My Singapore stint is drawing to a close and I am really happy because I will be back home and be with Ma after a long long time. Infact on record this is the longest stretch I have been away from her. I will also miss singapore:

Especially the escalators (I am arthritic…. remember. Here there are escalators in every nook and corner and you never ever have to climb any stair….. in some stations there are also conveyor belts so you dont even have to walk. The most amazing thing was once in City hall MRT there was a musical stair made to encourage people to use the stairs instead of escalators….. I actually tried playing a song.

The MRT – it is really lovely. No hassle changing trains and going anywhere. I travelled length breadth and all over singapore nonchalantly and never ever had to ask for directions to reach a certain place.

The 24 shopping stores – I bought veggies and grocery and also shopped in the middle of the night. Mustafa is usually so crowded that shopping there at 1:00 in the night is really cool….. the salesmen are free and they attend to you.

China town – It feels like you are in a fair…..in say rajasthan. It is really colorful and bright.

Sitting on the bank of the waterbody (I donno whether it is a lake or a river or a reservoir or a canal…… I come from Pune remember….. The only water bodies that we see there are the mula and mutha and I still get confused categorising them into river lake or stagnant dirty water…… though clarke quay water also stinks and is quite dirty) at clarke quay with hubby and singing majhi songs irrespective of who was looking.

The safety that girls have in singapore. I travelled alone at 1:00 pm. Singapore has almost no crime and the ones that actually happen make headlines.

Mariamman temple – that was the first place that made me feel like home. There is a strange aura to the place….. almost made me break down every time I went there. I went there every week. Guess I still need a mother to placate me wherever I go.

The other place is the tooth of buddha relic. The idol of buddha is so endearing and peaceful. I sometimes attended their services. Nestled between the hustle bustle of chinatown you can suddenly find yourself in most peaceful surroundings.

The pine trees outside my home…… I am going home but they arent.

I felt inhibited in singapore for only half a day, because thats when I slept. The next day itself hubby called the hotel and asked me to come to fuji xerox. I took a taxi and the driver told me that I should walk. When I told him I didnt know the place he actually showed me the place and on the way told me the whole singpore transport story. So my induction to the city was really thorough.

Losing a friend to anger, or distance or to life or to death or any other reason is quite traumatic but the crux is that life goes on. Lots have happened since I left home. Have to go home and face all of it again and peel open a lot of wounds some of which have not healed yet. I dread it but it is a job to be done. So on a somber note posting this song from Pinky, A beautiful gazal from Ahmed Faraz one of my favorites after Galib and a translation of the song and also the rendition by Runa laila.

Ahmed Faraz

ab tak dil-e-khush_feham ko tujh se hain ummeedain
ye aakhari shammain bhi bujhaane ke liye aa