I miss the “kopi pua sio” and the aunty from one of the stalls at Marine Parade Central, which I used to frequent during my time at Gymboree. I miss the girls at Gymboree, Sue, Nadia and Joyce, and the kids like Yan Zhen, Yi An and Khrisha… I even miss doing the darn Gymbo dance and "The Wheels on the Bus" ride, jumping about and having as much if not more fun than the kids.
I miss being able to call Shorbs and Raena for no reason at all or just to ask or say weird things like “I’m lost in Raffles Place and all the buildings look the same” or “I just saw another ad with Andrew Poh’s face plastered on a SBS Bus” or “Ben wants to wear a mustard yellow suit for the wedding!”
I miss knowing that home is just a five-hour bus ride away, where family and friends are always just round the corner.
I miss reefwalking. I miss public reefwalks and camping out on Kusu Island, chatting and laughing with Pam and Ming after a walk, getting nagged at by Doreen, teased by Freddy, Daniel and Darius, and treated like a big sister by Lotus. I miss Wildfilming on any patch of sand or mud we can find in Singapore, or just exploring the shore at Changi on my own in the wee hours of the morning. I miss preparing for these trips out… Ziploc-king everything, the sound of silence at 3 in the morning… I even miss the morning afters. Like trying to stay awake at work after exploring a shore from 4 – 6 am, and knowing I’m gonna be waking up at 3am again the next day. I miss how it’s dark all around you except for the beam from your torchlight and you don’t really know what to expect or what’s in store, and the thrill of not knowing if you’re just gonna stumble on rocks or on something amazing like an octopus or the ever-lovable sea slug, even if it means getting bitten alive by sandflies or sinking knee deep in mud.
I miss Singapore’s libraries! All the books! And my membership which lets me hoard 8 books at a time! Even if my arm aches after carrying 8 hard cover reference books on the MRT from Bugis to Pasir Ris.
I miss just sitting at 136 with Ben and Peng or his other buddies, or just with Ben alone, having breakfast or lunch or dinner or supper, watching a game or just talking nonsense. I miss going for Sunday evening Mass with Ben at OLPS and the super-power choir and trying hard not to laugh when someone sings out of tune or says something wrong. And going for dinner at 85 after that… Barbecued stingray, chicken wings, mixed grill…
This I can’t believe I miss. I miss HDB life! Yeah, like I know I’m all alone here when Ben’s at work, but I’ve been all alone in Singapore many times too and just as happy alone as I was when I wasn’t. Make sense? Ok, here, when I step out onto the balcony, all I hear are crickets and an ocassional car or truck passing by. All I see is the ocassional car or truck passing by, and now and then people from the other blocks coming and going. Angmohs, Indians, Filipinos… Back home, you look out the window and you see life! Just regular, everyday life going on… People walking to and from the nearby market and central area… Kids going to or coming home from school… Makciks and aunties putting the laundry out to dry at the corridor, or taking their “galah”s in before sunset… People walking around with umbrellas, rain or shine… People waiting at the bus stop, and the buses going by every few minutes… Kids playing football at the open space below… Old Mr Lim watering his plants outside his flat… Minimart aunty scolding kids for opening the fridge for more than 10 seconds… Karanguni man making his rounds… Realising that you’re just like everyone else yet unique in your own way, not superior nor inferior, not out of place but feeling like you just belong.
I miss being able to call Shorbs and Raena for no reason at all or just to ask or say weird things like “I’m lost in Raffles Place and all the buildings look the same” or “I just saw another ad with Andrew Poh’s face plastered on a SBS Bus” or “Ben wants to wear a mustard yellow suit for the wedding!”
I miss knowing that home is just a five-hour bus ride away, where family and friends are always just round the corner.
I miss reefwalking. I miss public reefwalks and camping out on Kusu Island, chatting and laughing with Pam and Ming after a walk, getting nagged at by Doreen, teased by Freddy, Daniel and Darius, and treated like a big sister by Lotus. I miss Wildfilming on any patch of sand or mud we can find in Singapore, or just exploring the shore at Changi on my own in the wee hours of the morning. I miss preparing for these trips out… Ziploc-king everything, the sound of silence at 3 in the morning… I even miss the morning afters. Like trying to stay awake at work after exploring a shore from 4 – 6 am, and knowing I’m gonna be waking up at 3am again the next day. I miss how it’s dark all around you except for the beam from your torchlight and you don’t really know what to expect or what’s in store, and the thrill of not knowing if you’re just gonna stumble on rocks or on something amazing like an octopus or the ever-lovable sea slug, even if it means getting bitten alive by sandflies or sinking knee deep in mud.
I miss Singapore’s libraries! All the books! And my membership which lets me hoard 8 books at a time! Even if my arm aches after carrying 8 hard cover reference books on the MRT from Bugis to Pasir Ris.
I miss just sitting at 136 with Ben and Peng or his other buddies, or just with Ben alone, having breakfast or lunch or dinner or supper, watching a game or just talking nonsense. I miss going for Sunday evening Mass with Ben at OLPS and the super-power choir and trying hard not to laugh when someone sings out of tune or says something wrong. And going for dinner at 85 after that… Barbecued stingray, chicken wings, mixed grill…
This I can’t believe I miss. I miss HDB life! Yeah, like I know I’m all alone here when Ben’s at work, but I’ve been all alone in Singapore many times too and just as happy alone as I was when I wasn’t. Make sense? Ok, here, when I step out onto the balcony, all I hear are crickets and an ocassional car or truck passing by. All I see is the ocassional car or truck passing by, and now and then people from the other blocks coming and going. Angmohs, Indians, Filipinos… Back home, you look out the window and you see life! Just regular, everyday life going on… People walking to and from the nearby market and central area… Kids going to or coming home from school… Makciks and aunties putting the laundry out to dry at the corridor, or taking their “galah”s in before sunset… People walking around with umbrellas, rain or shine… People waiting at the bus stop, and the buses going by every few minutes… Kids playing football at the open space below… Old Mr Lim watering his plants outside his flat… Minimart aunty scolding kids for opening the fridge for more than 10 seconds… Karanguni man making his rounds… Realising that you’re just like everyone else yet unique in your own way, not superior nor inferior, not out of place but feeling like you just belong.
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