the train is stopping. The sound is somewhat like a lift (or elevator , if you are American) stopping, only louder.

When train #206 stopped at Bangsar this afternoon, a German-speaking family came aboard- a couple with a girl of about 9 or 10. What struck me, as I was fighting motion-sickness was the little girl kept hugging the man whom I guessed was the father. Between Bangsar station and Dang Wangi station, she hugged her dad six times. I counted. She didnt hug the mother at all although she shoved her bottle of mineral water to the mother after sipping from it.

Somehow my kids didn't hug me much, This is probably because I hardly hugged my own dad. I kissed his hands many times, yes. But hugged, no. Is my family an exception or is not showing affection a general thing in our Malay/Asian psyche? Do you hug your dad? Things are different now. I see my grandchilcdren hugging their dad (and everyone else within hugging distance). They have no hangups whatsover.

Somehow, I made up for my non-hugging days by giving most people big virtual hugs in our chat room. I don't hug men though. I am an old-fashioned guy.