BLOG
How To Survive The Daily Commute ♥
in I Want... Inspiration!, I Want... Life!, I Want... Travel!, I Want... Fun!17 Nov 2009 | 12 Comments
Oh, public transport: how unpleasant you can be! As we wriggle through your buses, trains and ferries in a flurry of business suits, briefcases and oversized lattes, it can be difficult to maintain an optimistic view of commuting. Luckily, there are some sneaky ways around you - which can make even the most hellish of experiences phenomenally more enjoyable!
Create The Ultimate Feel-Good Playlist
The cheesier and sillier, the BETTER! For maximum happiness, I don't think anything can surpass a heavy dose of retro tunes: think Michael Jackson (Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean), Abba (S.O.S, Waterloo), Elton John (Don't Go Breaking My Heart, Philadelphia Freedom, Bennie & The Jets), The Village People (YMCA, Macho Man), Queen (Bohemian Rhapsody, Action This Day, Body Language, Crazy Little Thing Called Love) and one of my all-time favourites, The Four Tops! Honestly, I dare you: listen to Sugarpie, Honey Bunch or It's The Same Old Song and try NOT to smile.
Equip Yourself With A Stack Of Fabulous Reading Material
Peruse your local second-hand bookshop for a slew of exhilarating novels, and stash one in your handbag for your next trip. Purchase your favourite magazine and salivate over all of the pretty shoes. Research your dream holiday destination, and excitedly pour over the articles. Gather interviews with your idols, and be inspired all the way to the end of your journey.
People Watch & Conjure Up Fantasy Scenarios For Each Of Them
Take a glimpse at the people around you: who do you think they are? How do you imagine that they earn a crust? Are they high-flying advertising gurus by day, and rockstars by night? Are they in the midst of trying to write a novel? What do they do? People watching is one of the most fun(and interesting!) ways of ALL to pass time!
Compose Love Letters
To your best friend, lover, a parent, overseas companion or even your favourite celebrity! Revel in the fact that you're making the most of your ordeal by creating something that will put a smile on someone else's face, and sprinkle it with cheer. Or at the very least, an anecdote of your travels:
''Why? Why, why, WHY, do some people insist, when you need to exit your seat, on doing that weird turn-your-body-sidewards thing? Why is it that they can't simply move? Oh, wait. I know: they want me to levitate over them, right? That MUST be it. At LAST! The mystery is solved!''
♥
xoxo
(Images thanks to dorellana and La Piccola.)
Comments (12)
I commute - 3 hours daily (if I'm lucky) is consumed by traveling on the bus to & from work - I am committed to changing this in 2010!!!! Survival lies in dozing or the ipod. Love your work.
18 Nov 2009, Tamara
that quote is soo gorgeous xxxx
18 Nov 2009, dani
Thanks for the tips, I'm becoming one of these 'commuters' in a couple of weeks, so I'm definitely on the look out for ways to make it more fun and interesting!
17 Nov 2009, Harriet, whereisharriet.blogspot.com
Great ideas Corrine! Makes me want to write another post about public transport etiquette.
There's another one - if you work in the city, make sure you pick up MX and read the 'Here's lookin at you' section, it makes me smile.
17 Nov 2009, Tina - 5ft0, www.5ft0.blogspot.com
Great article Corrine.
If only I had known these tips BEFORE tafe this year.
There's always university next year though! :)
Btw- did you apply for uni for 2010? x
17 Nov 2009, Alex, http://stockingsneededmending.blogspot.com
Miss Peregrin - Stacey, I like your style! ;D
Miss Sofia - It is, and that's one of the best aspects of it - it CAN be done anywhere! :D
Julie - I think so - you have to sit a test (of about 45 questions) here to get your learner's license, and if you pass (two or more incorrect questions and guess what? You've failed!), you then have to complete 120 hours of driving.. after that, you then have to sit ANOTHER test (a practical demonstration of your driving!), before you can legally drive by yourself.. a bit full on!
Kez - Ah, you're a genius! Definitely! That's an excellent point, thank-you! :)
17 Nov 2009, x Corrine/Frock & Roll x, www.frockandrollonline.com
I think I've done quite a few things on that list in my time! Oh and you have to add:
Think of all the things you can blog about when you get home...a public transport ride gives the best material!!
17 Nov 2009, Kez, http://www.andsoiwasthinking.wordpress.com
Well, not so lucky when I spend 80% of my daily hour drive to college stuck in a traffic jam.
You should totally get your license. Is the process long in Australia? Here in Mexico you just enter the transit building, pay and 10 minutes later you get your license n_n.
17 Nov 2009, Julie, http://juliettemaxwell.com
If I try to write on the bus, my handwriting gets smudged and ugly, so that's something I don't usually do. Normally I listen to music (and I do have some feel-good playlists on my iPod) and read whatever book/magazine/article it is that I'm reading/supposed to read.
And I love to do some people-watching, is really fun. I do it a lot when I'm waiting to meet someone at a cafe, a mall, or something like that.
17 Nov 2009, Miss Sofia, http://www.wineintheafternoon.com
Haha, I always make up fantasy scenarios for people on public transport - especially when I forget to being my cache of fabulous reading material. I like to make the scenarios as crazy as possible. I always have undercover cops, and Russian spies, and high-class escorts on my trains. ;)
17 Nov 2009, Miss Peregrin, http://missperegrinssecrets.blogspot.com
Julie - Oh, you lucky thing! I so need to get my license.. at the moment I commute for up to 4 hours a day, which apart from being an incredible time-waster, seems insane because 99% of my pet peeves are public transport related! I just don't understand why I continue to put myself through it.
17 Nov 2009, x Corrine/Frock & Roll x, www.frockandrollonline.com
I don't commute. With me staying at college so many hours it's better if I take my car to store my stuff. Still I like to having a feel good playlist for when I'm stuck in traffic jams.
17 Nov 2009, Julie, juliettemaxwell.com
