Definition of Stress: Lost in Translation

Working/living abroad would normally mean preparing yourself for taking the public transportation, expect this to be a part of your daily life. Forget about your Toyota or Honda. If you intend to buy one here, it takes approx 3x of the normal price in Manila, every car is 1.5M up, it's like only buy one if you really plan to settle here as PR (permanent resident).

When it comes to commuting, generally i prefer MRT than bus. Recently I went for dinner with some friends in a resto near Paya Lebar MRT. We finished eating at around 10pm.

My idea of a less stressful way of going home is this route:
Bus from resto to Paya Lebar MRT (or walk is ok) - Paya Lebar MRT to Bishan MRT - Bishan bus to home. All will add up to around 30min.

However, the 3 other friends I was with have a different definition. They prefer taking bus over MRT, for the sole reason that they feel more 'relaxed' riding a bus since there is more probability of empty seats. Also, usually there's TV. (Note that buses and MRTs here are both air-conditioned and well-maintained, they are not like the shabby types back in Manila. In terms of cleanliness and temperature control, I would say they are 'at par' with each other)

Dont take me wrong, I also ride buses. I'd go for a bus if it's a direct bus (same bus all the way). In fact, I sometimes do wake up early intentionally to catch the company shuttle that takes me all the way to office.

Anyway, going back, here are my reasons for taking the MRT:
1) Anything that gets me home the fastest is the 'less stressed' way.
2) I don't mind standing in MRT, and 10pm is not part of peak hours at all, there is a high probability of empty seats.
3) I don't prefer buses because in almost every bus stop, people are alighting/going up, there are so many pauses/distractions/interruptions. It takes a longer time to bring you to your destination.
4) I don't like waiting indefinitely for a specific bus number to come, sometimes the intervals would take more than 15minutes. In MRT, probably the max waiting time is 7min
5) I don't like the feeling of so many 'jerks' every now and then -- yun umaalog-alog literally when a bus comes to a full stop.

Majority wins so we took the 'bus' route, here's the route:
Bus from resto to Paya Lebar MRT (+walking for 15 min to cross some skyway and find the bus stop) - bus from Paya Lebar MRT to Toa Payoh Bus Interchange - bus from Toa Payoh Bus Interchange to home.

Guess what, it took us 2 hours, the whole trip + waiting/queueing time! We reached home at 12midnight. The bus fares were not cheaper than the MRT way because there were 4 of us in this 'joy ride'. AND after all, we should have taken taxi right from the starting point.

So a total of 1.5 hours lost in translation. Whew!