Down Memory Lane....

Thank goodness I had a speedy recovery. I was feeling so bloated and out of sorts yesterday, and after sleeping for almost the whole day and the whole night, I felt so much better today when I woke up. My appetite is still not back though, although I could at least eat a little today. What is amazing is that I can be so energised and walk around so much despite not eating anything yesterday and not eating much today.

I had to go down to sign the letter of offer this afternoon, so I went for a haircut in the morning. The stylist had to cut off more than I asked as there were lots of split ends, the result of not cutting my hair for more than a year. So instead of chest length hair, now it is a little higher than chest level. But luckily still long and straight and that is the most important!

Since I had time to kill after that, I decided to take a long bus ride to my new workplace and just sat back and enjoyed the scenery - something I have not done for quite some time now. It was a trip down memory lane for me as my mind brought me back to the events in my not-too-long-but-not-too-short life, about how I used to take bus and train rides with the then love of my life.

I went by a certain community centre and thought about the time when my second guy and I organised a karaoke party to celebrate my best friend's birthday at the community centre. I went by my old school and thought about the time when I was supposed to have such a happy and carefree life yet I was miserable due to my own doing. I wasted a year where I could live my school life to the fullest due to my stupidity, naivety, immaturity, obstination and shelteredness. That incident woke me up and I managed to salvage things before it was too late and made me realise who my true friends are.

The long bus ride itself reminds me of the times when my second guy and I used to take long bus and train rides from one end of the island to the other end. It brought me back to the time when I was moving in and out of NTU's Hall 13. He never hesitated to help me pack and always took the heavier bags and put them on the bus where we took a very long bus journey home. He did the same during my weekly trips home from and back to the hostel, although sometimes he would drive me to and fro whenever he had access to the car.

We also had long bus rides every anniversary where we would plan to go to a different tourist attraction - Sentosa, the Zoo, Science Centre, Bird Park, Haw Par Villa, and once we went to one of the Seletar Animal Farms to drool over all the dogs as my best friend was promoting a dog show there for her then company.

We made it a point to go to a different movie theatre once a month and took the bus to the agreed cinemas. I believe I have watched a movie in every cinema here! We had also taken a train trip after a movie at Bugis all round the North line enjoying the sights over the far north like Sembawang, Woodlands, Marsiling and the Nature Park at Bukit Batok before going back to my hostel. Those were the happiest moments of my life which I really wish I can relive again.

I can hardly remember if I ever took long bus or train journeys with my other guys. My third guy could never stand taking buses or trains (probably due to the fact that his parents mostly drive him around everywhere he goes). Plus most of the time he would rather stay at home or go out with his parents so the only time we actually had a long bus ride was when we went to SPCA to see if we could adopt a puppy. We did not manage to get one and I wanted to take a bus back but he insisted on taking a cab as he claimed it was very torturing to take a bus. Other times when we did take buses or trains, he would always fall asleep and lean on me, causing me to suffocate.

The worst person to take public transport with was my first guy. He would rattle on non-stop, often raising his voice as he always had something to put me down with. Many a time when we were on the bus or train, he would put me down by insulting my looks or intelligence and reminded me how priviledged I was to be able to get someone like him, and other passengers would stare in our direction and I was so embarrassed that I did not know where to hide myself! Furthermore whenever he was unhappy, he would order me to sit somewhere else away from him.

I find it such a bliss taking a long bus or train journey with your loved one (unless you take it with someone who puts you down all the time; in which case, it is best to sit far apart). You get to enjoy each other's company and do the most communicating and interacting during this time. That is not to say that I do not like being driven around as well. Of course I also like to be pampered and get chauffeured around. Which girl does not like that? However, between a guy who can only afford to take a bus but is so committed to me and a guy who only shows off his car every chance he has yet cannot be bothered with me, I will pick the former anytime.

Of course, someone who is committed to me and with his own mode of transport is still the best, but nothing is perfect, so sometimes one just have to take the best there is. After all, when you fall for someone, it is due to the character and compatibility, thus whether the person has a vehicle should be secondary. That should be a bonus but not a criteria by itself.