i love the bus ride going to work.

(i also think this is a phase where i'm slowly reconnecting with singapore whilst simultaneously developing pet peeves)

in the morning its quiet, with only the rattle of the bus to accompany the tranquility. i like watching the world go by around me, catching the flash of pink bourganvilla against green and seeing the delicate white petal clusters of frangipani trees arranged evenly in a row along the streets.

i like how the bus winds around geylang, and i can watch the inhabitants of that particular street rise in the morning. there's an old uncle sitting at a coffee shop, clinking his metal spoon against his glass mug of teh, or kopi, or ginger tea. Above him is a blue awning that has a familiar gold "Tiger" logo splashed across it. Further down the street, another coffee shop sports a similar black awning but with the word "Guiness" brandished instead. The opposite side of the street is littered with fruit stores; a man clad in office attire (shirt, tie, dress pants) is haggling with the fruit seller (dressed in his t-shirt, shorts, and slippers) over the price of bananas, or at least that's what it looks like.



unfortunately, my love for bus rides doesn't extend to mrt rides. rush hour in singapore means being packed like sardines in a train, and when you're my height, that usually means getting a whiff of someone else's armpits. high heels of course help to alleviate the situation.

but there is something disconcerting about arriving at raffles place mrt and watching hundreds of office personnel file out of the station onto the waiting escalators. everyone is distant, their eyes averted. they are silent yet the world around is not soundless; in the background, an electronically recorded voice recites a tired message of 'reporting any suspicious article' to the appropriate authorities.


not too long ago, hannah and i had a conversation about singapore.

i had said that singapore is a place i belonged to, even if i didn't necessarily fit in all the time.
the love-hate relationship continues.