It was so cold that I could see my steamy breath - even on the upper deck of the bus. And the yellow poles on the tube could only be held with the thick sleeve of my jacket covering my hands, it was that cold. Warm relief came when severe signal failures in the Paddington area caused the 7.56 from Ealing Broadway to be cancelled. Meaning that a million people tried to get on the 8:08 - meaning that we packed ourselves in like sardines - meaning that we got warm again.
It’s always easier to cope with overlapping personal spaces in situations like this if you’ve got your own personal music to listen to. It takes the sensory focus away from the eyes - and from making eye contact with your fellow passengers - who are probably close enough to get really familiar with the eau-de-toillete you splashed on earlier.
Squashed up in a narrow “briefcase-compartment” behind a cluster of seats in the first class compartment of the First Great Western Link train to Slough, the position I was forced to stand in afforded me a mundane view of an oriental-looking girl with bright-dyed hair and oversized jumper-sleeves, channel-surfing the FM radio on her mobile phone - which glowed alien-spaceship-red everytime she pressed a button.
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Well, it doesnt seem to be that crowded though.
And talking of close spaces, even normal people will get claustrophobic if they travel in the suburban trains of Mumbai or the buses in Chennai or Kolkata.
Though I havent experienced any of this here. They do seem to respect a ring of privacy around them, even in the tightest corners.
Red skin for the mobile - probably just a fad that will last for a short while.
Posted by: sat on November 21, 2004 06:36 AMi always try and have music to listen to .… makes life so much easier on the tube.
Posted by: Jaina on November 21, 2004 06:32 PMIt was probably the farthest thing from that girl’s mind when she was thumbing for a radio station that somebody would be taking her picture and it would be seen the next day by somone thousands of miles away.LOL.
Posted by: Fritz on November 21, 2004 10:05 PMOne of the complexities of the London psyche is that millions of people fear intrusion on their privacy while they live in lonely isolation and dream of being a celebrity.
But every now and then someone takes a photo of your radio.
Posted by: Rhys Lewis on November 22, 2004 04:00 PMSat: she was sitting down. I was standing up - right behind her. The picture doesn’t show the crowd of squashed people behind me.
The “skin” fad has been around for a long time over here. She is one prob one of the “stragglers”!
Jaina: agreed!
Fritz: Indeed! I sure do hope she one day discovers this fact!
Rhys: Quite. I’m kind of hoping that as long as the subject cannot be identified - then the subject will be happy. But you never know …
Posted by: Jag on November 23, 2004 10:07 PMToo Cool!! I’ve been thinking of adding some “candid” shots to the blog, was thinking about “People who are using their mobiles while driving down the M1” hmm.. maybe I will when the clocks go back next year!
Posted by: Brom-man on November 23, 2004 10:36 PMI take it your camera doesn’t go ‘click’.
Posted by: David on November 25, 2004 08:20 AMLove your blog which I have enjoyed for a few months now. I live near Stanmore so know most of the places you picture in your photo montage.
Posted by: Anne on November 25, 2004 01:52 PMHello Brom-Man: do people actually drive down the M1? Or do they just kind of c r a w l ? I guess it makes all the difference if you’re thinking about using your mobile phone whilst driving! Southbound - junction 10 to 8 sounds the most likely for this practise! :-)
David: It does - but it can be turned off too! :-)
Anne: Thank you! I pass thru Stanmore a lot - especially when heading up towards Watford or the M1 Northbound: Marsh Lane etc. Of course - Route 79 passes nearby too! ;-)
Posted by: Jag on November 25, 2004 10:35 PM