Trainy Quirks

There are some things that make one feel 'warm' to others. Just certain displays of unintentional charmingness that one observes. Here are some from the train trip:
- The guy I glimpsed politely sidling by me whilst I was having a beer, with his two tiny cucumbers clenched in his hand for dinner.
- The guy whose English was a skeric better than my Chinese, with whom I had a couple drinks, and halted convo, and by the end he gave me a charm he'd had for 5 years, and I'd given him some NZ coins for his little boy. (I'll send him some better stuff when I get home.)
- The soldier, just beginning his 3-month holiday after serving in Tibet; he carried a little Pekingese puppy, and he loved it so much as if it was his own baby, and let it run about the carriage to be petted by everyone, much to the disdain of the train police but not the train staff. (They hassled him about the dog, but only laughed at me when I tried to shut the door to prevent smoke coming into the cabin - it was a strictly non-smoking trip, especially during the oxo-zone, completely ignored by staff, cops and passengers alike.)
- The girl who would spend hours washing her face and slapping on the lippy and eyeline, but was completely at home with picking her nose as she greeted you. (Nose pickery, spittage, throatal hackment etc. is common and unashamedly indulged in by all, restauranteurs, conductors, commoners, inside and out.)
There were plenty more. I'll leave it there.