"I've escaped it, a life wasted/And I'm never going back again." - Pearl Jam, "Life Wasted"

Saturday, August 26, 2006

10,000 Days

- ...or so it seems, since I last blogged.

- In the midst of a two-week break from work. But I haven't been wasting away. Next Wednesday I'm heading to Kuala Lumpur for three days. And the past five days, I've been revisiting places in Singapore which I've long forgotten.

- Monday: Drove from home to town, then to East Coast Park -- the entire length. Eventually reached Changi Village. The famous nasi lemak stall is still there, and is still mouth-watering good. A lazy town, perfect for a lazy on-leave day.

- Tuesday: Went to the Jurong Bird Park. Haven't been there since my Primary School days. It's like a whole new world again to me. Some impressive new exhibits, plus the good ol' waterfall is still there. Still, nearing the end of a 2.5-hour stay there, it gets quite boring. After all, there's only so many bird-talk you can take.

- Wednesday: Break. went swimming.

- Thursday: Almost died making my way to the MacRitchie Treetop Trail, deeeeeeeeeeeeeep inside the Central Catchment Area of Singapore. It was already a energy-sapping walk (upslopes generally) to reach the Trail. The suspension bridge lifted my mood a great deal, it was a heart-pounding 250m as I walked across it, with only a sturdy plank between me and a 27m drop into the jungles below. Be still my beating heart.

Here's the part that left me a bit disgruntled. There could have at least been a warning sign that, after crossing the one-way bridge, I would have to negotiate nearly 300 STEPS to ascend, then descend the terrain. As if I wasn't spent enough, I was literally crawling by the time I reached the bottom of the knoll. Couldn't someone just let us know beforehand that reaching the bridge is not the toughest part?

- Yesterday: Nursing my aching legs, I let my car do the travelling. It went to Lim Chu Kang. I visited the Hay Goat Farm. Saw plenty of goats lazing about just like me. Thought of buying the goat milk, but felt a bit queasy after seeing the goats.

Had lunch at the Poison Ivy Bistro. Was hoping not to bump into Ivy Singh Lim, the owner, whom I had acquainted while covering netball a few years ago. A rambunctious lady, she would have chatted non-stop had she recognised me.

I was having the chicken curry when, out of the kitchen, the matriarch appeared.

She said hi to the diners, including me. Then walked away.

Nope, she didn't recognise me. Dunno if I should feel happy or sad.