Going back to Singapore

I just got back from a 3 days, 2 nights trip to Singapore. I went there specifically to accompany my friend who wanted to catch the Harry Potter exhibition going on at the Arts and Science Museum but we took the chance to visit some other places too.

I've been to Singapore twice previously. The first one was with Arwah Atuk when we attended a wedding of Nenek's friend. We stayed in Nek Busu Zai's house in JB and her daughter drove us there. Besides going to the kenduri we didn't actually stop anywhere else but I remember Atuk pointing out a complex as where he had his police training.

The second time I was there was to attend the Singapore vs Liverpool FC match in 2009. We had a great time being busy stalking following the Liverpool team to their Singapore river cruise, going to the Kallang Stadium, singing on our way back, making banners for the match. It wasn't really a sightseeing trip but we managed to slot a trip to Orchard Road (where everything was horribly expensive and I could only afford the fridge magnets).

This time around we actually had a plenty of time to spare. Plenty of time to study the MRT system and also finding we prefer the buses and walking everywhere instead. Plenty of time to look and soak the atmosphere, smile at the locals, chat with pakciks in the Sultan Mosque...

What can I say. The trip is full of me feeling ahhhh this is what Malaysia could have be too. If instead of Proton we went for MRTs, if instead of demolishing every old buildings in KL's Golden Triangle we preserve them for tourists and future generations (I am still bitter about the demolition of Pudu Jail) if instead of building another mega project we clean up the embarrassing mess that is the Klang river flowing through the heart of KL if if if.

Singapore will always feel familiar by the stories my mother told me of her childhood there. Of Atuk always buying murtabak on his pay day (we had the Arab Street's famous murtabak. I am convinced it is the same murtabak in Mama's stories), of the whole family going for Eid visits by bus, of childhood in the police housing playing with other children (or rather the other children not wanting to play with Mama because she cries easily), of Nenek's helping Mama to cross the big street on the way to the school and once she got Mama and Mak Lang safely on the opposite side then walking back home, of a house without television making Mama watching the drama Melayu from the window of their neighbour's house and of Atuk having enough of his embarrassing children and buying a TV finally.

Walking around Singapore I felt like I was reliving those moments in Mama's stories. It really helps that while there are impressive skyscrapers and modern buildings in recent years, they still maintain their old buildings, airport, HDB flats and old shopping complexes. It makes me feel that I am back to those days and some moments actually brought tears to my eyes. It made me miss Atuk desperately, thinking I would have love to see how dashing he must've been in his police uniform, and also a longing for Nenek Mariam who I never got to know.