First of all, the spirit is never complete without the queuing, which everyone gladly participated in. To survive the snaking long wait we first found a friend, cut the queue and proceed to chat and laugh. Spotted some ‘monkeys’ wearing their secondary school uniform and did random gossip about sporadic people that walked by.
Apparently, going to Singapore Day was the equivalent of boarding a flight for Singapore because no bottles of water were allowed in. And even if the bottles have been emptied, it’s still not okay. Tsk tsk tsk… how typically Singapore. Law by LAW…
While there were moments that disgusted me and reminded me of why I hated the Singaporean culture, namely the ‘I-got-pram-so-I-got-right-of-way’ attitude, there were also equally good nostalgic moments that made me miss the place I called and still call home.
Peering into the exhibits instantaneously brought me back to the state city and the late night shopping and outings that are impossible here in the continent that stops moving at 5pm on most days. mobtv vouchers remind me of the addiction to the idiot box every weekday nights at 7 and 9 pm during my childhood where homework exists in the realm of fiction. Small tiny square country erasers make me think of those errant moments in primary school where you refuse to listen to the ongoing class and instead choose to play the flipping eraser game under the table with your classmates.
And as I was walking home, I thought about the food that I had the blessed fortune to sample at the event. Chilli crab, Nasi Briyani and Roti Prata. Then mentally I started to list the food items available at the school canteens during those school years. I almost forgot that a plate of Char Siew Rice cost only 80 cents. And a bowl of noodles at my Secondary School was 50 cents. Wan Ton Mee is $1.20 and a chicken nugget 30 cents at the Chinese Cooked Food store. How much things have changed, or is it just me staying the same...
Singapore is a landscape that is constantly shape-shifting. 3 months away and you can feel a difference in the way the air sits. Returning to Australia after 2 years, I still see the same bits and pieces. In a way, familiarity is comforting and yet still, change is undeniably exciting and thrilling. Makes my blood race, with joy. Makes me love the way that Singapore is despite all that it isn’t.
And I know my next sentence would make SO feel the thud of his heart. But it makes me want to make it my home for always.
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