Random Ramblings

Every morning when I drive to work, I usually made many observations .. or I reflect back what happened the previous days. I thought I should share some of my observations with you.

I found out that the reason the phone charger did not work is because US has a different voltage requirement. They are the only country, as far as I know, that uses 110V, where as the rest of the world, including Malaysia, uses 220V (or is it 240V?) .. anyway, that’s US for you – everything have to be different. I’ll have to find either a power converter or someone in the office who has a Nokia who happens to have a charger too. And I believed I have found someone who has it!

Having said that, perhaps there is a reason to be different. I find that the traffic/road system in US makes a lot of sense. For example, and I am putting this in a Malaysian context, when you are in a cross junction with traffic lights and you wanted to make a left turn, you could do a left irregardless if the traffic light is red or not as long as there are no cars coming from the right. Makes lots of sense right? Why would you want to stop when you can turn if there are no incoming cars.

Similarly, if you are at the cross junction with traffic light and you wanted to turn to the right to the opposite lane, they have a special traffic light for that. In this traffic light, it has two green light. One is just green. There is a sign that says if Yield when green to turn. This means that when the light is green and there is no incoming cars, you can turn to the right. If there are incoming cars, you yield and wait. After a while, the other green light will lit up. This light has an arrow. When you see this light, you know FOR SURE you can turn and don’t have to yield. Again, makes so much sense and alleviate a lot of traffic woes.

Then people here actually adhere to speed limits and if they do, certain parts of the system works. For example, every morning I have to pass through this road where there is school. Over here, the limit is 20mph.. around 30 km/h. So there are cars which will turn into the school to drop their children and then they turned back out and drive over to the opposite lane. Now any incoming traffic has to go at 20mph which allows these cars to drive over to the opposite lane. If people don’t adhere to the limit, there’s no way these cars can come out of the school, thus causing traffic jam. Fortunately, people here do adhere and cars just move in and out like a breeze.

Actually when I think about it, a lot of these traffic rules depend on the people’s mentality. I believe it will not work even if it is implemented in Malaysia because Malaysian drivers do not yield. LOL.