Dude! Where's my signal?

Okay, basically Andy and I went to the train station where we sat until 9.45pm-ish before someone blew the whistle off that I had to board the train. Went through Malaysian immigration and custom (Andy noted that how can I have entered Malaysia when I haven't even exited Singapore per se? I will leave that to the lawyers) and dropped onto my bunk immediately. Honestly speaking: I spent the next 1 hour waiting for some incoming train to arrive in Singapore before the $*^(@#$*%!(@#*%^# KTM finally started the train.

For the next 30 minutes we trugged slowly through Singapore deserted nightlife before arriving at Woodlands. Immediately cleared Singapore immigration and started doing funky things on my mobile phone.

First thing first, locate Malaysia mobile phone signal (Since we are only less than 5 kms away). I started using my mobile phone as if some divining rod, while setting the mobile network selection to Manual and start walking around the building (while everyone else is congregated at the exit as you can see from this photo)

Okay, near 1st lavatory door (Maxis signal: 1 bar)
Water cooler (Maxis Signal: 2 bars)
Moving on, just outside ladies toilet entrance (Maxis Signal: 4 bars, wowee!)
too bad I can't plant myself there trying to access my Maxis network.

Go out toilet, walk underneath windows (Maxis signal: 0 bar, 1 bar, 0 bar, 2 bar, lost 2 bar, back to 0 bar all the way)
Go to building 1-way exit into Singapore (Maxis signal: 0 bar, 0 bar, 5 bars?!, lost 5 bars, can't recover 5 bars). Moving on.
Walk around chairs (Maxis signal: blip, 0 bar, 1 bar, 2 bars, 1 bar, 0 bar, 3 bars) Stay!
This puts me approximately in front of 5 people next to a pillar, all staring at me as if I am some kind of freak.

Okay start typing out text messages and send them ASAP. While my mobile phone is queueing up 12 messages or so and sending them, I lost the signal. So repeat the pattern.

Walk around the wall (Maxis signal: 0 bar all the way)
Walk around the windows (Maxis signal: 1 bar, 0 bar, 2 bars) Stay! 2 messages sent.
Lose the signal, walk 1 step (Maxis signal: 2 bars) Stay! another 2 messages sent.
Lose the signal, walk another step (Maxis signal: 3 bars) Stay! another 5 messages sent.
Lose the signal, walk around (Maxis signal: 0 bar)
Continue walking 1 step at a time (Maxis signal: 0 bar)
Went back to outside ladies toilet entrance (Maxis signal: 1 bar) Somehow, 1 message gets sent somewhere along the way and in the process I bump into a lady and apologize profusely.

Okay, lost my manual network tracking screen. Back to setup.
Setup done, back to divining for network signal.

Hey! 1 more message sent! 1 more to go!
Okay, walk around the chairs and pillars (Maxis signal: 0 bar, 0 bar, 0 bar, 0 bar, 0 bar, what the heck, 0 bar, 0 bar, 0 bar, 0 bar, what the f***?, 0 bar, 0 bar). Walk off.
Try stationmaster's office (Maxis signal: 0 bar).
Try fire hose reel (maybe the metal might repel and enhance the signal? Maxis signal: o bar)

Try holding mobile phone close to the ground (about 1 foot off the ground) in hopes of catch low-lying signals.
Back to the windows (Maxis signal: o bar, 0 bar, 0 bar, 2 bar) Stay! maintain posture.
Can't maintain posture, stand up and bend down again (Maxis signal: o bar)
Move 1 step (Maxis signal: 0 bar)
Move another step (Maxis signal: 0 bar)
Can't maintain balance, fall onto floor in a heap.
Get up look at phone: last message sent. Yay!
Then inbox get crammed with 5 replies.
Look at Maxis signal: o bar (HOW?!)

Mutter a few expletives and decide to do the rest once we cross over into Malaysia.
(This whole episode took about 25 minutes)

And they still haven't open the exit.
So, what do you do with a camera phone.
Take pictures, dummy!

First thing, I took a photo of?
The sign to your right.

Civil disobedience is so good.












Continuing on the photo blitz, I decide to take this photo of their surveillance camera, just to see if they would really come and confiscate my phone since I am photographing their security system.

Just when I took it, the doors opened.
So I quickly rush out and back onto the train to stop them from confiscating my phone.

On the train, saw a few Singaporean officials walking around outside the platform but they probably can't find me since my bunk window is facing the other side.