Pampering Your Inner Child

Michael Jackson once sang, 'Have you seen my childhood?'
I revisited mine today, in Forum the shopping mall (after running another admin errand), which brought a myriad of different emotions.

My heart skipped a beat when I walked past the former Kawai music centre, where I used to sit anxiously while awaiting my turn to enter the piano exam studios.

I unleashed my inner child as I romped gleefully through Toys 'R' Us, cuddling the stuffed toys, checking out the latest figurines, and oggling at the Lego sets (especially the Lego Technic). Pity that they no longer have the tables with pieces of Lego for children to play with, I longed to sit at one of those again (and had the urge to bury my hands in a mountain of Lego pieces). A long-forgotten promise also surfaced to mind : when I was younger, I used to tell myself that I would return when I had financial autonomy (ie 'when I can spend my money on what I want) to buy the toys that I really wanted. Now, there appeared to be nothing I coveted (except a Lego Technic set that cost $850. Ouch...), so I settled for buying myself a packet of M&M's, and left with a grin on my face (and a mouthful of chocolate).

What better way to spoil my inner child, than to give in to the temptation of indulging a craving? I made a beeline for 'Genki Sushi', like a moth to a lamp (or like a kid to a candy shop). After all, when you have a strong craving for something, all roads will eventually lead you to the object of your desire (well, in the case of food anyway...). I finally fed my craving for cold Japanese green soba (buckwheat noodles) and salmon sashimi, justifying it as a pre-birthday treat from me to myself :)
Lounging in the bliss of my post-lunch drowsiness, I soaked in the atmosphere and watched the people around me : the dignified chef preparing slices of sashimi with quick and skilful flicks of his knife, the busy waitresses flitting from one table to another, the absorbed look on other customers' faces as they ate, and three pairs of mothers and sons who were sitting in different corners of the restaurant.

Initially, I stared in amazement at all three sons, who wore the same blue-checked shirts and shorts. Their mothers must have had some superb telepathic connection to dress their sons in exactly the same way! Then, sheepishly, it dawned on me that the three ladies were probably 'mummy's who had picked up their sons from the same preschool, and were all stopping by the same restaurant for lunch (which may also have been a telepathic feat). I recalled times when I, too, had joined my mum for a meal after school, and sat there bemused, a reminiscent half-smile on my lips.

To top it off, when pampering your inner child, no one should ever forget dessert. In this case, an ice cream cone from another childhood icon - McDonalds (Sure, I may have a certain level of financial autonomy, but I just blew more than $10 on lunch...)

And, typical of a day filled with indulgences, I'm now recovering from a sugar overdose (ie the pack of M&Ms and ice cream cone).

Still, you only live once. After all, as the slogan goes : 'Everyday is Sunday at Forum'. And you've got to treasure (and spoil) that little child within you sometimes. Right? My inner child would agree :)

Sungei Buloh Photos

After the farm trip, I walked over to the Sungei Buloh Conservation Park, where there were much fewer visitors. People were actually complaining about the $1 entrance fee.
Amazing... they were actually willing to pay $2 for a taste of 200 ml of goat's milk, but unwilling to pay $1 for a taste of the beauty of our native mangrove wetlands. Go figure.
Could have named it 'lizard day'. Came across 3 different lizard species, ran into the gigantic Malayan Water Monitor lizards 8 times within 3 hours, but (luckily) didn't meet any 'Buayas' along the way :)
However, nothing could beat the sight of a graceful heron as it glided silently overhead.

Here are some photos of the farm and Sungei Buloh trip .

I'll try the MacRitchie treetop walk and the Kent Ridge trails one of these days.

Spring Special @ Kranji

Farmstays in Australia are extremely popular among tourists. Who would've thought that farm visits here in Singapore would have been such a hit with the locals too? That's what I found out today, when I hopped onto the free loop-bus service between Boon Lay and Kranji MRT, to visit 8 different farms in suburban North-Western Singapore.

Interested in exploring Singapore's lesser-known countryside and farmland, I recalled the last time I'd visited the area, which was during a primary school tour to an aeroponics farm. However, this time, I could not shake off the feeling that I was still haunted by a busy city-life. Perhaps it was because we were driving through the rustic countryside in an air-conditioned bus with plush carpeted seats. Maybe it was sitting in the bus, jam-packed with other Singaporeans chattering loudly in a variety of languages and dialects. Or the couple seated in front of me, poring through a newspaper advertisement and exclaiming loudly "Watsons got sale! Must go after this!". Perhaps it was the kid seated behind me, playing his electronic hand-held game (which was emitting a sharp and repetitive 'beep blip blap'. Hypnotism in the making... ). Or the sight of a wild chicken running across the entrance of a large industrial factory, which hatched thoughts of 'why did the chicken cross the road?' (thoughts that I instantly suppressed with a cringe). Or the observed absence of any fellow 12 to 30 year-olds at the farms. Maybe it was the couple standing next to me at a farm, complaining noisily that neither bench nor shade was provided for them to rest while waiting for the loop bus (at which I thought: For goodness sakes, you chose to visit a farm, not a shopping centre...). Or the sight of several housewives lugging huge bags of vegetables and fish, chirping, "Wah! So cheeap!". Perhaps it was the sound of Britney Spears and Ricky Martin, blasting from speakers at one of the horticultural farms in an attempt to attract visitors (Argh, it actually repelled this one! Oops, she did it again...)

But there were also many unforgettable moments, sights (and sounds) that brought a smile to my face. The regal sight of a purple heron poised gracefully beside a stream. The innocent and fascinated looks on childrens' faces as they eagerly reached out to pat a kid (baby goat). The taste of fresh wheatgrass juice (I'm not a big fan of it, but the freshly-extracted version was uniquely refreshing). The toothy grin of a lean and muscular man, as he clubbed the head of a struggling fish while posing for a camera shot (*shudder*). The sweet sight of a beautiful blue-streaked butterfly from the bus window, and the equally sweet voice of a little girl behind me exclaiming to her mother, "Mummy, look, butterfly!". The family of four, squatting silently in a corner, sharing a meal of sausage rolls and goat's milk, savouring the surrounding tranquility.
And a conversation I overheard on the loop bus :

Auntie #1 (to the bus driver) : Hallo! This the last stop, har?
Bus Driver : No, one more stop, then I drive to MRT
Auntie #2 : Hah?? Last stop Ah ?
Bus Driver : No, not last stop, one more stop, then I go MRT.
Auntie #3 : Oh no! Last stop?! Then how?! You got go MRT or not??
Bus Driver : SIGH

I could not help but sympathise with the bus driver (and turn away to hide my amused grin). Typical of many Singaporeans, blind to the beauty of the countryside, deaf to the words of a bus-driver. Thankfully, there were others who dispelled my skeptical thought. Like the mother, with a child-like gleam in her eyes, telling her son to be gentle as he stroked a young goat, then reaching out tentatively to give it a quick pat too.
Intangible experiences I could not capture on film. Moments like these that made the experience an enjoyable and unforgettable one.

Choices

'Choices'...
The word seemed to echo repeatedly in several different situations today. Of course, many trivial choices and decisions are made subconsciously every day, but these were some of the more obvious ones I remembered.

On my way to a 2.30 pm appointment for a haircut :
1) To stop by Metro Paragon on the way, or not :
Metro had a 20% sale today, and the fleeting thought of buying something crossed my mind. However, the lunch-hour crowd (and queue) intimidated me from making any serious purchases.

2) "Hi, which do you think is nicer? The Orange or the Yellow one?"
While browsing the handbag isle, I was approached by a lady who was trying to choose between two different sling bags. This may appear inconsequential to some, but for those who know me, I've used handbags a grand total of 5 times last year. So naturally, when this lady asked me for my opinion, I was both startled and flattered. It probably didn't help that I found the colours of both bags obiang (bright and gaudy), but her enthusiastic smile appealled silently for an answer. Trying to ignore the colours, I pointed hesitantly to the yellow bag, which had a nicer design. 'I like this one too, thanks!', she piped. Her eyes lit up, and she trotted off towards the cashier with a beam on her face, clutching at her prize. As for me, the only bag that caught my fancy was more than $100 over my budget. Ah well, at least someone walked away happy :)

3) "Choices", the hairdresser's shop name:
where my godmother and I were supposed to meet (the haircut was a treat from her). While I waited for the the hairdresser to finish blow-drying my wet hair (for 15 minutes!), I did a few mental calculations (yes, I do strange things when bored... :) If I,too, chose to use a hairdryer for 15 minutes each day, instead of letting it dry naturally as I normally do, that would amount to 1.75 hours a week, 7+ hours a month, and 91 hours (3.8 days) a year, or more than 1 week in 2 years. All that time in my life wasted just sitting there, brandishing a hairdryer and a brush... I recoiled at the thought, and wondered what went through these ladies' heads when they repeated this ritual day after day: "Up...down...brush...curl...next lock of hair...nice and shiny...or so wiry...need to cut...so long...maybe highlight a bit...oops, missed a spot... still damp...dry again...".
I silently hoped that I would never fall into such a state. Musing to myself, I knew my hair had a tendency to fly about and mess itself up anyway, especially when the wind blew.
Time taken to travel to hairdresser : 1 hour
Time taken to wash and dry hair : 1/2 hour
Time taken to cut hair : 1/2 hour
Time taken to mess up nicely cut and styled hair, when out on the road : 5 minutes max
Look on hairdresser's face if they saw the wind-blown dishevelled result : Timeless :)

4) Chocolate, hazelnut, mint, mango or durian - flavoured gelato after the haircut:
Another treat from my godmother :) Picked the durian-flavoured gelato, which was filled with actual chunks of the sweet and pungent fruit! I'd tried the other flavours in Adelaide.

5) Now, at this point, to chronicle more thoughts, or to pause for a nap:
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. I may (or may not) continue after catching some shut-eye. Shall go off for a nap now. The pillow beckons!

Ah, Choices.
zzz...

The First Piece! :)

Just when the Blogging world settles into an equilibrium, a gentle ripple propagates through the fabric of its space-time dimension, and out pops... a new Blogger... Yours Truly :)
In other words...

I've got a blog! Yay! :)

... After more than an hour of troubleshooting e-Blogger's template function.

*Note to self : need to brush up my non-existent grasp of Java. All that training in HTML seems to be useless now...*

Carpe Diem!
(Hey, had to end the first entry on an encouraging note, right? :)