i'm going home in a bit, less than a month's time actually. Because the date keeps drawing nearer, i've been thinking about home somewhat more these days. Naturally, my nostalgic journey called to mind all the little idiosyncrasies I love about singapore.


1. the grumpy fierce hawker aunties. - these women are no nonsense, and if you haw and hem in front of their store, it means you're wasting their time and time means business. the hawker service thrives on the fact that its "fast food" (not in the typical sense of your burgers and fries) and these women work long hours standing, cooking, dealing with the heat from the gas stove whilst battling singapore's insane humid weather. a person deliberating over what he wants means a longer queue of customers behind him to deal with, and they get impatient with that. they take rapid-fire orders and somehow manage to commit all the details to memory.  and the end product is efficient - exactly what you ordered , complete with the little bags of chilli, chopsticks, disposable spoons inside your takeaway bag.

incidentally, the two hawker ladies that are deeply etched in my mind is the cashier at peninsula plaza who takes 5 different beverage orders at one time and rattles them off out loud to her compatriot who's making/serving the coffee or tea behind. "1 kopi gao, 2 kopi siu dai, 3 teh-si bing, 1 kopi-c-siu-dai, etc". if you've ever ordered local coffee in singapore, you know it can get more complex and confusing than your 2-shot vanilla latte with skim milk and extra foam.

the other lady i will always remember is the old auntie at chin mee chin kaya toast. that lady literally bangs down the plate at your table. but she's sharp despite her age and because this is in a coffee shop, she knows people stay to chat so she doesn't try to hurry people off, unlike her younger worker who tries to hasten people to move so that they can take in more customers.

2. the public transportation system - i know people complain in singapore that our public transportation system is crowded. but i think one reason why its very crowded, despite efforts to increase bus frequency (during peak hours, buses linking you to the city come every 7-10 minutes, which is more than i can say for public transportation here) is that everyone uses our public transportation system! and one reason for the widespread use is just how connected the buses and trains are to the whole of singapore (ok yes, it is a tiny country so perhaps its easy to connect everywhere). but what i mean to point out is that, over here, the people who use buses are those who can't afford cars and who are of lower income groups. you literally observe only a certain type of economic class when you board a bus here. that's something that stands in stark contrast with what i observe on a bus in singapore.

of course, there are times you want to avoid taking the bus in singapore... especially when its the after school period and you have a bunch of sweaty school boys pile onto the bus. that's when the air-conditioned bus definitely turns suffocating.

3. east coast park - the beach that wasn't naturally one. built on reclaimed land, the beach is not much of a sight to behold. but east coast park is still a reprieve from the city and its relative quietness as well as cool sea breeze brings a tranquility and peace that is a world apart from the hectic pace in singapore.  i have fond memories of playing in the area. its where my dad first taught me to cycle and my family used to go there on weekends to walk, run, bike. these occasions were then followed up with a meal of duck rice. and even though it was a very simple meal (literally roast duck on brown rice), i think my brother and i always looked forward to it.

east coast park would also be the place where my best friend in high school taught me how to roller blade. and also the first place where i ate dosas. thanks to sam and her love for indian food, she would drag me to eat dosas after having patiently watched me fall on my bum for the umpteenth time in an attempt to catch up with her on skates. junior college later introduced me into running and east coast park would be the venue for all my attempts to train at running. it would also be the spot where i whined and complained to all my running partners that i wanted to stop and where i will always remember max telling me "if you have the breath and stamina to complain while running, it means you're not running hard enough"

well that shut me up.

ok enough on memory lane. i'll be there soon anyway.