Yorrike

I took the bus into Wellington yesterday (from Johnsonville). I was right up front on a double decker. The day was beautiful and the view was amazing, as we twisted through the hills north of Wellington and got close to the harbour. Riding right up front of a double-decker as it twists around hairpins on steep slopes made me feel, at times, like the whole bus was going to tip forward. Like a gentle rollercoaster.

At a couple of points, some weirdos drove by in flash cars – a Maserati and a Lamborghini. I felt sorry for them, having to drive themselves around in cars worth more than 95% of people earn in a year which required petrol that costs ~$2.50 a litre. And here I was, with a $3.50 fare, relaxed, riding in luxury. Being driven by a professional (though horrifically underpaid), driver, like a prince.

Public transport is the ultimate luxury. It’s cheap, it’s easy because you don’t have to leave your mode of transport anywhere, and most of all, it’s cognitively relaxed. Be it by train, bus, tram, motorised footpath or ferry, taking public transport is the best way to travel. And though e-bikes and scooters are great for the last few kilometres, it’s the mass transit that makes a city more liveable.

So keep your Lamborghinis, car enthusiast weirdos. I’ll spend the same money on a lifetime worth of bus fares and enjoy the scenery while you probably sit in gridlocked traffic.

You may have a favourite coffee cup at work or home. One you always reach for when you’re set on having a serious coffee at a serious moment.

I use an insulated travel cup because I can take an hour or two to sip my way through a coffee. I can’t slam coffee back fast enough to outrun cooling through convection and radiation.

And this is my Zojirushi coffee cup. I one-click-purchased it by mistake. I’ve used it 1–4 times a day for almost 30 months (including taking it to cafés so they can fill it up). It’s met concrete at speed many times. It’s dented, scratched and gouged. I’ve lost it, and found it again. I’ve frequently scrubbed the inside with criminal force.

And it’s still going strong. It’s the best coffee cup I’ve ever owned. The top still flips open with a satisfying click. The lock still keeps the lid closed when required.

Unlike the 3 Contigo cups I went through prior, it doesn’t leak. I’d happily throw this cup, full of hot coffee, into a bag filled with things I care about. It’s that reliable.

If you’re after something similar, I highly recommend these cups. I hope mine lasts another 30, 60 or 120 months because I’m going to be upset when my caffeine-delivering companion breaks for good. Until I insta-buy a new one, intentionally.