Heartstrings

Spent a surreal night wandering around Kovan with Cui after tuition. It's surreal cos I don't usually wander around neigbourhoods aimlesly at night and also because the darkness makes the surrounding more mysterious and magical. But that's the point. The best part tonight was the aimlessness and wasting time, the uninhibited musing aloud and the comfortable companionship. I don't deny that I felt a little guilty of not doing something more “constructive” but the guilt was fleeting.

HDB neighbourhoods are comforting and familiar havens. I realise that I'm getting fonder of my little/ulu/out of the way nighbourhood. The kampong spirit must be getting to me. And probably because I tutor half of Ubi's primary school kids. It is pleasing to recognize and acknowledge other flat dwellers (such actions incidentally build social capital thus accelerating a country’s development). Kovan is a rather chilloutable neighbourhood (it even has study carrels at the void deck. Amazing.). I feel the similar good vibes I get from other places like Marine Parade, Bukit Timah and Pasir Ris. Neighbourhoods like Bedok and Clementi simply emanate bad vibes.

Cui and I traipsed all the way to the Selegie bean curd’s Kovan branch. I guess you pay for what you get because the bean curd was the silkiest I’ve ever tried though it’s double the price of normal bean curd. We rambled through Hougang estate and she showed me her fav haunts which included playgrounds. I have not grown out of playgrounds! I just adore swings, see-saws, roundabouts and jungle gyms (or whatever those pyramidal structures made of ropes are called). It’s probably the first time since Kinabalu that I scaled something more than twice my height.

The night was cool and quiet. The breeze had a somniferous and calming effect.

I felt wistful and sad. I wonder when I’ll do all these random things again. Cui is going to NY and when she returns – if she ever wants to return – I’ll be working. I’m afraid that she’ll turn into a more materialistic (it’s NYC afterall) and less kindred person. I’m even more afraid that I’ll become a jaded and disenchanted working adult (highly probably in a legal career) who is too tired to care about anything. I’ve decided that I want part of my soul to remain childish. Yes, childish. There’s too much to lose otherwise.