Give me money...

As usual I was using the bus, again... My relationship with buses is love and hate situation... I love using it because it has cheap fare but I hate whenever the bus is overly crowded... Both by passengers and street entertainer.

Anyway, I sat on that empty bus... Already a street singer...singing or whispering or sighing... I have no idea... I was sitting a bit far from the the street singer...

Here is the thing... I have no idea where they like to stand and start singing... Sometimes they stand near the door... Then the other time they standing in the middle of the bus... Making the passenger who stand or sit near the street singer will feel their ears are overflow with unwanted singing... And that day I was lucky enough not have to listen to him close enough.

 After watching the street singer my eyes glanced to a lady older than me but not by far. I offered her my seat... Well, the bus was a bit empty so I do not mind standing. But she gave me her biggest smile and said she was not a passenger. She is in fact another street singer! She was pointing to the singing person and told me that he did not follow the unwritten ethic. "Before performing (oh, dear... THis is a bus not broadway) we all sort of gathering around at the back area of the bus... Waiting for our turn... But this one just jumping in and singing... Really have no manner..." I smiled politely as what else I could say or do?

Then the lady took her position in the front area after the so-called-rude street singer finished his performance. And someone took over her place once she finished collecting money from us the passengers. Overall, things going on as usual.

But when I was on the bus in the evening, four men (probably just enter their man hood) get on the bus and start yelling like this, "Ladies and gentlemen... We need your attention, please..." And I was like... darn... Here we go again...

All of them starting to yell to us the passengers, "We just wants your help..." , "It would be better if we ask nicely like this rather than the other way around..." , "We ask you politely to spare us your money for about 1,000 Rupiah or 2,000 Rupiah..." , "It would be better we asked like this rather than robbing you blind", "Giving us that amount of money won't make you go poor..."

I sighed.

When the first time they use this Mode Operation I admit I was scared. Sure, I would give them 1,000 Rupiah just please get off the bus. But within times, I get irritated... No, no, no...I did not do crazy thing like approaching them and giving speech about hard work and blah, blah, blah... If they did not tend to stab people they sure will after listening me giving that kind of lecture. I really hate that they threaten us the passenger like that. So, after a while I refused to give them money...POLITELY of course... I may get annoyed but not crazy... But that evening...I just suddenly feel these young men would not take no for response so I decided to get off the bus. The total of passengers were not much so I just get this nasty feeling about it...

I just feel if the bus crowded with people, these sort of hoodlums would not dare to do more than empty threat. But if the passengers are not so many then I do not want to take a risk.


Sometimes they are not young men or teenagers but also kids... Not only on buses but they also insist us the passengers to give them money on mikrolet or any other public transportation. Once I refused to give the kid money because he kept on poking me... Insist I have to give money to him and the more he asked I get more annoyed. And when I firmly refused he started to yell and said nasty words. I could not care less...though I feel a bit sorry for the situation that force many children to earn money in such a way...

Jakarta is a big cruel jungle...